Freckle Juice

Freckle Juice

Hardcover - USA - First edition.

Author Judy Blume Published 1971-??-?? Type Fiction Genre Comedy Themes Childhood Age Group Children

Freckle Juice is a children's book written by Judy Blume, illustrated by Sonia Lisker, and published in 1971.

In the story, second grader Andrew Marcus wants to have freckles so his mother won't be able to tell if his face is dirty and he will be able to avoid having to wash so frequently. His know-it-all classmate Sharon offers to sell him a recipe for "freckle juice" so he can grow as many as he wants. As expected, this doesn't work out the way he hopes.

Personal

Own?	No.
Read?	Yes. Paperback and audiobook read by Laura Hamilton
Finished	Late 1980s / 2024-03-20.

I remember this book from elementary school, probably around second or third grade. It was either read to us by the teacher or we read through it as a class, I don't remember which. As an adult who gained a renewed love of Blume's work, and wanting to better familiarize with children's books to make suggestions to my daughters, I reread it.

Review

Overall:

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

• The book is funny and silly. A boy wanting to have freckles to avoid washing is just on the cusp of believability.
• I love how Sharon not only outsmarts Andrew, but also Nicky.
• The overreacting mother fits with how children perceive their parents.
• I like the understanding teacher who plays along with Andrew's freckles rather than embarrassing him in front of the class.
• The book indirectly teaches children to be wary of purveyors of snake oil.

Bad

• I don't much care for the illustrations. They're more like sketches.

Ugly

• Nothing.

Representation

Strong female character?	Pass	Sharon outsmarts all of the boys in her class, and the teacher Miss Kelly is a compassionate educator.
Bechdel test?	Fail	None of the female characters talk to each other.
Strong person of color character?	Fail	Race is never mentioned, although at least one kid in the original illustrations is black.
Queer character?	Fail	There are no queer characters.

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