When her father begins a long-distance romance with a zookeeper from Washington, D.C., twelve-year-old Frankie sends fabricated e-mails to the zookeeper in an attempt to sabotage the relationship. But when the zookeeper responds, with wise and witty letters about protecting territory, shunning outsiders, and rebuilding a home, Frankie begins an honest and prickly correspondence that touches on family, friendship, and growing up. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr. 4-7. Frankie is shocked when she intercepts an e-mail from a woman, Ayanna (nicknamed Ratlady), who apparently met and kissed Frankie's widowed father during a recent business trip. She begins an e-mail exchange with Ayanna in an attempt to discourage the budding romantic relationship. Ayanna, keeper of the naked mole rats at the Washington, D.C., National Zoo, attempts to maintain an honest dialogue, but Frankie's desperate and comic replies escalate out of control. In a believable way, Frankie begins to act out of character in reaction to the changes in her life, unsettling her best friend, her teachers, and also her father. Ayanna's supportive e-mails (including analogies to the behavior of her small mammals) eventually help Frankie deal with her disappointment at not getting the lead in the school's play and prompt her to talk to her father about their latent grief over the death of Frankie's mother. Told in e-mails and diary entries, this is a humorous look at honesty and privacy that will have special relevance for readers whose parents are back in the dating pool. --Cindy Dobrez Copyright 2005 Booklist From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.