Freaky Friday [Paperback]

Mary Rodgers (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Annabel thinks her mom has the best life. If she were a grown-up, she could do whatever she wanted! Then one morning she wakes up to find she's turned into her mother . . . and she soon discovers it's not as easy as it looks!

Disney brings this popular and funny favorite to the silver screen in a new, totally modern story, starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A truly funny story about a [13-year-old] girl who awakens one morning in her mother's body, and'during an incredible day of revelation and opportunity'sees herself as others see her. Fresh, original." -- H. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Inside Flap

Read by Susannah Fellows
Two cassettes / 3 hours 21 mins.

It's one eye-opening (and hilarious) day for Annabel, who awakens one morning in her mother's body!  Annabel tries to cope with her mother's problems, plunging madly from one disaster to another.  At the end of the day Annabel has learned quite a few valuable lessons, not to mention the renewed respect she has gained for her mother. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (June 17, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060570105
• ISBN-13: 978-0060570101
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #679,713 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An all-time great, May 22, 2001

By 

Edward Aycock (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Freaky Friday (Paperback)

Contrary to a previous review, I do not consider this a book for babies. I first read this book 20 years ago when I was in the 4th grade, and I enjoyed it. The concept of a daughter waking up in her mother's body is intriguing, and funny. I just reread this book last week, and I was on the floor laughing. Rodgers has written a book that works well with all ages, and I found it even funnier this time around. From the crush on Boris Harris, to the funniest parent-teacher conference ever, this book just moves on and on, and never ceases to be amusing. Even more interesting is the little mystery throughout the book of who is inhabiting Annabel's body that day. As a 4th grader, I loved the premise, as an adult, I love the wordplay, and the whole mixed up situation that allows Annabel to see thw world through an adults eyes. My only real gripe with the book at this point has nothing to do with Rodger;s writing, but rather the cover in paperback. We see Annabel looking in the mirror at a rather frumpish looking mother, which, if you read the book, is not at all how the mother really looks (a better idea is to picture Barbara Harris who plays Mom in the movie, and does seem to resemble the physical characteristics as Rodgers describes them.) If I were not such an advocate of book collecting and preservation, I'd advise you to rip off the cover, but my best advice to you here is to just ignore it. Otherwise, have a great time with this book.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful story of mother and daughter switching places, August 26, 2002

By 

Gary M. Greenbaum (Fairfax, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Freaky Friday (Paperback)

Annabel Andrews, at age 13, does not like her mother. She doesn't particularly like her little brother Ben, her annoying upstairs neighbor Boris, or herself, either, but she KNOWS she doesn't like her mother. Imagine her shock one morning when she wakes up in her mother's body.

Through an endless day, she must keep house (with uncooperative appliances), do the shopping for two ungrateful kids, ride herd on younger brother Ben, and do all this without ruining her family, her apartment, and without attracting too much attention--especially when she has to attend the sort of parent-teacher conference that she would much rather not hear what is said about her. But at the end of the day, she has a new appreciation for herself, her mother, her brother--and even that annoying kid upstairs!

An absolute delight. None of the endless film adaptations that have used this concept have ever been able to capture the magic of this original.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's Not the Movie, October 30, 2003

By 

Erika Sorocco (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Freaky Friday (Paperback)

Annabel thinks that her Mother has the best life ever. She doesn't have to do homework, clean her room, or anything that a teenage girl has to do. So one night, Annabel wishes that she were an adult, namely her Mother, that way she can do whatever she wants, whenever she wants, and no one can tell her different. She never knew that her wish would actually come true. Now she and her Mother have switched places, and Annabel sees how hard it actually is to be an adult, and wishes that she could be a teenager again. The only problem, is that she doesn't know how to switch back.

While this is a fantastic book, everyone must remember that it was published in 1972, so yes, it is a bit outdated. But, quite fun and interesting, nonetheless. FREAKY FRIDAY is a welcome breath of fresh air, in a world filled with young adult books, which contain bad language, and grown-up situations. A must-have for everyone's collection, whether you are a fan of the movie, or not.

Erika Sorocco