Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

Marchetta, M. (2003). Saving Francesca. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
ISBN-10 0375829830
ISBN-13 978-0375829833
243 pgs
Format: Book
Genre: Realistic
Classification: Fiction
Age level: Age 12 and up

Reader's annotation
Francesca has a lot on her plate. She is starting at a new school, and her family life is falling apart after her strong-wiled mother suffers a breakdown. After floundering in frustration, Francesca realizes she has power to create change in her life.

Summary
Francesca’s mother is a force to be reckoned with: a willful, successful, intelligent, well-educated woman who is at the heart of the family. And then one day, she can’t get out of bed. She’s fallen into a deep depression and her family doesn’t know why or how to help her. Francesca is adapting to problems of her own since she started at a new, co-ed high school that marks a big change from her nurturing all-girls school. Added to that, her father shuttles her among family members who can care for her while until her mother gets better. Months pass in this manner, but Francesca is resilient and tenatious, qualities that help her be a friend to her little brother, a kick in the butt to her passive dad, and helps her form a strong group of new friends at school. And ultimately, it helps her reclaim her broken family.

Notes
Francesca can come off as a little haughty and spoiled, but her honest, straightforward take on her relationships is admirable and in the end, it’s what helps her father to find a way to help her mother, and it helps her to find romance with her difficult classmate, Will Trombal.