Gone to the Dogs: Frankinschool Book 3

By: Caryn Rivadeneira
Publisher: Red Chair Press
Publication Date: September 10, 2024
ISBN: 978-1-64371-360-1
Reviewed by: Tripti Kandari
Review Date: September 10, 2024

In Caryn Rivadeneira’s Gone to the Dogs: Frankinschool Book 3, an unusual trio of friends embark upon a journey across the supernatural realm, helping an unresolved soul towards acceptance, transformation, and emotional resolution.

In the latest installment to the Frankinschool series, Louisa, Fred, and Drake again find themselves in the labyrinth of antiquity and mystery. The story introduces the quirky trio in the unusual setting of an old-fashioned library filled with supernatural intrigue. The group faces a school project on the world-changing ideas; while the imaginative and inquisitive Louisa sets off on the adventures of her project on the Spanish regalia, for Fred and Drake, the work is no less than a herculean struggle. Frustrated and anxious by lack of any inspiration, Fred looks for a creative way out of his tasks—an unusual plan that taps into the realm of supernatural, unusual, and mysterious.

The event of their disillusionment with plans to wriggle their way out of the school project, the wearing off of patience, and Fred’s heated argument with Louisa engender massive bizarre transformations of the characters to their magical personas, setting it up for readers that the mystical forces are yet again ready to shape the seemingly ordinary and mundane academic lives of the characters. With Fred morphing into ‘Frankinschool’ and Drake into ‘Snake-ula,’ the two are to encounter another revelation: Louisa is missing. As their frantic search leads them into the haunted section of the library and a secret door behind the bookshelf, one thing is clear for them: the school holds hidden truths of its own. The search for Louisa will lay bare more than just her whereabouts—the presence of a restless soul, its unaddressed emotions, and their baggage that lingers enduringly.

The characters help put forward the juxtaposition between traditional and modern ways to research in a new light. Fred grapples with the traditional methods of research in his struggle with card catalogs and physical books in a quaint library. This struggle with missing and labor-intensive resources not only portrays the systemic accumulation of knowledge but also lays bare its limitations. Similarly, the modern methods, as symbolized by the magical elements in the story, represent an unconventional and flexible way of gathering information that is yet to be discovered. The transformation of Fred and Drake into their magical selves also highlights the changes and adaptability one would need to employ in order to traverse traditional boundaries of research.

The author employs imagery in a crucial role to deepen the sense of reader’s understanding of the plot and invoke powerful emotions. The attic, for example, a significant element that reflects the protagonist’s inner self, is described as having “rough-hewn wood” and “paneled walls,” reflecting on the unkempt and neglected condition of the place. The “peeling pink-and-white kitten wallpaper” presents the contrast between the attic’s worn condition and its once-beautiful form. This symbolic use of setting throughout the narrative engenders the deepening of the resonance of readers with the protagonist and their emotions.

The work speaks to the younger readers with its dealings with concerns typical of the young adults. The feelings of anger, being misunderstood, difficulty in the academic journey, and love of pets are all some of the aspects that speak to the common experiences of young minds still struggling to understand their emotions and identities.

Quill says: Gone to the Dogs: Frankinschool Book 3 weaves an emotional journey within the backdrop of supernatural adventure—a journey from anger and isolation to healing and redemption.

For more information on Gone to the Dogs: Frankinschool Book 3, please visit the publisher's website at: www.redchairpress.com/node/669/