Charles "Chas" Huckabee finds himself grounded during the first week of summer vacation.  In a desperate measure, he resorts to reading HUCKLEBERRY FINN.  It doesn't take long before Chas decides to write his own book about his adventures.

Chas relates the story of his world - seventh grade at a Catholic school, his best friend Marco, his girlfriend Judy, and the girl both he and Marco cannot forget - Violet.  Chas likes Violet and wants to win her over, but when she sees him eyeing Judy's newly developed breasts, Violet chooses Marco.  Thus sets a chain of events in motion that will change Chas's life.

There is more to FRENCHING VIOLET than meets the eye.  Chas's coming of age story is the key focus, but his family life set amidst the era of the Vietnam War, hippies, and the wrongdoings of Chas's older brother is also portrayed very well.

The story does some skipping around.  For example, it opens with Chas watching a spider, to his family's name, then his parents, and back to the spider.  It took a bit for me to catch up with his drifting mind, but this is a good portrayal of an average kid.  They do tend to jump from one thing to the next.

This is a rich piece of nostalgia that young readers will thoroughly enjoy.  Granted you haven't lived in that era, but the author does a great job of bringing those years to life.