Mary Rodgers (1931–2014)

I don’t know about anyone else, but whenever I hear the words Freaky and Friday, I automatically think back to Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis circa 2003. But this is a different Freaky Friday, the original, the better of the two in my opinion (I know there was another movie version in the 70s, but I’ve not seen it in years, and don’t remember much about it besides Jodie Foster). This is the story of Annabel and Ellen Andrews, and Annabel needing to learn her lesson.

I will tell you show more now, don’t expect the same exact story as the movie that you’ve probably seen at some point in your life; expect the same premise, but a better story. Annabel is the stereotypical 13 year old girl she’s loud, bossy and negative, hates her family and teachers, but loves her friends and annoying her brother. Annabel is a highly amusing narrator and she sees things like most kids do, i.e. better than adults give them credit for.

Annabel wakes up as her mother, gets dressed, fixes breakfast, sends Ben, aka Ape Face, and Annabel off to school, and then goes through her day in her mother’s body. Dealing with all kinds of issues throughout the day, from the neighbor boy saying he loves her, losing both the kids, the police thinking she’s crazy, and husband’s unexpected clients as guests, she handles it well…at first. Not only does she have a wild ride, dealing with things her mother normally would have to deal with she also has a school meeting to attend…about herself. She finds things that she probably needed to hear, but things that hurt to hear, and that’s where the lesson really starts to set in.

The majority of the story is told from Annabel’s perspective, while she is in her mother’s body and that actually helps the humor even more, take this little gem for instance: “Well in case you’re interested, a mouthful of heart is something like a mouthful of captured frog, and a mind in turmoil simply means all the blood un your body rushes around in your head, leaving you icy cold from the neck down. As for “butterflies in the stomach,” there is no such thing. They are June bugs.” You’ll have to read the book to find out the context there, but there are plenty more humorous moments between the 175 pages that make up this book.

This is a quick read, but one I definitely recommend. It’s funny and somewhat realistic, not in the whole switching bodies with your mother aspect, but in the way this family interacts with one another. I know that despite the length and the material that make up this adorable story, even I learned something about myself and I think everyone could take something away from this book, kids and parents alike. The whole 1972 copyright may throw some people off, but don’t let it; it’s a story that is still relevant today and probably will continue to be for as long as there are 13 year old girls with mothers and little brothers especially. show less

Everyone knows the basic plot of Freaky Friday - teenager wakes up in her mother's body and learns life lessons. I don't know how I ended up with this book, it's one of those that seemed to have always been a part of my bookshelf. At the oldest, I was ten when I first read it (I have a school year written in the front, but that only means I was 10 when I first took it into school, I may have owned it before that). I do remember that 13-year-old Annabel Andrews seemed impossibly grown up to show more me at the time. Which is hilarious now. To be honest, I think that she acts a lot older than 13 (this is partly explained later by her abnormally high IQ), but the whole 'romance' between her and a 14-year-old boy (who gets the hots for her 35-year-old mother) is a bit creepy reading it now I am OLDER THAN THE MOTHER MYSELF!

It being both American and published in the 1970s, I didn't understand all the references as a kid and it has certainly dated a bit in the 50 years since it first came out. (Fifty?!) But Annabel's first person narration is zippy and a hoot. The book is dripping in personality. Yes, there are some outdated attitudes but to be fair Annabel calls out the racism and sexism she encounters. Shame that the R-slur appears towards the end of the book. Also not sure how I feel about her 'makeover' improving her life, but since the book also emphasises her intelligence and feminism, I guess it's okay.

So yeah, it's dated and I've aged, but it's brilliantly written and a lot of fun. show less

The sequel to (and in my opinion, slightly better than) the more famous Freaky Friday sees Annabel’s younger brother switch with his Dad for summer camp. Ben bounces around Beverly Hills miraculously failing to wreck his dad’s career and marriage despite his enthusiastic efforts which bring him very close. His main insight is about everyone pretending and acting and tussling for status and how people see each other. His Dad decides to actually Try at summer camp, winning nearly show more everything, but alienating Ben’s best friend in the process. Eventually they manage to swap back, with the warm fuzzy moral that winning at all costs is not actually worth the cost. show less

Reviewed by Samantha Clanton, aka "Harlequin Twilight" for TeensReadToo.com

I don't know about anyone else, but whenever I hear the words Freaky and Friday, I automatically think back to Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis circa 2003. But this is a different FREAKY FRIDAY, the original, the better of the two in my opinion (I know there was another movie version in the 70s, but I've not seen it in years, and don't remember much about it besides Jodie Foster). This is the story of Annabel and show more Ellen Andrews, and Annabel needing to learn her lesson.

I will tell you now, don't expect the same exact story as the movie that you've probably seen at some point in your life; expect the same premise, but a better story. Annabel is the stereotypical 13-year-old girl: she's loud, bossy, and negative, hates her family and teachers, but loves her friends and annoying her brother. Annabel is a highly amusing narrator and she sees things like most kids do, i.e. better than adults give them credit for.

Annabel wakes up as her mother, gets dressed, fixes breakfast, sends Ben, aka Ape Face, and Annabel off to school, and then goes through her day in her mother's body. Dealing with all kinds of issues throughout the day, from the neighbor boy saying he loves her, losing both the kids, the police thinking she's crazy, and her husband's unexpected clients as guests, she handles it well...at first.

Not only does she have a wild ride, dealing with things her mother normally would have to deal with, she also has a school meeting to attend...about herself. She finds out things that she probably needed to hear, but things that hurt to hear, and that's where the lesson really starts to set in.

The majority of the story is told from Annabel's perspective, while she is in her mother's body, and that actually helps the humor even more. Take this little gem for instance: "Well, in case you're interested, a mouthful of heart is something like a mouthful of captured frog, and a mind in turmoil simply means all the blood in your body rushes around in your head, leaving you icy cold from the neck down. As for 'butterflies in the stomach,' there is no such thing. They are June bugs." You'll have to read the book to find out the context here, but there are plenty more humorous moments between the 175 pages that make up this book.

This is a quick read, but one I definitely recommend. It's funny and somewhat realistic, not in the whole switching bodies with your mother aspect, but in the way this family interacts with one another. I know that despite the length and the material that make up this adorable story, even I learned something about myself and I think everyone could take something away from this book, kids and parents alike.

The whole 1972 copyright may throw some people off, but don't let it; it's a story that is still relevant today and probably will continue to be for as long as there are 13-year-old girls with mothers and little brothers especially. show less