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

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.

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.

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

Andrew wanted freckles so badly so his mom would not notice he was dirty while Nicky had millions of them all over his face and neck. Andrew would stare at Nicky’s freckle and daydream what it would be like to have then, so much he did not hear the teacher ask him to get into his reading group. Sharon was a girl in Andrews class whom he did not care to much for. She told him she had a recipe for freckle but it would cost his 50 cents. Andrew said 50 cents that was 5 weeks of chores. He wondered if she was telling the truth but that night he went home and counted his 5 dimes out of his bank. The next morning he got dressed in a hurry and did not wash behind his neck and ears. He put the 5 dimes in a tissue and shoved them in his jeans. show more He rushed downstairs hoping to get to school before the 1st bell. His mom said let me check your neck and he begged her to let it slide this morning since he had important things to do at school. He ran to school that morning and went up to Sharon and said ok did you bring it. She said do you have my 50 cents. He wanted to see it first but she wouldn’t allow it. The second bell had rang and it was time to sit. Ms. Kelly wanted to begin class so Andrew went and sat down and when Ms. Kelly wasn’t looking he dropped the 50 cents on the ground and Sharon scooted it over to her with her foot. She then tossed the recipe on the floor but Andrew lost his balance of and fell out of his desk. Ms. Kelly ask Andrew for the note and read it to herself. She told him to could have it after class at 3pm. He could not hardly wait to get home. When 3pm came he got his recipe and ran home. It was a concoction of different ingredients and he mixed it all up and drank it fast like it said to. He just knew he would get freckle! However, he got sick as a dog and his mom got upset because he made a mess. He had a huge belly ache and no freckles. His mom let him stay home 1 day to get over the belly ache but the following day she made him go. So before he left for school he found a blue marker that he would draw his own freckles with. So he hide it in his bag and headed for school but just before he got there he looked in a car mirror and drew blue freckles all over his face. When Andrew got to school everyone stared and giggles but Ms. Kelly knew Andrew wanted freckle. So she let him wear them for a while. Then she called him to her desk and gave his a magic freckle remover so he could wash his face. Andrew went into the bathroom and they all came off. He thanked Ms. Kelly for her help but now Nicky wanted the freckle remover because he hated his freckles and Andrew was shocked because he loved Nicky’s freckles. So Sharon being he devilish little self said Nicky I have a recipe for removing freckles but it will cost you 50 cents while making a super duper frog face at Andrew!

I am a person with freckle who has loved them and hated them at one time or another in my life. My parents always told me I was beautiful even with the freckle but sometimes I wish I could have a remover just like Nicky. I am who I am and look like I look and that cant be changed so I learned to love everything about myself. Our society today put a judgment on anyone who is not what they consider perfect. What is the perfect face? No one really can say because it is only their opinion. This was a very cute book and it has a good moral to the story. Which is love you face!

In the classroom, I can have the students draw a portrait of themselves and if they have freckle draw them if not don’t! I can also have them tell me what they like about their face and what they do not. 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.

Freckle Juice is the story of Andrew Marcus who wants freckles because if he has freckles his mom won’t know if his neck is dirty or not. He decides to take a chance and buy a freckle juice recipe from Sharon.
I am a person with freckle who has loved them and hated them at one time or another in my life. My parents always told me I was beautiful even with the freckle but sometimes I wish I could have a remover just like Nicky. I am who I am and look like I look and that cant be changed so I learned to love everything about myself. Our society today put a judgment on anyone who is not what they consider perfect. What is the perfect face? No one really can say because it is only their opinion. This was a very cute book and it has a good show more moral to the story. Which is love you face!

I would have the students work up their list of what makes them different and have them share their list. show less