Thursday, July 19, 2012

Audiobook Review: Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers


Buy from the Book Depository
Author: Mary Rodgers
Publisher: Listening Library
Narrator: Susannah Fellows
Duration: 3 hours 21 minutes
Summary: (Taken from Goodreads)
When I woke up this morning, I found I'd turned into my mother. There I, in my mother' bed, with my feet reaching all the way to the bottom, and my father sleeping in the other bed. I had on my mother's nightgown, and a ring on my left hand, I mean her left hand, and lumps and pins all over my head.



Overall Rating: 3.5/5

I love the premise of this story. A girl wakes up to find that she has turned into her mom and has to deal with all the grown-up problems that her mom deals with. A few movies have been made of this novel, one in 1976, one in 1995, and one in 2003.

I am sad that I never realized the movies were based on a book, because had I not watched the movies beforehand, I think I would have liked this book more. Yes, this is one of those rare books where I like the movies better than the book. For one thing, in the book the switch is caused by the mother, and only Anna, the daughter, learns a lesson. I thought this was completely unfair, because a lot of times adults forget what it's like to be a kid and they don't realize what kids have to go through. I love how the movies show this. Unfortunately, the book does not go into that. Another thing I didn't like was how unrealistic it was. It may be because of a generational difference (after all, it was first published in 1972), but I was surprised how Anna could ditch school, go shopping all around town, and not once be stopped or questioned by an adult.

However, despite that, I thought it was a funny book. There were times I laughed out loud because everything was so ridiculous. It's a fun, quick read that keeps you interested the entire time. It is somewhat dated, but I think it's still very relevant to teens and moms today. If anything, it's interesting to see where this famous story originated.

I loved the narration in this audiobook. Susannah Fellows is extremely talented and switches between characters' voices effortlessly. I was never confused as to who was talking. Also, I love how she adds just the right kind of emotion to mirror the characters' thoughts and actions. Simply fantastic.