Freckle Juice

Master storyteller and award-winning author Judy Blume creates this funny tale about wanting something that you weren't born with — and trying the craziest things to get it! This 48-page picture and early chapter book features black-and-white illustrations that add so much to this already exuberant story, and the short chapters make this ideal for both challenged and on-target readers.

Poor Andrew wishes he had freckles like his classmate, Nicky. While sitting behind him one day, Andrew counts 68 of them, until he is "interrupted" by the teacher. Andrew figures that if he did have freckles, he'd live a much easier life, beginning with the fact that his mother would never know if he washed behind his neck. When he decides to chuck all embarrassment and ask Nicky how he got his freckles, he doesn't realize that Sharon, who's always bugging him, is standing nearby. Amused that Andrew would do anything to get freckles, Sharon offers him her "special" recipe for — you guessed it — Freckle Juice! However, not all wishes come easily: Sharon asks him for 50 cents for the stuff and won't budge from her asking price. Although 50 cents is a lot of money, Andrew feels he has no choice. Trusting the ever-creepy Sharon, he mixes the concoction at home, and waits for the magic to happen. Suddenly, Andrew doesn't feel so well. But does he give Sharon the satisfaction of knowing that she tricked him? No! When Andrew decides to exact his "vengeance" by using a magic marker to draw freckles on his face, his classmates laugh. But the next day, Andrew discovers something truly amazing: one teeny-tiny freckle!

Blume's descriptions make the story and its issues very real, and as usual, her style is infused with insight, warmth, and humor. Fresh, funny, and poignant, this book is one that may inspire readers to check out more books by this truly stellar author.