Framed

Framed, which was written in the middle of Gordon Korman’s literary career in 2010 and is the third book in a series of eight, concerns a group of 12-year-olds just entering the seventh grade. Korman himself penned his first book as a 12-year-old seventh grader: This Can’t Be Happening at MacDonald Hall, a title that went on to be published and to launch his 40-year literary career. Framed allows Korman to return to the scene of his first novel, where he demonstrates clear recollection of the tween middle school experience. The tween characters in the narrative, as with real pubescent children, have moved away from believing their parents are absolute authorities. They recognize that parents and other adults can make mistakes and can also be tricked and manipulated. The tweens balance their limited independence against the boundaries set by their parents. Taking the place of fealty to authorities is their reliance upon friends. The tweens’ highest priority is group friendship as reflected in loyalty to the group and deference given to the opinions of their closest friends; they view adults mostly as problematic obstacles.

The common middle school phenomenon of feeling excluded by those who are popular and attractive is the sine qua non that qualifies someone for membership in