Andrew Marcus wants freckles more than anything, so when a classmate offers a secret recipe for fifty cents, he cannot resist
A secret recipe for freckles
Andrew Marcus wants freckles. His classmate Nicky has so many that you could never count them, and Andrew is sure that freckles would solve his problems: his mother would stop nagging him about washing his neck, for one thing. When Sharon, the bossiest girl in class, offers to sell him her secret recipe for freckle juice, Andrew hands over his allowance and goes home to mix up something truly disgusting.
Who will enjoy it
Early readers moving on to chapter books, children who enjoy silly classroom stories, and parents looking for a quick, funny read-aloud.
What you will get
A short, very funny chapter book about a boy who drinks a revolting homemade potion to get freckles, and discovers that being himself is not so bad after all.
Freckle Juice Facts: Pages, Genre and Setting
Genre
Children’s Books · Early chapter book · Classroom comedy · Being yourself
Length
64 pages · ≈ 2 h
More about this book
This is one of Blume's shortest books and one of her most reliable crowd-pleasers. The story is simple: Andrew wants something he does not have, makes a bad deal to get it, and suffers the gloriously gross consequences. The description of the freckle juice, and of how Andrew feels after drinking it, is guaranteed to get a reaction from young listeners.
What lifts it above a joke is the way Blume understands children's small worries. Andrew's longing to look like someone else is treated with sympathy, and the resolution, helped along by a kind and clever teacher, is gentle and satisfying. Sharon, the scheming classmate, is a memorable comic villain without being cruel.
The book is very short, so confident readers will finish it in one sitting; it is ideal for children just gaining stamina with chapter books. Some details of school life feel dated, though the newer edition's illustrations freshen it up. Children who enjoy it can move on to Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, which shares the same light touch. About 64 pages in the Atheneum paperback; some catalogs list 56.
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
Superfudge
Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great
Clementine
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
How to Train Your Dragon
Drama
The Last Straw
Peter and the Starcatchers
The Third Wheel
The Twits
Frindle