Maid For It

Though only in middle school, Franny Bishop seems to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders. Whether she’s sneakily cleaning houses to pay for hospital bills or hiding prescription drugs in fear that her mother may relapse, Franny has made it her mission to take on any problems life throws at her family.  

On any given day, the words “leave bologna sandwich in fridge for mom” and “ask Mr. Jamison for extra-credit work” may be found in Franny’s agenda. An expert overachiever, she takes pride in completing everything perfectly—and often, alone. But when the pressure of school and financial struggles collide, Franny realizes she cannot conquer these problems by herself. She reluctantly enlists her classmate, and enemy, Sloan, to help clean houses. However, when Franny’s mother learns about her secret job, she reminds Franny that she is only a kid, and some burdens are not hers to bear.  

Told from a first-person point of view, Maid For It follows Franny as she attempts to live a self-reliant life. Franny is a likable character who feels the need to help those that she loves and is often uncomfortable with the thought of imperfection in herself. Readers will sympathize with Franny from the first scene, where she is called to the office and fears her mother has relapsed. Instead, she finds out that her mother has been in a car accident and will be immobilized for some time. Readers will feel compassion for Franny as she adopts an adult role, trying to earn money and care for her mom. The anxiety that Franny feels towards her mother’s potential relapse is palpable and drives the suspense of the plot, ensuring that readers remain engaged.  

Like many middle schoolers, Franny has a complicated relationship with her enemy-turned-friend, Sloan. She also struggles with her relationship with her classmate Noah, as she finds herself yearning to grow closer to him but also feels hesitant due to the complexities of her personal life. These relationships ground Franny, making her a relatable protagonist. While some readers may not find commonality in Franny’s problems with her mother, they are likely to understand the highs and lows of forming friendships and navigating the complexities of middle school relationships. Though Franny is dealing with heavy emotional problems at home, her time with Noah and Sloan shows Franny taking part in typical kid activities, such as going to fast food restaurants and attending a play together. Noah and Sloan add a lighthearted nature to the book, making it a more enjoyable read.   

Maid For It explores themes of perfectionism and delves into how children often put intense pressure on themselves to succeed. For much of the book, Franny is focused on supporting her family and excelling in school. By the end, however, Franny goes to her school’s dance with Noah and Sloan. This turning point shows her growth in understanding that she does not always have to be a provider, and that she can instead find comfort and solace in letting loose and being a kid. Franny’s development is shown through her stepping out of her comfort zone by becoming more social with kids her age, making her a character that audiences will easily root for.  

Sumner introduces serious and mature topics, such as sobriety, substance abuse, and financial instability. While the storyline is simple and easy to follow, Sumner does not shy away from being descriptive when speaking of Franny’s mother’s struggle with sobriety. For example, Franny recalls a time she found her mother after an overdose. Franny says, “I saw her foot first, jutting out from under the coffee table. She was on her stomach with a bottle of pills next to her. I screamed. She didn’t move. I got down on my hands and knees and shoved her. It was like pushing a bag of sand.” Through her honest portrayal of emotional topics, Sumner tells the story of a young girl learning to accept her own imperfections and set aside the burdens of others that were never meant for her to carry. Readers who want to explore more books that tackle the topic of drug abuse should read Stay by Bobbie Pyron. 

Sexual Content  

• When Noah tells Franny that he snuck out of work for a minute to see her, Franny says, “I swear, the ice cream in my hand actually liquifies.”  
• Noah tells Franny that he has a crush on her and that he thought Franny liked him. Franny says, “I did! I mean, I do . . . like you.”  
• When Mimi, Franny’s mother’s sponsor, said that she knew Pastor Carl before he was a pastor, Franny’s mom sang, “Mimi and Carl, sittin’ in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.” 

Violence  

• Mrs. Pack, someone who works in the office at Franny’s school, tells Franny that her “mom was in the hospital” because of a car accident.  
• Franny is dreaming of organizing her candy into her mom’s pill bottles. In her dream, her mom smacks her hand and digs her nails into her shoulder.  
• Franny gets nervous when she finds her mom in the bathtub, not responding to her. Franny raises her hand and “slaps her once as hard as I can.” 
• Sloan is crying to Franny about the pressure her parents put on her to do well in school. Franny said that her dad would “murder her if she failed math.” 

Drugs and Alcohol  

• Franny’s mom was addicted to drugs, but she had been clean for “three years, our longest stretch yet.” 
• Mimi is Franny’s mother’s sponsor and the owner of the laundromat. She is a “long-standing member of Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous,” and hosts meetings at her laundromat on Wednesdays.  
• Before visiting her mom at the hospital, Franny is scared that the doctor was wrong and that her mom “was high and it really was her fault.”  
• The doctor decides to increase Franny’s mom’s morphine dosage to help with her pain, which scares Franny because “you don’t give drugs to the drug addict.”  
• Mimi is happy to be sober because she’s lost “too many good years and good friends to alcohol.”  
• When Derek, one of the people at the AA meeting, hears about Franny’s mom’s accident, he asks, “Was she high?”  
• Franny says Derek only shows up to the meetings after a bad round of “uppers, the drugs that make you jittery and forget to eat and sleep.” She says her mother prefers drugs like oxy, which makes her sleepy and space out. 
• Franny makes a note to leave “Tylenol on the coffee table for mom.” 
• Franny hides her mom’s oxycodone because she wants to “be the one to divide when and how much she gets” to take to “help her heal.” 
• Franny’s mom says Derek is staying at their house because he was fired for being high. Franny asks, “Is he high now?” Franny thinks he’s a “druggie stinking up our living room with his sweat and panic.”  
• Franny’s grandparents received a call, causing them to rush out and leave Franny at the house. The next morning, Franny’s grandmother woke Franny to tell her that her “mother took too many of those pills yesterday” and is now “having a rest at the hospital.”  
• When Franny gets back from her school’s dance and can’t find her mom right away, she gets nervous that her mom “took the pills because [she]’d left [her] alone.” 

Language  

• Franny uses the word “dumb” a few times. 
• Sloan cries, saying that she “sucks at math.”  
• Franny calls Derek a “druggie” a few times because “he was high” and got fired from his job. 

Supernatural  

• None

Spiritual Content  

• Before visiting her mom’s hospital room, Franny “shoots a prayer like an arrow. If she’s all right, I say to the higher power Mom is always talking about, I’ll never assume anything’s her fault again.” 
• Franny believes that Mimi, her mother’s sponsor, prefers “monklife” living.  
• On the drive home from the hospital, Franny’s mom sings “I heeeeeeeear the word of the Looooord.” 
• When Mimi is asked if she will be at Church, Mimi responds, saying that she will be working, and that “clothes need cleaning as well as souls. Me and God have our own system worked out.” 
• Franny’s mom created costumes for “The Easter Jubilee: A Message of Hope” and her family attended the show on Good Friday. 
• After seeing her costumes onstage, Franny’s mom asks, “Who wouldn’t have a come-to-Jesus moment after seeing those disciples’ robes?”