Mary Rodgers was an accomplished author, screenwriter, and
composer. She authored Freaky Friday, a book that has sold more
than a million copies and has been made into two movies. Mary was
the creator of two other novels for young readers, Summer Switch
and A Billion for Boris, as well as the music for the musical Once
Upon a Mattress. Mary Rodgers lived in New York City until her
death in 2014.
Heather Hach (rhymes with Bach) wrote the screenplay for the most
recent Freaky Friday movie and the book for Legally Blonde: The
Musical. Heather recently appeared as a judge on MTV's The Search
for Elle Woods. Heather Hach writes books and screenplays in West
Hollywood, California, where she lives with her husband, an
animator, and her daughter, a toddler.
Gr 5-8-Thirty-five years after the release of Freaky Friday (HarperTrophy, 1972), Mary Rodgers has teamed up with Heather Hach (screenwriter for the most recent Freaky Friday movie) to introduce a new reason to hate Mondays (HarperCollins, 2009). Over-achieving eighth-grader Hadley Fox has forgotten to prepare for her oral presentation. In a moment of consolation, Hadley's over-extended English teacher, Ms. Pitt, compares Hadley to her oh-so-perfect-and-beautiful older sister, Tatum. One classic body-switching moment later, Hadley finds herself in her teacher's body, being stared down by the school board for the English Department Chair interview. Over the course of the day, Hadley comes to see both Ms. Pitt and Tatum in a new light, and learns that nobody has the perfect life. Finally, under the incandescent glow of a surprise I Hate Mondays school dance, Hadley vows to quit studying so much, Ms. Pitt decides to cut back on her extracurricular commitments, and the two return to their own bodies. Hadley's curt observations are laugh-out-loud funny. She is sensitive, yet still has pig-headed moments, and listeners will latch on to her teen crises. Jennifer Stone's reading is spot-on adolescent melodrama. However, the overall situation feels superimposed on the characters, and the plot holds no surprises for those familiar with Rodgers' classic. Still, this is a humorous excursion for fans of Freaky Friday and those who enjoy novels by Lisa Yee.-Richelle Roth, Boone County Public Library, KY Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.
With help from screenwriter Hach (who wrote the screenplay for the 2003 film adaptation of Freaky Friday), Rodgers reprises her 1972 novel with this unexceptional follow-up that features teacher and student in the switcheroo roles. Hadley, 13, excels at academics but feels "like the lame consolation prize of the family" compared to her athletic, gorgeous sister, Tatum. Ms. Pitt, who is so devoted to her students she has neglected her own life, has taught both sisters. During a class discussion of To Kill a Mockingbird, she innocently compares Hadley to Tatum, causing teacher and student to simultaneously quote Harper Lee's text about not really understanding a person until you "climb into his skin and walk around in it." Lights flicker and voilù: Hadley, in Ms. Pitt's body, has instant access to the teacher's lounge, while Ms. Pitt must handle romantic attention from the boy Hadley's been crushing on. A few slapstick scenes occur before the predictable ending in which Hadley realizes that she has talents, Tatum has flaws and Ms. Pitt needs to get out more. Amiable but nothing new. Ages 9-12. (May) Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.
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