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87th out of 250 books
—
286 voters
The Mysterious Case of the Allbright Academy (The Mysterious Matter of I. M Fine #2)
Franny is thrilled when she's accepted by the Allbright Academy, an elite private boarding school designed to train leaders. But she knows she's not as smart as the other kids there--or as beautiful, accomplished, confident, or mature. The fact is, the Allbright students--from their shining teeth and flawless complexions to their sky-high test scores and long lists of hono...more
Hardcover, 272 pages
Published
December 26th 2007
by HarperCollins
(first published January 1st 2007)
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Franny and her friends change dramatically once they start at the exclusive Allbright Academy – former gloomy Cal becomes cheery and upbeat; funky Brooklyn cuts off his dreadlocks, gives up writing poetry and changes his name to the more mainstream Brook; and, Franny finds studying easy and becomes a neat freak. In fact, all of the students at Allbright Academy are near perfect, and act more like adults than children.[return][return]The story pulls you in right away, and while it’s not a surpris...more
About the Book: When Franny's younger sister Zoe meets politician Martha Evergood, Ms. Evergood suggests that Zoe would be a perfect candidate for a private boarding school she is on the board of, Allbright Academy. Allbright was founded by two Nobel Prize winning scientists and the program is for the best and the brightest and tailored to their skills and learning style to give them the best education. Zoe's condition of acceptance is that her siblings have to join her. So all three Sharp sibli...more
Sisters Franny and Zo and their brother J.D. find themselves being admitted to an exclusive boarding school called the Allbright Academy. Only Zo really qualified but she refuses to attend unless her brother and sister can go too. That’s how bad the Academy wants to recruit Zo.
The school’s buildings and grounds are like a picture postcard, the food is exceptional and the school makes chocolate brownies available throughout the day. The kids at the school are smart, beautiful and dedicated to the...more
The school’s buildings and grounds are like a picture postcard, the food is exceptional and the school makes chocolate brownies available throughout the day. The kids at the school are smart, beautiful and dedicated to the...more
I avoided reading this book for a long time. It just didn't sound appealing. That was a mistake. Franny knows she doesn't really belong at Allbright, an exclusive private school for exceptionally gifted students, and that she and her brother were accepted only because school officials want Zoe, their sister, to attend there. Since Zoe refused to go without her siblings, they were a package deal. But Franny surprisingly finds herself succeeding beyond her wildest dreams. She seems more focused, o...more
Franny knows she doesn't fit in with the brilliant, outstanding students at Allbright Academy when she enrolls. In only a matter of days, though, she begins to feel more comfortable and confident than ever before. How can she, who hates mechanical things, build a working robot during her first week?
She suspects a plot is afoot concerning drugs and duplicity. How far the plot goes is an eye-opener. Mystery-lovers will love every page of this fast-paced tale. Though it is never truly scary, there...more
She suspects a plot is afoot concerning drugs and duplicity. How far the plot goes is an eye-opener. Mystery-lovers will love every page of this fast-paced tale. Though it is never truly scary, there...more
Franny and her 2 siblings are enrolled at the Allbright Academy, a boarding school founded by 2 Nobel Prize winning scientists for the "best and brightest." Her sister is actually the star student but she says she won't attend unless her brother and sister go too. Franny immediately buys into the program and starts to excel beyond her expectations. However, her best friend brings up a point she has never thought about. Why are all the students so perfect? No unmade beds, no loud music, just a bu...more
Franny’s younger sister Zoe has a habit of charming the pants off of everyone she meets, so when Zoe charms her way into an invitation to apply to Allbright Academy, an exclusive school for the best and the brightest, Franny is not surprised. But Zoe refuses to go unless her big sister and her twin brother JD come too, and so all three of them become new students at Allbright.
At first, everything is perfect. Franny instantly makes friends with fellow new students Cal and Brooklyn, and she loves...more
At first, everything is perfect. Franny instantly makes friends with fellow new students Cal and Brooklyn, and she loves...more
This one definitely kept my interest up. I gave it a 4-star although I think it's more a 3.75, since there are a few points that I'd like the author to cover more deeply and some pages that need to be tightened up. For example, when the children went to see Dr. Planck (around pages 185 on) -- there is little need to drag out the revelation of his involvement in the "crime" into another chapter and another encounter. These pages would have been spent better if the idea of democracy is explored fu...more
Franny is thrilled when she's accepted by the Allbright Academy, and elite private boarding school designed to train leaders. But she knows she's not as smart as the other kids there...or as beautiful, accomplished, confident, or mature. The fact is, the Albright students are absolutely perfect. The question is why? And will she succumb to its eeri perfection?
Wonderful for students 4th grade up. Lots of fun and mysterious!
Wonderful for students 4th grade up. Lots of fun and mysterious!
Franny and her brother JD are accepted into an exclusive boarding school when their sister is recruited and won't accept without them. Franny immediately impresses the administration by completing a task only once finished without directions by a previous student. It becomes obvious to JD that something strange is happening to his sisters, and once they realize it, it becomes their mission to save their classmates.
I loved the written parts of this book, what I didn't enjoy were the unwritten parts of this book. Because it was written for a juvenile audience, to keep it quickly paced, there are many parts that are left out and you are just supposed to assume they happened. Normally I wouldn't be bothered by this, but it happened quite often in this book. It's a cute story though - very much like the Benedict Society books.
I've wanted to read this book for a few years now, and now I kind of consider it too easy for me, but it was still good.
What I really liked about it was that the plot was so unique! I've never heard of a book that's anything like this. The writing was really great, too.
If you're a 'tween' then this is a great book for you.
What I really liked about it was that the plot was so unique! I've never heard of a book that's anything like this. The writing was really great, too.
If you're a 'tween' then this is a great book for you.
This book took the idea of the Stepford Wives and set it into a private school for children and then went a step beyond. It was a fast read and hard to put down. I thought the silly names of the characters was very distracting, but other than that it was a pretty decent book. Ok for Elementary- it opens gates for discussion on mind-control, and democracy.
Franny knows she doesn't fit in with the gorgeous, brilliant, charismatic students at Allbright Academy when she enrolls alongside her younger brother and sister. In only a matter of days, though, she begins to feel more comfortable and confident than ever before. Everything about Allbright is almost perfect, from the educational opportunities to the athletics to the healthy cafeteria food. But is all that perfection due to a quality institution, or to something sinister going on behind the scen...more
This is one of the books for Tennessee Awards. I enjoyed it as it combined ideas about education that I believe and press for (multiple intelligences and providing education in various ways for learning differences). But it adds in a mystery and scientists with their own agenda. Hmm!
Drugging kids to make them smarter, more focused and more compliant. Very creeping, but really interesting. Liked it and think kids will like it as well. Well written and easy to read and get sucked into the story. 2010-11 Missouri Mark Twain Award nominee.
Now, this was a good book. It's a winner because I've read it more than once, and I don't read books more than once unless they're really good. So, there's this girl, and she has to solve a really interesting mystery. It's a real page-turner. I love it!
Read this because I read Stanley's Bella at Midnight. I don't think this one was quite as well done - very obvious, but it's really targeted to tweens, so maybe I'm off base. If you like The Stepford Wives, and want a quick summer read this would be good.
This was a fun lighthearted young adult mystery. I really enjoyed reading this book, it only took about a day to read so it was a nice just for something to relax and take my mind off of things. Really fun characters and exciting story as well.
interesting premise; special school for very bright kids has a secret—they’re doctoring the brownies to make the kids compliant and perfect.
I quite liked this book. I just happened upon it while looking for something good for my 8 year old to read! I'll certainly try more by this author!
This mystery wasn't a spooky one, it was a good,funny one that totally suprised me. I read it all in one go, I just couldn't stop. SO good!
This mystery doesn't have a lot of unexpected twists, but it is still satisfying to see it all come together. A fun read.
It's like a re-do of the Mysterious Benedict Society, but not as good. But I would recommend this book.
The names are distracting, as has been stated, and the kids' plan to save the academy takes about one chapter, then the book is over. The author could have elaborated more on the scheme, and carrying out the plan. It seemed as if someone was eager to finish it so they left out a few things.
Even with those few flaws, this book is really interesting and entertaining. The characters are funny, an...more
The names are distracting, as has been stated, and the kids' plan to save the academy takes about one chapter, then the book is over. The author could have elaborated more on the scheme, and carrying out the plan. It seemed as if someone was eager to finish it so they left out a few things.
Even with those few flaws, this book is really interesting and entertaining. The characters are funny, an...more
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I love Diane Stanley! I loved IM Fine and this one was even better! Great story!
A good sinister-boarding-school story with lots of tension and action.
I loved this book! I totally recommend it!
PS I live the author tooooo
PS I live the author tooooo
Well written and a good story line that will appeal to readers and thinkers
I liked this book! It had a comedy and a mystery in one.
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Jul 29, 2008 06:12pm