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 1st edition | |
| Author | Judy Blume |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Sonia O. Lisker |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children |
| Publisher | Four Winds Press |
| Publication date | 1971 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 47 pp |
| ISBN | 0-440-42813-0 |
| OCLC | 16245047 |
| LC Class | MLCS 2006/13892 (P) |
Freckle Juice (ISBN 0-440-42813-0) is a 1971 children's book by Judy Blume. This short story is about Andrew Marcus, a second grade student, who wants to look like Nicky Lane.
Summary
Andrew's dream is to have freckles. He envies Nicky Lane because Nicky has numerous freckles all over his face, ears, and neck. Andrew feels as if he is at a disadvantage because he only had two warts on his fingers. Once, Andew tried counting all of Nicky's freckles, but when he got to eighty-six, Miss Kelly, Andrew's teacher, told him to pay attention. He wants to have his own so his mother will not be able to tell if his neck and face are dirty and he would not have to wash them. He makes many attempts to acquire freckles. Andrew thinks that freckles are really neat.
After asking Nicky how he got his freckles, and getting the expected answer ("you get born with them"), a girl in his class named Sharon, who often fools him by using sneaky tricks, tells him he can get freckles by drinking a concoction that she claims she used to get freckles. At first, Andrew does not believe her. Sharon then tells Andrew to look closely and Andrew observes that Sharon has six freckles on her nose. She gives him the recipe for "Freckle Juice" for fifty cents. He thinks it is ridiculous that he has to use five weeks worth of allowance for a recipe, but he is dying to get freckles. After school, he runs home to make the recipe which calls for several disgusting ingredients (some of which he did not have and had to use substitutes). He ends up drinking it, after which he gets very sick. His mother comes home, notices how sick he looks, and puts him to bed immediately. She gives him pink medicine which tastes like peppermint to get better. That night he has a nightmare about being bullied by a monster which looks like a gigantic Sharon, who forces him to drink quarts of Freckle Juice, but only makes the monster gain freckles. Because he still feels queasy, Andrew stays home from school the following morning, but gradually recovers that afternoon. The following day he is healthy enough to go to school, but must think of a way to convince Sharon he got freckles.
Before he goes to school, Andrew tried to find a brown marker but could not find one so he used a blue marker to draw several little dots on his face. He believes this will make him look like he got freckles, which would prove Sharon wrong. He realises that her recipe was only a joke to fool him. He is angry and frustrated because he was the victim of a prank. Unfortunately, everybody, including Sharon, sees through this idea and ends up laughing at him.
Miss Kelly gives Andrew her secret formula for removing freckles. It seems to be a powerful lemony soap that cleanses magic marker stains. Ironically, Nicky Lane, the boy he envied because of his real freckles, asks her if he could use the secret formula as well because he hates them. Miss Kelly explains freckles did not look good on Andrew, but are fine on Nicky and that she hopes the "secret formula" will never be used again. Later, Sharon whispers to Nicky about this recipe for a concoction that can get rid of his freckles. Andrew takes pleasure when Sharon makes a big frog face at him.
Reviews
"This convincing small boy adventure proceeds smoothly to a satisfying conclusion. The conniving little girl, understanding teacher, and feckless, freckleless boy are amusingly depicted in the impish black-and-white illustrations and in the story which is especially suited for reading aloud to second-and third-graders." - Library Journal.
"Spontaneous humor, sure to appeal to the youngest reader. The amusing sketches and the well-spaced type make an inviting volume." - The Horn Book