Frankie and Friends: The Lost Tooth

Frankie and Friends #3

by Christine Platt, Alea Marley (illustrator)

Frankie’s first loose tooth might fall out during the Kids’ Journalism Conference. How can she help the Tooth Fairy find her when she’s away from home?

Breaking news! Ace junior reporter Frankie has her first loose tooth. All of her toys are excited, and Nina Simone the cat gives a joyful purr. Frankie can’t wait to see what the Tooth Fairy brings her. It might even be a brand-new book like her friend Pedro received! Robert the robot calculates that Frankie’s tooth will fall out in about a week. But that means it will happen when Frankie is away at the Kids’ Journalism Conference with Mama. What if the Tooth Fairy can’t find Frankie when she’s not at her house? Can Frankie and her plucky toys come up with a plan to contact the Tooth Fairy so Frankie doesn’t miss out? Young journalists will learn more vocabulary of the trade in this latest adventure featuring our star reporter and her endearing friends.

Genres: Family

80 pages, Paperback

Published March 18, 2025

About the author

Christine A. Platt is a historian and storyteller of the African diaspora. She holds a B.A. in Africana Studies from the University of South Florida, M.A. in African Studies from The Ohio State University and received her J.D. from Stetson University College of Law.

Her debut novel, The Truth About Awiti, was published under the penname CP Patrick and won the 2016 Independent Publisher Book Awards Gold Medal for Multicultural Fiction. The Truth About Awiti is currently used in high schools, colleges and universities to teach the history of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Christine’s highly anticipated children series, Ana & Andrew, will be published on December 15, 2018 (ABDO Books/Calico Kids).

Christine currently serves as the Managing Director of the Antiracist Research & Policy Center at American University under the leadership of National Book Award-winning author, Dr. Ibram X. Kendi. She is a proud member of the Association of Black Women Historians and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Additionally, she is an Ambassador for Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

You can follow Christine on Instagram via @theafrominimalist, where she interacts with thousands of friends and fans on minimalism and, of course, books.

Reviews

[Shahara’Tova]

This installment of Frankie and Friends follows the main character on a journey with her first loose tooth. Frankie is excited because she wants to make sure she gets a visit from the tooth fairy. However, Frankie quickly has to problem solve because she may not be home when her tooth finally falls out. So, her friends come to her rescue to keep her calm and to devise a plan.

This is a great chapter book for children! The plot of the story is clear and includes bolded vocabulary words throughout with a list of definitions at the end of the book. If parents want to read this book aloud to their younger children, there are beautiful pictures to accompany the story as well. The story shows a young girl using her imagination to problem solve and to keep calm when things get difficult. Great book for young readers!

[Candice Hale]

🦷 🅱🅾🅾🅺 🆁🅴🆅🅸🅴🆆 🧚🏽‍♀️

Feature Title: 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗵 (𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝟯)
Author: Christine Platt
Illustrator: Alea Marley

🌟Thank you partners @hearourvoicestours, @walkerbooksus, @iamchristineplatt and @aleamarley for the gifted copy.🌟

In Book 3 of the 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 series, Frankie journeys throughout the book to understand the timeline and process of what it means to lose a tooth and how the Tooth Fairy gets the tooth. Do you remember the time you lost a tooth? Or do you have a child who is waiting on the Tooth Fairy? If so, this is a great book to read about both.

🧸 The chapter book effectively shows young readers how to be supportive friends. Frankie’s toys (Cleopatra, Tut, Nina Simone, Robert, Dan, and Farrah) are not only encouraging and team players but they also play a crucial role in making the story charming and relatable. The toys and Frankie share a beautiful bond.

🧚🏽‍♀️ Frankie is such a curious, creative, and observant young person. She has a budding resilience and critical thinking skills that are unmatched. However, Frankie doesn’t have to do it alone. She’s able to effectively present a problem and she and her friends find a solution just so the Tooth Fairy is aware of her absence.

🦷 One of the most important aspects of this book is how educational and inspirational the book is. Frankie’s mama is a journalist and allows her own daughter to get a first glance at her profession when she attends the Kid’s Conference at her mother’s Journalism Conference. This shows young Black girls that they can aspire to do great things and learn to become an expert.

🧸 I loved all the toys in this book because they had such different personalities and ways to bond with Frankie. Frankie also has a great relationship with her parents and older sister. Platt and Marley create a series that is successful in portraying the innocent curiosity and unbreakable bonds of children through effective storytelling and vibrant, bright illustrations.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🏷 #BookTour #FrankieAndFriendsTheLostTooth  #HearOurVoices  #HOV  #ChildrensBooks #Bookish #Bookstagrammer #BookLover #wellreadblackgirl #diversifyyourbookshelf

[Richetta]

Welcome to my tour stop for the Frankie and Friends: The Lost Tooth book tour hosted by Hear Our Voices Book Tours! Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This is a favorite young reader series of mine. There are not many early reader/chapter book series that feature Black girls. Here are a few of my favorite things about Christine Platt’s latest edition to the Frankie and Friends series.

1. Importance of Imagination: Frankie’s friends are her dolls, teddy bear and her cat. They have great conversations where they discuss big topics, work out their understanding and come up with decisions and ways to address obstacles. This book’s obstacle is connected to Frankie’s loose tooth conflicting with a Kids Journalism Conference she is attending.
2. Journalism as a Way to Explore: Frankie’s mom is a journalist. Frankie sees her mom as a role model and pretends to be a journalist with her doll friends. Journalism is also used as a framework for Frankie to work on her understanding of big topics or for problem solving.
3. Kids Conference: I wish there were kids’ versions of adult conferences all the time! What a great way to expose kids to learning about a career while also traveling and getting to spend time with a parent.
4. Vocabulary Words: New words for kids to learn are indicated by all capital letters. There is a glossary at the end of the book that is very helpful. Love that the book supports building vocabulary.

I definitely recommend this book to a young reader! It’s great for first and second graders who haven’t lost their first tooth yet. It’s also a fun read aloud for parent and child. I really love the mom’s career being a cornerstone of the series!

[Tonisha]

Our friend Frankie is back with her friends and she is loosing her first tooth. This book is the third book in the Frankie and Friends series, and it is just as thoughtful and adorable as the rest of the books. The book is aimed at ages 5-8 yrs old. What I love about the Frankie and Friends books is that not only are they fun to read, but quite educational as well. Children can read along and see how Frankie and her friend solve problems while working together. They also learn about journalism and new vocabulary; the author always includes a glossary at the back of the books. The illustrations are just as thoughtful as the story is. They are soft and colorful, and I love that the supporting characters are so diverse. I can't wait to see what Frankie and her friends will be up to next.

[Kelli]

Breaking news! Ace junior reporter Frankie has her first loose tooth. All of her toys are excited, and Frankie can’t wait to see what the Tooth Fairy brings her. Robert the robot calculates that Frankie’s tooth will fall out in about a week. But that means it will happen when Frankie is away at the Kids’ Journalism Conference with Mama. What if the Tooth Fairy can’t find Frankie when she’s not at her house? Can Frankie and her toys come up with a plan to contact the Tooth Fairy?

The first loose tooth is an exciting milestone but it can also be a bit scary. My daughter hasn’t lost any of her baby teeth yet but this is the perfect book to read when that time comes! I love that Frankie isn’t concerned about the usual worries like if it’ll hurt when pulled, will she be able to eat the same, or if she’ll look different. Frankie just needs to know if the tooth fairy can find her if she’s not home that night. Your girl wants to collect her coins or a new book like her friend Pedro! Either way, she’s leaving here with something🤣 This story places an emphasis on brainstorming, problem solving, and teamwork. Love the early journalism exposure and introduction to new vocabulary words. If you’re a fan of Doc McStuffins and Toy Story, you’ll love Frankie and Friends. Highly recommend!

[Diane Rembert]

Frankie has an important announcement that she must share with everyone. She has her first loose tooth and is excited about receiving a visit and a gift, from the tooth fairy. There’s only one problem…she’s going to a journalism conference with her mom, and doesn’t want to miss the tooth fairy. So, with the assistance of her friends, she comes up with the perfect plan. This was the absolute cutest book that explains the process of loosing your baby teeth, in preparation for your adult teeth.

[Theresa]

I won this book on one of the Goodreads Giveaways! It’s a super cute book that I read with my kids, who seem to be losing their teeth on a weekly basis right now. So my kids really enjoyed relating to this book!