Freckly Juice

Freckle Juice
By Judy Blume
Publisher/Date: Dell Yearling 1971
# of Pages: 47
Reading Level: 3rd grade
Genre: fiction


Summary:

Andrew wants to have freckles. The boy who sits in front of him, Nicky, has lots of freckles. he's jealous, and finds himself counting his freckles during class. if only he had freckles, he wouldn't have to wash his ears and neck. he asks Nicky how he got freckles, and Sharon overhears him. he doesn't like Sharon, but he listens when she says she has a recipe for freckle juice. she says for 50 cents she'll give him the recipe to grow freckles. the next day, he buys it from her. he's so excited to try it, he runs home after school, and mixes all the ingredients together. He drinks a big glass of grape juice, vinegar, mustard, mayo, ketchup, olive juice, pepper, onion, and lemon juice. it's disgusting, but he will do anything to get freckles. after he drinks it, he feels really sick. his mom comes home to find him sitting in the bathroom with a stomach ache. she freaks out until she finds out he made something and ate it. he stays home from school the next day, but after that his mom makes him go. he's too embarrassed to face Sharon without freckles. so he decides to put freckles on his face with a blue marker. everyone at school still makes fun of him. his teacher then calls him to her desk and gives him freckle remover so he goes to the bathroom to wash them off. Nicky is jealous and the book ends with Sharon telling him she has a recipe for freckle juice remover.

Who benefits from reading this book?

Anyone who wants to be entertained will benefit from reading this book. it's at a beginners level too, so a lot of kids will be able to read it. some will be able to relate to Andrew too. i know of some kids who really want freckles like he does.

What problems could this book cause?

I don't know if this could cause problems... if any, people might want to trick people the way Sharon does, and that's dishonest. other than that, i don't think this book has many problems.

My Reaction:

I thought this book was really clever. i found it pretty entertaining, and easy to read. i liked the illustrations. i liked how there were pictures even though it was a chapter book. i thought this was a well done book.