Mary Rodgers has the knack of catching the sound of a real child talking. When Annabel [in Freaky Friday] says, "Oh, wow," it is because writer, character, page of print, and reader have all been catapulted into an Oh, wow mood. Plenty of other writers try to hit young readers with "now" ideas and phrases—make love, not war; I mean; you know; Fascist pig. You wish they hadn't. Why didn't they try to be, like, universal and timeless? But in this book the pages rush by,… and it might all be happening in the apartment next door. Freaky Friday is unputdownable. It is a gem. (p. 5)
Jane Langton, in Book World—Chicago Tribune (© 1972 Postrib Corp.), May 4, 1972.
This is a free excerpt of 120 words. There are 124 words (approx.
1 page at 300 words per page) in the full critical essay.
Read the rest of this Criticism with our Rodgers, Mary 1931–: Critical Essay by Jane Langton Access Pass.
