Freckle Juice

Wonderful story about a grade school boy who desperately wants to look like someone else, and in the end learns to love himself just the way he is. Wonderful way for children to learn respect and self-esteem.

Should be required reading for grades K-3.


LESSON WELL LEARNED AND HUMOR TO BOOT   August 27, 2006
D. Blankenship (The Ozarks)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

I enjoy books for the young ones that give them a good lesson on life and give them a chuckle or laugh while doing it. Be happy with the way you look, be satisfied with yourself and hidden in that message is one that well shows there are no free lunches in life. the 1971 edition I have has some very well done black and white drawings which are quite charming themselves. This is a great book to read to a class as it creates much discussion and allows the children to relate their own wishes and discuss them. This is one of those books that I hope does not go out of print as it has a timeless quality about it. Highly recommend.


Decent plot but hard read-aloud   July 6, 2004
G. Churchill (Provo, UT United States)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

This thing won't let me edit my stars...but I meant to put 4!!

My thoughts reading this to myself were that Freckle Juice is a fun early chapter book (which is why I originally gave it 5 stars). I thought it fit in well with today's market. Frankly, it's better than many of the serial books that children are zipping through these days. The writing is fairly well-paced for young readers and the dialogue is decent.

My thoughts reading it aloud to my children were that it could have been cut by half, my kids were bored and many sentences were cumbersome. It felt like there were many little add-ons that distracted my children instead of holding their attention.

Yet my 7-year-old daughter approved it and we enjoyed the clever ending.


A classic   August 20, 2004
D. L. Kerley (Stafford, Virginia)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

I remember reading this when I was a kid and when I saw it on my seven year old's summer reading list, I had to buy it for him.

We have been reading the book together and we have BOTH been giggling over it. My son teases me because I have a lot of freckles -- he thought I drank some freckle juice! LOL!

Judy Blume's books are just as good as I remember them.


IMAGINITIVE!   October 17, 2001
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Are your kids bored? How about a fun book that is easy to read, not too long, and funny?

Do you want freckles as much as Andrew does? What happens when he buys a freckle recipe from a girl in his class? Will Andrew have as many freckles as Nicky? They cover his face, ears, and back of his neck. After mixing the ingredients at home and drinking the juice, Andrew gets a big surprise!

Freckle Juice is also a good choice to read aloud to kids, as with a number of other Judy Blume books.

As a children's book author, I highly recommend "Freckle Juice" to kids and grown-ups. It's a wonderful book that will be read over and over for many years!

Richard W. Carlson Jr., Children's Book Author