Synopses & Reviews
1Andrew Marcus wanted freckles. Nicky lane had freckles. He had about a million of them. They covered his face, his ears and the back of his neck. Andrew didnt have any freckles. He had two warts on his finger. But they didnt do him any good at all. If he had freckles like Nicky, his mother would never know if his neck was dirty. So he wouldnt have to wash. And then hed never be late for school.
Andrew had plenty of time to look at Nickys freckles. He sat right behind him in class. Once he even tried to count them. But when he got to eighty-six Miss Kelly called, “Andrew… are you paying attention?”
“Yes, Miss Kelly,” Andrew said.
“Good, Andrew. Im glad to hear that. Now will you please pick up your chair and your reading goup? Were all waiting for you.”
Andrew stood up in a hurry. His reading group giggled. Especially Sharon. He couldnt stand that Sharon. She thought she knew everything! He picked up his chair and carried it to the corner where his reading group sat.
“You may begin, Andrew,” Miss Kelly said. “Page sixty-four.”
Andrew turned the pages in his book. Sixty-four…sixty-four. He couldnt find it. The pages stuck together. Why did Miss Kelly have to pick him?
Everybody else already had their books opened to the right page.
Sharon kept giggling. She covered her mouth to keep in the noise, but Andrew knew what was going on. He finally found page sixty-four. Right where it was supposed to be…between pages sixty-three and sixty-five. If he had his own freckles he wouldnt have to count Nicky Lanes. Then hed here Miss Kelly when she called reading groups. And nobody would laugh at him.
Later, when the bell rang, Andrew poked Nicky Lane.
“What do you want?” Nicky asked, turning around. “I was wondering about your freckles,” Andrew said.
“Oh yeah? What about them?”
Andrew felt pretty stupid. “Well, how did you get them?”
“What do you mean how? You get born with them. Thats how!”
Andrew thought thats what Nicky would say.
Some help he was!
“Line up, boys and girls,” Miss Kelly said. “Time to go home now. Sharon, you may lead the girls. Andrew, you may lead the boys.”
Some luck! Just when he got to be leader he had to stand next to Sharon!
When they were in line Sharon whispered to Andrew. “Psst… I know how to get them.”
“How to get what?” Andrew asked.
“Freckles,” Sharon said.
“Who asked you?”
“I heard you ask Nicky about his.” Sharon ran her tongue along her teeth. She was always doing that.
“Do you want to know how to get them?” Sharon asked.
“Maybe,” Andrew told her.
“Itll cost you fifty cents. I have a secret recipe for freckle juice,” Sharon whispered.
“A secret recipe?”
“Uh-huh.”
Sharons tongue reminded Andrew of a frog catching flies. He wondered if Sharon ever got a mouthful of bugs the way she opened her mouth and wiggled her tongue around. Andrew inspected Sharons face.
“You dont even have freckles!” he said.
“Look close,” Sharon said. “Ive got six on my nose.”
“Big deal! A lot of good six will do.”
“You can get as many as you want. Six was enough for me. It all depend on how much freckle juice you drink.”
Andrew didnt believe Sharon for a minute. Not one minute! There was no such thing as freckle juice. Andrew had never heard of it before!
About the Author
Judy Blume spent her childhood in Elizabeth, New Jersey, making up stories inside her head. She has spent her adult years in many places, doing the same thing, only now she writes her stories down on paper. Her twenty-eight books have won many awards, including the National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.
Judy lives in Key West and New York City. You can visit her at JudyBlume.com and follow @JudyBlume on Twitter.