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Ready, Freddy! #1
Tooth Trouble
Watch out, Junie, there's a new kid on the block! It's Freddy Thresher, a first grader who knows it's a jungle out there. A new chapter book series written by an elementary teacher who's seen it all! Freddy Thresher has a a really, really, big problem. He's the only one in his class who hasn't lost a tooth! All of the other students in Mrs. Wushy's first grade have signed their names on the Big Tooth, and Freddy's determined to get his name on it, too. So when Max "The Meanie" Sellars calls Freddy a baby, Freddy decides he's going to lose that tooth one way or another, even if it means getting punched in the face at recess, or even bigger trouble, with Mom!
96 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2004
116 people are currently reading
1446 people want to read
About the author
Abby Klein
106 books55 followersAbby Klein was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She earned her teaching credentials at Dartmouth College, where she majored in psychology and education. She then went on to earn her master's degree in reading and language development at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Currently she teaches in the same public elementary school she attended as a child in the Los Angeles area. She has been a kindergarten and first-grade teacher there for more than fifteen years and is very involved in the school community, as both a teacher and a parent. Her two young children also attend the school where she teaches. In addition, she is a “teacher-leader” in her district, and over the years, she has presented many staff development workshops both at the district level and at her school site that centered on reading, writing, and literacy. She has been a presenter at national conferences as well.
In her first published series, Ready, Freddy!, Klein brings just the right amount of true-to-life humor and drama. She brings young readers a fresh voice, a great sense of humor, and a unique perspective on the trials and tribulations of first grader Freddy Thresher. Utterly authentic and drawn from real experience in the classroom, Abby Klein knows exactly what first graders are thinking.
She lives in Los Angeles, California, with her husband, two children, and three dogs. She thinks there's nothing better than a good book, and she loves reading aloud to children.
Currently she teaches in the same public elementary school she attended as a child in the Los Angeles area. She has been a kindergarten and first-grade teacher there for more than fifteen years and is very involved in the school community, as both a teacher and a parent. Her two young children also attend the school where she teaches. In addition, she is a “teacher-leader” in her district, and over the years, she has presented many staff development workshops both at the district level and at her school site that centered on reading, writing, and literacy. She has been a presenter at national conferences as well.
In her first published series, Ready, Freddy!, Klein brings just the right amount of true-to-life humor and drama. She brings young readers a fresh voice, a great sense of humor, and a unique perspective on the trials and tribulations of first grader Freddy Thresher. Utterly authentic and drawn from real experience in the classroom, Abby Klein knows exactly what first graders are thinking.
She lives in Los Angeles, California, with her husband, two children, and three dogs. She thinks there's nothing better than a good book, and she loves reading aloud to children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
March 23, 2021
My 5_year_old brother,Mahrad gave this book 5 stars.
During reading this book,I forgot that Feredi is a story_character
I thought he was our little brother
the fifth member of our family
My brother laughed out loudly,when Maxy punched Fredy in tommy instead of face,and it was enough for me to read the other pages eagerly!
Mahrad loves it,so do I :)))
During reading this book,I forgot that Feredi is a story_character
I thought he was our little brother
the fifth member of our family
My brother laughed out loudly,when Maxy punched Fredy in tommy instead of face,and it was enough for me to read the other pages eagerly!
Mahrad loves it,so do I :)))
January 29, 2016
My 8 year old recently borrowed this book from our public library.
This is the first installment to the Ready Freddy series. This book is about Freddy Thresher, a first grader, that is the only kid in his class that hasn't lost a tooth yet. The story revolves around how Freddy feels being the only one and the trouble he goes trough trying to make himself lose a tooth.
The book contains 11 chapters and there are some black and white illustration throughout. Book is listed for Preschool-Third grade, but I would recommend it for first grade and up. My second grader needed some help with reading some of the words and understanding some of the situations. (Warning, book does contain name calling, some bullying, and a fight.)
Book also contains a Freddy's Fun Page, A Very Silly Story assignment, and how to make Jessie's tooth pillow.
We will be reading more of this series.
This is the first installment to the Ready Freddy series. This book is about Freddy Thresher, a first grader, that is the only kid in his class that hasn't lost a tooth yet. The story revolves around how Freddy feels being the only one and the trouble he goes trough trying to make himself lose a tooth.
The book contains 11 chapters and there are some black and white illustration throughout. Book is listed for Preschool-Third grade, but I would recommend it for first grade and up. My second grader needed some help with reading some of the words and understanding some of the situations. (Warning, book does contain name calling, some bullying, and a fight.)
Book also contains a Freddy's Fun Page, A Very Silly Story assignment, and how to make Jessie's tooth pillow.
We will be reading more of this series.
January 11, 2013
Blake read this to us each night on the Storia app (scholastics app). This book was so much fun, a perfect read for my son. It just so happened that when my son started reading this he was distraught about losing his first tooth. He got such a kick out of this book. He even got an idea on how to get his tooth out from this book. I also loved reading it on the storia app, it had little lightning bolts on some of the pages that had little activities for him to do that pertained to the story. Highly recommend this book and especially on the storia app.
June 5, 2021
Wow This book is awesome.You should read Freddy Teresher.I enjoyed This book from the starting till the end.This book was all about the boy Freddy Teresher.He was angry that he was the only one in school that haven’t have a loose tooth 🦷.He was so angry that he had a fight with his bad friend .He wanted his bad friend to punch his tooth.Ouch That must be so painful😖.
July 8, 2012
Son thought "it was amazing", SO 5 stars for a 6 year old. I thought it was just okay.
We actually listened to the audio version. I didn't really like Freddy's voice. His sister was rude and annoying. They say stupid and have name calling throughout book.
We actually listened to the audio version. I didn't really like Freddy's voice. His sister was rude and annoying. They say stupid and have name calling throughout book.
February 14, 2017
Garrett didn't even want to finish it....
September 14, 2020
Cute story. There’s a hidden FIN in each picture, which was fun to search for on each page.
January 21, 2023
Freddy is suffering from major FOMO - everyone in his class has lost a tooth except for him. He desperately wants to lose a tooth and will do anything to make it happen (including getting into a fight so that he could get punched in the face and lose a tooth in the process).
This was entertaining but I honestly don't understand the appeal of losing a tooth (aside from getting money from the tooth fairy). As a kid, I recall hating it whenever a tooth became loose or went missing (so uncomfortable, gross, and sometimes painful. Not to mention that it ruined my smile).
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Part of a personal challenge to read all of my boyfriend's and his sister's childhood books before we donate and give them away.
This was entertaining but I honestly don't understand the appeal of losing a tooth (aside from getting money from the tooth fairy). As a kid, I recall hating it whenever a tooth became loose or went missing (so uncomfortable, gross, and sometimes painful. Not to mention that it ruined my smile).
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Part of a personal challenge to read all of my boyfriend's and his sister's childhood books before we donate and give them away.
May 14, 2025
A kid is the last one in class with all his baby teeth! What to do?!
Humorous.
Humorous.
February 18, 2013
Summary
Freddy Thrasher is the only one in his first grade class who hasn’t lost his tooth. Everyone in Freddy class has signed their name on the big tooth except Freddy. Freddy is determined to get his name on it. He tries tying a string to a door knob and getting punched in the face at recess by the class bully. When nothing seems to work, Freddy’s parents take him and his sister to get ice cream. Freddy said no nuts on his ice cream but thinks he got a nut because he swallowed something hard. Then his sister told him that what he really swallowed was his tooth. At least he’s not the only one who hasn’t lost a tooth and now he gets to write his name in the Big Tooth.
Response
I give this eBook a four star rating. I think this was a good story that children can relate to as they anticipate the loss of their first tooth. This story has a kid friendly writing style. I think kids will also identify with the realistic relationship between the siblings. This interactive story app offers questions for the reader to identify with what they have read, word twisters, word scrambles, and some fun shark facts at the end.
Classroom Connection
Just for fun. It is important to keep children interested and passionate for reading. Teachers may consider discuss the different ways in which the students have lost their own teeth or other things Freddy could have done to lose his tooth.
Text Complexity
According to Scholastic Book Wizard, this book has an interest level for grades K – 2 and an independent reading level equivalent for a second grader. Its lexile measure is 560L and its guided reading is L.
Freddy Thrasher is the only one in his first grade class who hasn’t lost his tooth. Everyone in Freddy class has signed their name on the big tooth except Freddy. Freddy is determined to get his name on it. He tries tying a string to a door knob and getting punched in the face at recess by the class bully. When nothing seems to work, Freddy’s parents take him and his sister to get ice cream. Freddy said no nuts on his ice cream but thinks he got a nut because he swallowed something hard. Then his sister told him that what he really swallowed was his tooth. At least he’s not the only one who hasn’t lost a tooth and now he gets to write his name in the Big Tooth.
Response
I give this eBook a four star rating. I think this was a good story that children can relate to as they anticipate the loss of their first tooth. This story has a kid friendly writing style. I think kids will also identify with the realistic relationship between the siblings. This interactive story app offers questions for the reader to identify with what they have read, word twisters, word scrambles, and some fun shark facts at the end.
Classroom Connection
Just for fun. It is important to keep children interested and passionate for reading. Teachers may consider discuss the different ways in which the students have lost their own teeth or other things Freddy could have done to lose his tooth.
Text Complexity
According to Scholastic Book Wizard, this book has an interest level for grades K – 2 and an independent reading level equivalent for a second grader. Its lexile measure is 560L and its guided reading is L.
April 24, 2019
This poor boy hasn't lost any teeth yet and it's making him so upset that he's willing to go the extra mile and do drastic things just so he can lose a tooth. This book made my 7 year old laugh. This book was right up his alley!
Read
April 21, 2016This book teaches about the little struggles in life when it comes to growing up. this is a great book for children to read
July 24, 2020
This book made me start to wonder.. do I have to read all my kids books before they read them. Excessive name-calling drove me crazy.
October 8, 2020
My class loved it! It was funny and very engaging.
Read
November 13, 2021good
Read
December 8, 2021Read in Spanish
March 27, 2018
This book is a pretty decent short story. There are a couple small nitpicks about this book but as a whole it's decent.
Cover
The front cover design is quite honest as to what the interior pictures are like.
Interior
Art
I wasn't going to go into the drawing all that much. Their basic nicely drawn pencil styled illustrations. They fit the style of the book really well. Something that really blew me out of the water was that the word FIN in hidden in every drawing. and while I haven't looked threw every picture some of them were a bit tricky to find. I'm impressed with this little secret hidden in every picture.
Story
Like I said the story is basic. There are a few minor twists in the book that really keep the tone of the book the same. The best character I would have to say would be the older sister. Even though I would say she is a tiny bit too much to handle she really has some really good sibling quips. There are a couple criticisms I would give it.
1) Describing the Principal.
This may seem like a small detail but I don't think you need to introduce a character that even appears into the book. Also the description itself annoys me some because Abby tried pulling a Todd Strasser move.
Monkey Breath = Skunk - because - Banana Breath = Bad Breath
Even the introductory description seemed similar. I get you want all the players introduced in the first book but here it's not needed.
2)
Logically if a kid at school gets decked at school (for sort of fighting?) and is sent to the nurse station. I expected the parents at least to know from the school rather than from his older sister.
Cover
The front cover design is quite honest as to what the interior pictures are like.
Interior
Art
I wasn't going to go into the drawing all that much. Their basic nicely drawn pencil styled illustrations. They fit the style of the book really well. Something that really blew me out of the water was that the word FIN in hidden in every drawing. and while I haven't looked threw every picture some of them were a bit tricky to find. I'm impressed with this little secret hidden in every picture.
Story
Like I said the story is basic. There are a few minor twists in the book that really keep the tone of the book the same. The best character I would have to say would be the older sister. Even though I would say she is a tiny bit too much to handle she really has some really good sibling quips. There are a couple criticisms I would give it.
1) Describing the Principal.
This may seem like a small detail but I don't think you need to introduce a character that even appears into the book. Also the description itself annoys me some because Abby tried pulling a Todd Strasser move.
Monkey Breath = Skunk - because - Banana Breath = Bad Breath
Even the introductory description seemed similar. I get you want all the players introduced in the first book but here it's not needed.
2)
Logically if a kid at school gets decked at school (for sort of fighting?) and is sent to the nurse station. I expected the parents at least to know from the school rather than from his older sister.
September 16, 2023
This book is a great read for young students and developing readers! This book series follows the character of Freddy Thresher through his first grade adventures. This book specifically focuses on Freddy being the only one in his class who has yet to lose a tooth, making it relatable to young children. Freddy tries many different ways to lose a tooth as he is desperate to join his peers who have already lost teeth. This would be a great book to introduce problem/solution to students. Students could list the problem that Freddy has and the many solutions that he tries out to solve the problem. My favorite part about this series is that the author and illustrator hid the word "fin" in each picture throughout the book. Freddy really likes sharks, making the word "fin" appropriate. Students could have a word log where they chart each time they find the word "fin" in a picture and it could even be made into a contest. This would allow them to focus on details in illustrations. At the end of the book, there are many activities such as a word game, a craft to make, and fun facts about sharks. This is a very informative and fun book for students!
October 8, 2025
I really wanted to like this book, and it could have been super cute and relatable for kiddos but there was SO much name calling. I did not think not was appropriate for 1st graders. As I read it with my son, I kept having to stop and say “that’s not something you should ever say to someone” or “how would that make someone feel to be called that?”.
My son wants to keep reading the next series but I don’t want to keep reading if the name calling continues.
My son wants to keep reading the next series but I don’t want to keep reading if the name calling continues.
January 17, 2020
My son, Aaron, brought this book home and asked me to read it. It has a few lessons in it. Hard work pays off. Listen to your parents, it also pays off and stealing never pays off. Very good read. Freddy is a great character, along with his family.
Freddy wants to buy a Megalodon Tooth, but it costs too much.
Freddy wants to buy a Megalodon Tooth, but it costs too much.
October 16, 2018
I read this to my 6 year old and he really liked it. I did not like it. The siblings were very mean to each other. My kids don’t need to be given any ideas of mean things to say to others. We won’t be reading anymore of these books.
June 27, 2017
It has a cute story that reminds me of my own childhood.
February 23, 2018
Cute enough story. Some bratty moments. The kids also thought is was just ok.
February 20, 2019
It was so fun
June 3, 2019
This was a funny book, but some parts showed meanness. It took a nice period of time to read.
December 18, 2019
No spoilers
March 21, 2020
Loved hearing my second grader read this book, he was laughing almost the whole time he was reading it.
Read
March 26, 2020Great book. My kindergarten teacher would read the series to me and I love it. These books will teach you lots about sharks.
June 13, 2022
My first graders love this book!
Read
August 1, 2022Lexile®: 640L, 6158W, 100%, 6y4m
Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews