Freddie vs. the Family Curse
by Tracy Badua
Intermediate, Middle School     Clarion/HarperCollins     256 pp.         g
5/22     978-0-358-61289-6     $16.99
e-book ed.  978-0-358-61279-7    $9.99

Seventh grader Freddie is jinxed by a family curse. Bad luck follows him “like toilet paper stuck to my shoe,” whether he’s tripping over his own feet and falling flat on his face or losing his pants. One day, Freddie finds what looks like an ancient coin in his garage. It turns out to be a family heirloom in which the spirit of his great-granduncle Ramon is trapped. Determined to free Ramon, Freddie has just thirteen days to outsmart the evil spirits that have been casting misfortune on his life—and that are now bent on trapping Freddie. Badua’s intriguing and humorous debut novel integrates snippets of Filipino American history into the plot alongside elements of the supernatural and contemporary-kid life. Intergenerational conflicts arise between Freddie’s parents and his lovable, superstitious grandma, Apong Rosing, leaving our protagonist and his quick-witted cousin, Sharkey, to defeat the Ruiz family curse once and for all. Weaving together mystery, folklore, history, magic, and intrigue, Freddie’s adventures are an entertaining delight.

From the September/October 2022 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.