| Title | : | Freckle Juice |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 9991373764 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9789991373768 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 40 |
| Publication | : | First published July 1, 1978 |
One day after school, Andrew works up enough courage to ask Nicky where he got his freckles. When know-it-all Sharon overhears, she offers Andrew her secret freckle juice recipe for fifty cents. It's a lot of money, but Andrew is desperate. At home he carefully mixes the strange combination of ingredients. Then the unexpected happens...
Freckle Juice Reviews
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After eight hours of packing today, I decided to sit down and pick up Freckle Juice from a “purge box” and see how the 1971 Judy Blume classic resonated with my 10-year-old daughter, fifty years later.
She loved it.
Right at the story's start, she laughed at this:
His mother hurried over to him. She almost tripped on her long bathrobe. The curlers in her hair scratched Andrew's face as she checked his ears and neck.
When I asked her why that made her laugh, she said, “It's funny to think of you with curlers in your hair.”
Yes, I suppose it is.
One minute later she laughed again, when Mrs. Marcus tells her son, Andrew, “This afternoon when you come home I'll be next door. Mrs. Burrows invited me over to play cards.”
I asked her why that was funny, and she said, “It's so funny to think of you going to the neighbor's to play cards.”
Interesting. No, I have never gone to anyone's house to play cards, but I bet those mothers had adult drinks, and that sounds good to me. Like, how about we pass on the curlers, but pass the wine instead?
The rest of this short chapter book went over well with my pre-teen. Despite the time period of the early 1970s, Ms. Blume managed to craft a story with illustrations depicting a diverse classroom and an integrated neighborhood. She also promotes a great message here: if you're born with freckles or birthmarks, they look good on you.
My daughter seemed to think that an afternoon card game among the stay-at-home moms and a head full of curlers were the only dated aspects of this story.
Ms. Blume was so ahead of her time, it hasn't caught up with her yet. -
This wasn't my favorite Judy Blume but it came close. My favorite had to be "Are you there, God? It's me Margaret."
This one appealed to me quite a bit when I was young because I also had a TON of freckles. Along with my read hair...I hated them!
I loved the fact that Andrew WANTED freckles like Nicky. In his mind his mom would never notice how dirty he was that way (ohhh child logic). Then we have enterprising Sharon who comes up with the idea that she will sell Andrew a secret recipe for fifty cents. This secret recipe will magically help Andrew with his wish for freckles. Of course this doesn't go as planned.
It's funny looking back at what amused me so much as a child. Judy Blume was a big part of so many childhoods.
It wasn't long after reading this book that I heard from a friend that I could get rid of my freckles by using a similar mixture of vinegar and lemon juice. I was to mix the two and hold a cotton ball full of the stuff on my face and it would magically bleach them out. I just ended up with a really irritated and really red face.
As I got older I didn't hate them as much, but I still don't love them. They've also faded a bit on their own. Summer time they pop up more but that's okay...I've accepted my freckle face at last.
Judy Blume... you are one of the best!! -
Can't even count how many times I've read this book.
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Considering that most children's literature (or episodes in children's novels) dealing with freckles generally have as a main theme how to get rid of the latter (such as for example in L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Avonlea, Anne Shirley mistaking a bottle of red dye for the lotion that is supposed to bleach the freckles on her nose and thereby staining it brightly scarlet), I guess it is indeed rather funny that in Freckle Juice, the exact opposite does in fact occur and that author Judy Blume has Albert purchasing a "secret recipe" from his classmate Shannon that is not supposed to make his own freckles disappear but is in fact supposed to allow Albert to have his face grow freckles just like his classmate Nicki (whose face and neck are literally covered with them and of whose freckles Andrew is intensely envious).
However, as humorous and yes as ironic as the premise for Freckle Juice is, personally, I have also found (and even though Freckle Juice is clearly meant for early readers) the book more like an outline of a story than a complete and finished tale, with in particular not enough slightly below the surface details and considerations to make Freckle Juice all that interesting and with a bit of thought provocation (and yes, also with some parts that really do not make all that much common sense either, for I cannot really understand why after consuming Shannon's freckle juice did NOT give him his desired freckles, Albert would then try to use a blue marker to paint artificial freckles on his face, as even he should know that freckles never appear as blue in colour, in particular considering how Albert has been continuously observing and counting Nicki's freckles whilst sitting behind him in class).
And really, I have found Judy Blume's general portrait of Albert as he appears in Freckle Juice for the most part overly exaggeratedly clueless (and even for someone only in grade two) to simply and naively (not to mention immediately) believe Shannon that drinking the concoction that her recipe engenders would cause actual freckles to appear on his skin and I would have at least wanted and expected a bit more personal doubt depicted on Albert's part by Judy Blume before he decides to ingest the so-called freckle juice he has mixed (but then again, perhaps the author also wants to demonstrate with Freckle Juice the inherent power and seduction of the often quoted and global belief that any medicine or tincture that smells and tastes really and utterly vile must surely and likely therefore work wonders).
Furthermore and for me, even more importantly, I do tend to think that Judy Blume ends her Freckle Juice rather annoyingly abruptly and that indeed, in my opinion, there really should have been at least some repercussions and consequences for Shannon (for the main instigator and in my opinion the main pusher of "freckle juice"), who seems to emerge frustratingly smelling absolutely like roses (which I for one find totally and majorly annoying and problematic since her unhealthy and uselessly disgusting recipe did make Albert seriously ill to his stomach and now might well do the same to Nicki who wants Shannon's so called "freckle juice" for the exact opposite as Albert, who wants to get rid of his freckles and indeed, I also really do not understand why the in all other ways generally so positive and observant homeroom teacher does not seem to recognise and notice Shannon's role in all of this and punish her). -
I couldn't get behind this book. I thought the kid was stupid.
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‘Freckle juice’ an excellent book about a young boy named Andrew. One day he is sitting behind Nick in class and notices he has so many freckles and he thinks to himself that all his problems would be solved if he had freckles. It would stop him from being late for school and getting in trouble with his mother. His enemy, Sharon hears that Andrew want freckles and offers him her secret ‘freckle juice recipe’ for fifty cents. This is a lot of money for Andrew however, he is desperate to have freckles so he buys the recipe. As soon as Andrew gets home he puts all the disgusting ingredients together to create the freckle juice. He soon realises after gulping the mixture down that it does not gave him freckles but just a horrible stomach ache. The next day Andrew draws on freckle with his ‘magic marker’ to prove Sharon wrong.
This book is suitable for children aged 7-10. This book could be used in class to encourage and support individuality and self confidence. It could also be used to teach children that it is okay to be different. It can also be placed in the book corner to be read independently. -
Disclaimer: As someone living with a skin condition (vitiligo), I qualify myself to review this book
Firstly: I loved this!!
Although I absolutely DO NOT condone drinking a Jungle Juice-worthy freckle-making potion based solely on the recommendation of the class Mean Girl...especially one who doesn't even have freckles. I mean, is that stuff even approved by the FDA? (aside: Sharon probably grew up to be one of those people who recommended drinking bleach to cure... well, I won't get into politics here) Seriously, Andrew... You know Freckle-Faced Nicky would probably straight-up sucker punch a Nun in order to get your clear skin. Especially once you all hit middle school and all the girls are going gaga over all those dewy-skinned boy band members while he's caking on more concealer than Pennywise the Clown*.
But this is not a book about skin conditions...or lack thereof. It's not even a book about ways to avoid taking a shower. This is a book about learning to be happy (or at least reasonably satisfied) within your own skin. A good message. And a sad-but-also-amusing twist ()
Anyway, I had fun revisiting this one!
*Let's hope not. Hopefully Nicky learns to embrace his spottyness. All eighty-six (thousand?) of them. Besides, clowns are creepy. That's totally a cliché thing to say, but it's true. -
This is the first chapter book I have read with my grandson. He is a beginning reader and was able to identify some words. I remember reading many Judy Blume books when I was a kid and enjoyed every one.
Andrew loves his classmate’s freckles and wants some of his own. His nemesis, Sharon, sells him her “secret recipe” to get freckles and Andrew happily gives up his five dimes. What happened afterwards is a not so pleasant experience for Andrew.
This was one of Blume’s better stories and my grandson and I enjoyed reading it. It was fun for him and nostalgic for me. 🤗 -
It was about him with his magical marker that was blue and he was poking polka dots on his cheek and everyone laughed. It's one of my favorites because it's like a whole story. I liked when he put freckles on his face with the blue marker. It made me heartbroken that people laughed at him. It taught me that you can't laugh at people. (age 7)
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I feel sacrilegious saying this about a Judy Blume book, but this story doesn't work for me. Andrew is so clueless that his character isn't believable for a second grader. And Sharon is a mean, self-centered child who never experiences any consequences for her deceptive behavior. I adore Judy Blume, but I guess even a writer as great as her misses the mark at some point.
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It seems as though my propensity for reading one book I like, and then proceeding to devour everything I can find by that author started early. Judy Blume was no exception, and I read this one because I liked her other stuff. It didn't disappoint.
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This buch is the prequill buch to Lorne of the Rings, where that little guy Frodjo really wants his Freckles! So what happens is Frodjo spends all his days counting Nicky Lane’s freckles, and you know what? There’s was so many of them that he keeps losing count! And Fruddjo says to Nicky how’d you get them things? And Nicky says dummy I was born with ‘em. So then along comes a wizard Merlin! And he that wizard gives Frodjo this magic ring made of lead. And that gave him something like freckles that was called lesions. So his friend Sharon makes him a potion, saying “Drink a couple gallons of this and it’ll give you real freckles not them oozy things” and Frodjo says “I guess so”. So there he is, drinking freckle potion all day long like some bum. And then Miss Kelly thought? Why doesn’t Frodjo go get a job, and start contributing to capitalism?? Becuz if somebody wants something then that’s called Market Value. So then Miss Kelly who is all of these peoples teacher she says “hey Frodjo I know a place you can get a job” and she gets some guy to take him to this shoe factory. They pay him all right! But it’s not even enough money to buy his freckles. So Frodjo gets sad and sits there stitchin them shoes and says “Oh if only I was lucky enough to be born with Market Value I wouldn’t have to be stitchin these shoes and man is it hot in here, where’s the windows?” Okay, that was a weird buch! Sorry!
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Having freckles was the solution to all of young Andrew’s problems: being late to school because his mother made him wash his dirty neck, not paying attention for reading group, and even being laughed at in class. Or so he thought. When enterprising classmate Sharon sells Andrew her secret freckle juice recipe, Andrew is overjoyed and rushes home to try it out with results he was not expecting.
Awarded ALA’s Margaret A. Edwards Lifetime Achievement Award, Blume’s text will engage many readers working their way toward more difficult chapter books, although some of the content is becoming noticeably dated such as the 50-cent cost of the recipe that took five weeks of Andrew’s allowance as well as the mother playing cards in the afternoon with her neighbors. Young readers will still enjoy the lead up to the gross concoction, however, and identify with Andrew’s sickness afterward and desire to stay home from school. Lisker’s illustrations focus on Andrew’s interactions with the other characters in the book and emphasize the comedic aspects of the text. -
What an odd little book.
I'm not sure I ever read this as a child, as an adult I couldn't really understand what the point was. I'm a teacher and kids do pretty ridiculous things but I didn't really buy that a kids would fall for this whole "freckle juice" thing. The mom was the worst. I hated how she was portrayed as some angry, nagging hag. And do parents really check to see if kids cleaned behind their ears? I'm much more worried about hands being washed.
The teacher was the best part of this story.
3rd/4th BOB book. -
I love Judy Blume, but even as a kid I remember thinking "WTF?" I was a kid and I still found the main character to be rather naive and disappointingly stupid.
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I'm completely biased when it comes to this book. I read Freckle Juice when I was in the 3rd grade and loved it. As an adult, I didn't realize it was sooo short. If you don't know what this book is about, the synopsis is pretty straight forward. Andrew a boy in 2nd grade admires the freckles of a boy that sits in front of him. He really wants freckles as well. Susan a mean girl that is in his class swears she has a recipe to grow freckles. Well you have to read the rest of the story to find out what happens.
5 stars to this adorable story. -
I’m giving 5 stars to this book even though we have only read half of it. Why? Because for the first time ever, my 8 year old son asked “If I up early enough tomorrow, will you read the rest with me?”. Wake up early AND read!
My boy who very much dislikes to read and will do anything he can to avoid it at all costs asked for more! God Bless you Judy Blume. I will now pray that he likes the Fudge books and that this is not a trick. -
Perhaps 50 years ago I would have liked and enjoyed it better than I did. It was still kind of cute though.
I can relate to desperately wanting something that I did not have, but as a teenager. I bit my nails unmercifully as a child and only managed to finally stop at age 30. All thru high school, I had the worst infected, bleeding and bitten down awful nails on earth. My bestie did not have this terrible habit and always wore blue nail polish. I would look at her longingly wishing I could have those nails.
Well, 40 years on, I do, and far longer than she ever kept hers, and yep, I oftentimes paint them blue !
💅🏻 💅🏻 💅🏻 💅🏻 -
super funny
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My project was to read through Judy Blume's entire catalogue in publication order to see why she is labeled the most Banned Author in the U.S...however, the list I looked at did not have them in the proper order. So...I'm going a bit out of order but as close as I can.
1970's Freckle Juice is super short but a cute story about young Andrew who just wants freckles like his classmate. Mean Shelly gives him a recipe of common kitchen ingredients that, when mixed together, will give Andrew a face of freckles. Allegedly.
A nice message about loving yourself with or without freckles, this was a quick read that is fun to read aloud to younger audiences. This is one of Judy Blume's titles that has not been banned or challenged. -
I just read this in about 10 minutes, so it's beyond me how my teacher spent more than one session reading this to us in grade three. I definitely remember the blue freckles taking up more of the story than it did, so that was a bit disappointing as a nostalgic reread. But it was very cute, and I remember LOVING it when we read it in grade three. so five stars.
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it's been years since i last read a Judy Blume book but i think one of the last ones i read was this one
it's always been another favorite of mine from hers i never did get around to reading them all for whatever reason but i love them and from the ones i have read i haven't read a bad one yet. another must read book -
Another childhood favorite! Loved this one so much!
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Fun little story. Not much to it just a cute little story about a boy who wants freckles but learns to love himself just the way he is.
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Freckle Juice by Judy Bloom has 40 pages and was first published in 1978.
Freckle Juice is the story of second grader that longs for freckles. He is convinced that if he had freckles his mother would never know when his neck was dirty and he wouldn't have to wash it every day.
I remember reading this book when I was little and giggling like crazy. Freckle Juice is a fun, timeless book that is sure to keep children of all ages laughing. Recommended for young readers that are just starting to read chapter books.
