The Homeschool Liberation League

The Homeschool Liberation League. By Lucy Frank. Penguin, 2009. 288 pages. Tr. $16.99 ISBN 978-0803732308

Summary: Just having finished wilderness-training camp, thirteen-year-old Katya is convinced that she cannot allow her parents to send her to school. She convinces them to homeschool her instead. However, homeschooling under her parents’ rule is very similar to traditional school, with Katya forced to log into her computer to access the Daily Instructional Matrix. With her new friends Milo, a violinist, and Francesca, she mounts an attempt to convince her parents that her style of learning is ideal.

Critical Review: Frank’s remarkable novel captures the desire of gifted tweens to structure their own lessons. Katya longs to be able study science, her main passion, by observing flora and fauna in their natural habitats. However, her parents’ definition of schooling is at substantial odds with hers. Through her friendships with Francesca and Milo, she finds the strength to confront her parents. Unfortunately her homeschool experiment lasted for only two weeks. I wish that Katya’s parents encouraged her to freely explore her interests, without confining her to a rigid work structure. Above all, Frank does a wonderful job at conveying the anxiety that is common with this age group. Moreover her emphasis on technology – namely, texting, IMing, and cell phone - accurately fits in with tween usage.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Reading/Interest Level: 10-14 years

Reviews: Voice of Youth Advocates (2009, December 1); School Library Journal (2009, August 1); Booklist (2009, June 1)

Similar Materials: Jerry Spinelli’s Love, Stargirl

Subjects/Themes: homeschools; gifted children; science; music; individuality; musicians; families; Connecticut

Character Names: Katya; Milo; Francesca

Author Website: http://lucyfrank.com/

Brief Annotation: A thirteen-year-old girl becomes a homeschool student and finds that it is far from what she expected.