Freckle Juice

I've been giving into nostalgia the last few months and picking up copies of Blume's adolescent books for myself, but stopped short of the children's books. Until one day my sister in law was looking for kids books with a chemistry bent and Freckle Juice popped into my head. It's not chemistry, exactly, but it does involve kitchen chemistry. Once it was in my head I had to find a copy.

It's even better than I remember! It's going to be fun reading this to my nieces; I'd almost swear Judy Blume wrote it for the express purpose of reading it aloud. As always she captures what it was to be a kid and think what you don't have is cooler than what you do.

A fun read for younger kids and with the exception of the affects of inflation (10 cents show more a week allowance anyone?), the book is pretty timeless. show less

Summary:
This is a story about a young boy named Andrew who desperately wants freckles because he believes it will help solve all of his problems. Nicky, who sits in front of him at school, has them all over his face, ears and neck. Andrew believes that if he had freckles all over him too his mother wouldn't notice when his neck was dirty and therefore he wouldnt be late for school. He is so desperate to have freckles he quickly takes a girl named Sharon's secret "Freckle Juice" recipe and pays for 50 cents for it. He realizes soon after that Sharon's recipe isn't working and is only making him sick so he draws freckles on himself using a blue marker. At school his teacher helps him remove the freckles he made on his face using a special show more "Magic Freckle Remover", which Nicky asks to use also because he hates his freckles. The next day, Andrew finds one tiny freckle.
Personal Reaction:
This book is a great example of self-concept and individuality and portrays it in such a humorous way. It's a great book for children who are realizing their differences in comparison to other children around them, and can help them to see the postives in those differences. I love Judy Blume books and this one is a favorite. It's funny yet full of lessons also. I can't wait for my children to be old enough to read these books.
Classroom extensions:
1. I would have my students draw a photo of themselves with a physical feature they wish they had but don't.
2. I would have them come up with their on concoction that would create the physical feature they wish they had and have them price it accordingly.
3. I would discuss with my students the idea of self-concept and the many reasons they should embrace their differences rather than try to change them. show less

SUMMARY
Andrew's mother complains about how dirty he can get. Nicky has a lot of freckles. If Andrew had freckles like Nicky, his mother would never know if his neck was dirty. When Andrew asks Nicky how he got the freckles, Sharon tells him the secret freckle juice recipe for fifty cents. At home he carefully mixes the strange combination of ingredients, but sadly finds out that it does not actually give him freckles.

REVIEW
I love the main message of this book. It teaches students to be confident in their appearance and love themselves for who they are. I also really enjoyed the simple illustrations that were included in this book. My favorite part of the book is when Andrew puts marker on the back of his neck to make freckles and his show more teacher gives him the "magic eraser." Nicky then also wants an eraser for his freckles. I definitely know I wished that I could erase certain things about me when I was a child so I definitely connected to this part. show less

This book made me uncomfortable as a child and it still does. So a poor gullible child obsessively wants something that is both unattainable and worthless (freckles); an unscrupulous classmate notices this and takes advantage of it; when the promise proves fraudulent, the gullible child tries to salvage his pride by pretending it worked, and publicly humiliates himself in the process. Great.

For an adult, this would be a fairly short and easy read, but it's still pretty funny because of the simplicity and fun of this story. The main character wishes he had freckles and is jealous of a boy in his class who has lots of them. Being a kid, he doesn't realize that freckles aren't something you can just get, though boy howdy, he tries hard!

The story becomes really entertaining as he is offered a concoction by a classmate who tells him it will give him freckles. The story ends on a rather funny and surprising note which teaches us one important lesson - the grass on the other side is always greener.

Master storyteller and award-winning author Judy Blume creates this funny tale about wanting something that you weren't born with — and trying the craziest things to get it! This 48-page picture and early chapter book features black-and-white illustrations that add so much to this already exuberant story, and the short chapters make this ideal for both challenged and on-target readers.

Poor Andrew wishes he had freckles like his classmate, Nicky. While sitting behind him one day, Andrew counts 68 of them, until he is "interrupted" by the teacher. Andrew figures that if he did have freckles, he'd live a much easier life, beginning with the fact that his mother would never know if he washed behind his neck. When he decides to chuck all show more embarrassment and ask Nicky how he got his freckles, he doesn't realize that Sharon, who's always bugging him, is standing nearby. Amused that Andrew would do anything to get freckles, Sharon offers him her "special" recipe for — you guessed it — Freckle Juice! However, not all wishes come easily: Sharon asks him for 50 cents for the stuff and won't budge from her asking price. Although 50 cents is a lot of money, Andrew feels he has no choice. Trusting the ever-creepy Sharon, he mixes the concoction at home, and waits for the magic to happen. Suddenly, Andrew doesn't feel so well. But does he give Sharon the satisfaction of knowing that she tricked him? No! When Andrew decides to exact his "vengeance" by using a magic marker to draw freckles on his face, his classmates laugh. But the next day, Andrew discovers something truly amazing: one teeny-tiny freckle!

Blume's descriptions make the story and its issues very real, and as usual, her style is infused with insight, warmth, and humor. Fresh, funny, and poignant, this book is one that may inspire readers to check out more books by this truly stellar author. show less

I really liked this book because of how funny and light hearted it is. The language was descriptive and clear, and really made the story come to life. The writing was engaging and paced really well. The problems and solutions in the plot were not dramatic life events, but the author did a great job of making them feel tense and suspenseful. The book pushes readers to think about what they have, and how silly it is to want something just because someone else has it. The big idea was that a boy would do anything to get freckles.