Penny, The Review Group's reviewer Penny for Your ThoughtsThe Review Group
Children's ✦ Penny’s Take

Freddie Vs. the Family Curse

Tracy Badua Β· 2023
80/100
πŸ‘ Worth It

A delightful award-winning middle-grade debut that weaves Filipino folklore, humor, and intergenerational family loyalty into something genuinely fresh. The Sid Fleischman Humor Award and Bank Street Best Book recognition are not participation trophies, and Publishers Weekly and Horn Book both agreed. Kids who pick this up, especially but not only those with Filipino heritage, are in for a treat.

✦ Penny’s Take β€” this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read β€” not a page-by-page personal one. The gold βœ“ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
As an Amazon Associate and Audible affiliate, Penny earns from qualifying purchases. This never affects the verdict β€” see our affiliate disclosure.
Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
Faith & family safety75
Substance / usefulness80
Craft & writing82
Originality81
Evidence & accuracy85
Hype vs delivers83
Age-fit86
πŸ‘ Human-eye gut-check79
Penny’s verdict80
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