Dear Franklin: My Dad Just Had an Operation, What Do I Do? (Paperback or Softback)

When her dad undergoes emergency open-heart surgery after collapsing at his gym, it's pretty much the worst thing that's ever happened to 11-year-old only child Hannah Brody. In response, she turns to a long-unopened diary that becomes the outlet for her deepest fears and darkest secrets. To her surprise, she finds that not only is she not alone, but that support can come from the most unexpected places. Funny, richly textured, and moving, Dear Franklin is a story of resilience in the face of near tragedy, an inspiring tale for middle-graders and others on how to cope when confronted with life's unexpected twists and turns.

A must read for every member of the family with young children, experiencing the trauma of a parent having major surgery—particularly heart surgery.

“Jake Ryan’s engaging 11-year-old narrator, Hannah B, charms and delights as she struggles to make sense of her suddenly precarious world. Her spot-on observations and humor will pull you into her story on the first page and keep you reading to the end. Highly recommended for everyone in the family, kids and grownups alike.” —William J. Harrigan, Author of Augie Sweetwater and the Dolphin’s Tale

“Realistic, heartfelt, vulnerable, and inspiring. Readers will find comfort and humor in the way 11-year-old Hannah Brody copes with her father’s scary health crisis. Her always-entertaining diary entries will serve as reminders that you are never alone in your big feelings.” --Laura Anne Bird, author of Crossing the Pressure Line

"Hannah B’s daily journal tells us how she tries to make sense of a world that seems to be falling apart—her best friend moved, she’s assigned to do a school project with a boy she can’t stand, and nobody will give her straight answers when her father collapses at the gym. In Dear Diary Franklin, Ryan goes beyond looking at the usual challenges of being a kid who doesn’t quite fit in at school to educate about recovery from major heart surgery, leaving the reader with a satisfying ending."
--Frances Schoonmaker, award-winning author of The Last Crystal Trilogy