Framed: Art, Family, and Community

Framed turned out to be about so much more than a book about a young boy growing up in Manod, Wales. As sometimes happens with children's books - this one is rated for grades 6 through 9 - as an adult one can see a bigger picture than just the plot.

I learned about art and people's reactions to art. I learned about family and how important team work is. I learned about community and how everything can change for the better in a short time. I learned about weather and slate mining and sheep and blindness and an awful lot about the Ninja Turtles.

I also learned how to pull off the perfect crime, how fast a BMW will go, and how important it is to carry an umbrella. That is a lot to garner from one book.

Now I can't wait to read Frank Cottrell Boyce's first book, Millions, a story about a young boy and his brother who find a big bag of cash. I am sure I will learn something from that book too.