Framed - Frank Cottrell Boyce
Rating: 4/5

Framed is a novel by Frank Cottrell Boyce, the infamous writer who debuted from Millions (another brilliant book, but we won’t go there yet), about a boy and his mastermind-thief sister, who, through acts of attempted thievery and illegal acts, end up ultimately reminding a small town about the power of art.

The protagonist, Dylan, is a 9-year-old boy (the only boy left in the easily-forgotten town of Manod). His family owns the only gas station/store in the town, and profits are down to a minimum no matter what they do; leaving the family scrambling to find other ways of earning money before bankruptcy. Their parents suggest other jobs, starting a new business, and the children? Dylan’s (its mainly Minnie’s fault) solution is to search and find the Holy Grail (and maybe sell it, they haven’t really decided that yet), by sneaking into the mines at the top of the mountain, where the strange trucks are ending up staying.

All in all, a bad, if not daring, idea.

Framed, (set in Northern Wales, where artworks were hidden in the mines during WW2) is a creative, quirky way of showing how a few pieces of art affected a small boy, his family, and the small town they live in - the product of exploration on the effect of art on the people.

It is a promising read for anyone of any age, and the book’s magic never dies; absolutely unforgettable.

 Yoyo