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51 pages 1 hour read

James Ponti

Framed!

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2016

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Chapters 19-25Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 19 Summary: “Capitol Crush”

Florian rides his bike to the school soccer fields in time to watch Margaret and her team do “The Tornado” (189), a group chant and dance that gets the crowd and players fired up for their game. Florian is impressed by Margaret’s fierce demeanor and sees a new side of his friend. The game excites the spectators, and Margaret becomes the hero by scoring a goal and foiling a trick play by the other team. Before Florian can leave, Margaret detaches from the celebration and chases him down, saying that he is her best friend and gets priority. He praises her, and she says that Florian saved the final goal because she used TOAST to notice the trick play. Florian looks up at the school, and Margaret tells him not to worry because this time he has her to help him.

Florian rides around, gets pizza, and notices a man watching him. He goes out the back of the pizza restaurant and runs into another man. He gets ready to use Cross’s training, but the man asks if he is Johan Blankvort. The men are agents from the FBI and are taking him straight home. Florian receives a text from Rivers telling him that it is safe to go with the men. They have his bike in the back of their SUV, and Florian realizes that they found him using the tracking chip inside his Metro card. His parents, Rivers, and a new agent are at the table when he gets home. Rivers shows him a picture of a man at the soccer game. It is Nicolae Nevrescu, or “Nic the Knife,” who is a known EEL crime boss.

Chapter 20 Summary: “The Underground”

Martin Kellogg is the new agent at the table. He is an expert on Nevrescu. He tells Florian that Nevrescu is the son of a Romanian mobster. Although Nevrescu’s family wanted him to stay out of the business and sent him to America as a student, Nevrescu ended up opening corrupt construction companies and expanding from there. He also launders money for the EEL crime families back in Romania. The FBI are currently building a case against him; their surveillance team followed him to the soccer match. They were alerted by Florian’s chip that another FBI asset was in the area, so they contacted Rivers. Now, they show Florian a photo of him and Margaret talking. Nevrescu is in the background watching. Florian observes that there are many other likely reasons why Nevrescu might be there. He asks if Nevrescu is interested in art. Kellogg says that Nevrescu graduated from Georgetown; because Nevrescu supports cultural activities within the Romanian American community, having a Monet might appeal to him. Rivers says that Florian is off the case. They think the people on the garbage truck at the museum have passed on information about Florian to Nevrescu, who owns sanitation and recycling centers. Florian asks if he can still look at the travel records from the museum, reasoning that he can do this from his house and should be safe because the records do not involve Nevrescu. The adults agree.

Florian tries to redo the basement so that he can have a good place to work but does a poor job. Margaret comes over and improves the space while he tells her about Nic the Knife. He thinks that the adults are overreacting, but Margaret disagrees. They look up Nevrescu’s scholarship fund and find photos of him looking fierce. They also practice Romanian phrases. Florian can understand many because Romanian is similar to Italian. He decides to learn the phrase “my hovercraft is full of monkeys” (206) because it makes him laugh. They finish decorating by hanging up a symbol of the London subway system. They decide to call their space “The Underground” (208).

Chapter 21 Summary: “Back to School”

Florian and Margaret allow Florian’s mother to take photos if she will allow them to walk to school on their first day. Margaret helps Florian to navigate the metal detectors and X-ray machines; these security measures surprise Florian but make him feel that the Romanian Mafia cannot get to him. Florian is happy that he and Margaret have three classes together and have the same lunch period. Florian struggles with being a normal kid and chafes at not being able to talk about his FBI experiences. On his first weekend, his mom asks him when he will finish his homework; envelopes from Agent Rivers have arrived and he cannot look at them until he finishes his schoolwork. She reads the essay that he writes about his summer and says that it is about nothing. Florian tells her that he cannot write about FBI-related activities, but she helps him to realize that other important things happened over the summer as well. He rewrites his essay to describe meeting Margaret.

The next day, he and Margaret use Rivers’s reports to find museum staff who are traveling to Europe for conferences or expositions that Pavel Novak might attend. They plot out dates, and Florian gets an idea to check social media feeds. They realize that Novak is at ArtFest in Budapest at the same time as Serena Miller and Earl Jackson.

Chapter 22 Summary: “Extra Credit Algebra”

Florian doesn’t want to believe that friends of his parents would be the thieves. He and Margaret consider another person, Kendra May, who might work with Florian’s mom. Florian’s mother is outside painting and tells them that Kendra can’t be their inside source as she is out on maternity leave. They adjust their search for people who have gone to Europe multiple times, and the evidence points to Serena. They pause this line of inquiry for a while to look at Hobbes’s auction information. They notice that one person stops bidding at an odd amount of money multiple times. It’s the same Washington, DC–based bidder name, and the bid is always for a Monet or a Renoir. Florian is baffled but calculates a currency conversion, and they discover that the person is making bids in even amounts of Romanian leu.

Chapter 23 Summary: “An Actor Named John Wilkes Booth”

Rivers tells Florian to contact him through a website made especially for middle schoolers, the FBI Kids Page. The next day, Florian gets a text that reads “Tell Johan to visit Our American Cousin after school today” (231). Margaret is excited that Florian has a fake identity with the FBI. They both try to decipher the meaning of the text. Florian remembers that the text refers to the name of the play that Lincoln was watching on the night he was assassinated, so Florian goes to Ford’s Theatre, which is now run by the National Park Service. Florian is looking at the exhibition when Rivers appears next to him. Florian tells him about Serena and Earl as well as the anonymous Washington, DC, bidder who was attempting to buy impressionist works with Romanian money. In two weeks, there is an open house at the Romanian embassy, and Florian thinks it’s a chance to use TOAST to observe Nevrescu. Rivers explains that the FBI cannot enter the embassy, because it is legally Romanian territory. Florian wants to help and is discouraged when Rivers refuses, saying that they cannot risk his safety. Florian counters that Nevrescu could have killed him at the soccer game when he had the chance, so Florian is probably safe. Rivers points to a large photo in front of them that was taken six weeks before Lincoln is killed. John Wilkes Booth is standing behind the president in the crowd. This observation disproves Florian’s logic.

Chapter 24 Summary: “Let’s Play TOAST”

Days pass, and there is no word of new developments with the art theft. Margaret informs Florian that he is running for student council, a term with which Florian is not familiar because he lived in Europe the last eight years. When Margaret explains, he thinks it sounds like more work than fun, but she tells him it will help him get involved in something bigger. To his surprise, he is elected and takes “baby steps into accepting [his] middle school-ness” (241).

After 12 days of not thinking about the FBI, he has a revelation that they are not questioning their own assumptions, a requirement of TOAST. He concludes that they need to go to the Romanian embassy. The FBI can’t enter, but when the embassy holds an open house, Florian reasons that he and Margaret can go and watch Nevrescu in action. Putting this plan into action, Florian leaves his chipped Metro card at home. The embassy has food and performances in every room, and he and Margaret find Nevrescu greeting people in the library. He seems friendly and warm: not what they expected. As a kitchen door opens, Florian sees a man whom he thinks is an employee of the National Gallery. He heads for the kitchen despite Margaret’s reminder that they have been told to stay in designated rooms. He encounters two Romanian security guards having a cigarette and gets nervous when he is unable to explain his presence. Agent Rivers appears and claims to be a middle school teacher; he says that Johan has wandered off. As they head toward the exit, Rivers explains that he knew Florian was there because Johan Blankvort sent a message on the FBI kids’ website asking where the Embassy of Romania was. Margaret confesses that she sent this message. They are almost out of the embassy when they see Nevrescu talking with one of the guards.

Chapter 25 Summary: “The Getaway”

This time, it is obvious that Nevrescu recognizes them. Rivers tells them to keep walking until they meet Agent Cross, who is waiting outside. Nevrescu heads toward them, but Rivers cuts him off, still playing the role of teacher. The guard tries to get Florian and Margaret to come back. Margaret is skeptical when she sees the diminutive Cross but changes her mind when Cross brings the guard to his knees with the way she holds his pinkie. A black SUV pulls up, and they jump in and head to the Washington Field Office. Cross is disappointed in Florian but doesn’t lecture him. Florian is worried about Agent Rivers, but moments after they park, he pulls up. Rivers says he is angry at Florian but hugs him instead. When Florian apologizes, Rivers tells Florian to call him Marcus.

Chapters 19-25 Analysis

The stakes and danger continue to rise as Florian willfully ventures into harm’s way and attracts the interest of the mysterious Nevrescu, and The Importance of Friends and Allies becomes a prominent theme as only Rivers and Cross can extricate the protagonist when his plans go awry. Ponti creates a sense of urgency and imminent danger when the FBI’s photo captures Nevrescu lurking ominously behind Florian at the soccer game, and the author strengthens the impression that Nevrescu is a dangerous character when the man appears in person and seems to threaten the children by stopping them from leaving the embassy. As the novel accelerates toward its climax, some of these details will prove to be red herrings, but even in the moment, the physical action of a chase scene and the tiny Agent Cross’s deft self-defense tactics heighten the tension of the story.

The Importance of Friends and Allies is also demonstrated in Special Agent Rivers and Cross’s intervention, for without their help, Florian and Margaret would have been caught in the Romanian embassy. While the children are the ones making the deductions and solving the crimes, their actions are only possible with the added layer of support, information, protection, and skill provided by the adults who endeavor to help them. The protagonists are armed with superior investigative techniques, but the higher level of information brought in by the FBI accelerates the plot and reveals the perceived threat to Florian, allowing the protagonists to explore a broader range of mysteries.

Margaret also shows her value as an ally in this section in several different ways. For example, her courage and ferocity are revealed on the soccer field, and when Florian sees this side of her, he realizes that she truly is a good match for him, for she has the confidence and social skills that he often lacks. Margaret also shows moral courage by calling on the FBI for help, even when she knows that Florian would not want her to. This decision reveals her inner moral compass and willingness to face her friend’s anger in order to save him. Thus, Ponti establishes that although Margaret is loyal and brave enough to go with him, she is also smart enough to call for help. This becomes an important point as it proves her to be a true friend. Additionally, Margaret’s decision to do something that Florian would dislike in order to protect him mirrors Florian’s later decision to keep Margaret’s parentage from her. Like Margaret’s decision, his action may seem disloyal on the surface, but it is the most caring thing he can do for her. Margaret’s character development in this section therefore sets the standard for Florian’s difficult decision at the end of the novel.

A second theme that comes into play is Ponti’s habit of Integrating Real-World Knowledge into Fictional Narratives. For example, the math that Florian uses to figure out the exchange rate indicates useful information for a variety of real-world scenarios. Similarly, Ponti introduces brief yet vital history lessons by incorporating the significance of the Ford Theater—the famous location where President Lincoln was assassinated. By emphasizing the presence of John Wilkes Booth near President Lincoln weeks before the assignation, Ponti draws direct parallels to Florian’s situation, thereby using historical details to further the plot of the novel. As the story unfolds, Ponti includes key educational facts, all of which can easily serve as launching points for additional research, should his readers wish to indulge their curiosity.

The motif of the cliffhanger appears repeatedly in this section, marking the episodic nature of Ponti’s work. Each chapter’s end either contains a new discovery or reveals information that hints ominously about the dangers of Nevrescu. This structural approach accelerates the pacing and intensifies the sense that the protagonists are facing inescapable danger. By contrast, the emotional release portrayed when Rivers hugs Florian raises the emotional stakes between the characters, who display an unprecedented level of vulnerability.

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