Freddie sauntered down Main Street in a suburb of Minneapolis wearing black wraparound sunglasses. Lately, he never took them off, indoors or outdoors.
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Illustrations by Chris King
Freddie in the Shade
How much change can one kid take?
By Pam Muñoz Ryan
From the May 2023 Issue
Learning Objective: to analyze how and why a character changes over the course of a story
Complexity Factors
Lexile: 740L
Featured Skill:
Conflict,
Other Key Skills: character, inference, symbolism
Common Core Standards
TEKS Standards
Illustration by Chris King
Mom had died before he could remember, so it had been Freddie and Dad for years, the two of them against the world. And they’d done just fine.
Then Dad met Maggie. She was nice enough, but last year Dad and Maggie got married and everything changed. A few months after the wedding, Maggie announced she was going to have a baby, and Dad began to talk about moving away from San Diego.
A month after school ended, Dad accepted a job in Minneapolis.
“It will be great,” Dad had said. “It means a house instead of an apartment, with a backyard and a basketball hoop, and it means that Maggie will be close to her family. And you’ll have a little brother or sister!”
Freddie had known the truth: Moving to Minneapolis meant that the summer before ninth grade, he had to leave the only neighborhood he’d ever known, along with all his friends. It meant that on the first day of school, he’d be the new kid, the different kid. He had no interest in Minneapolis or in anyone who lived there.
The sunglasses went on—and stayed on.
Illustration by Chris King
Freddie stopped in front of a vintage clothing store and considered the black sweatshirt in the window. A customer came out of the shop next door, followed by the tantalizing smell of cinnamon and buttercream. Freddie turned and peered into the window of Snickerdoodle’s Bakery.
Inside, a red-haired man wearing a sky-blue apron handed a large pink box across the counter to a young mother. As she approached the door, trying to manage both the cake and the toddler clutching her skirt, Freddie jumped to open the door.
“Thank you!” she said. “Could I bother you to open my car door too?” she asked, inclining her head toward a minivan parked nearby.
Freddie darted to open the car door, then took the box from her and placed it on the passenger seat. When he turned back toward the bakery, the red-haired man was smiling and signaling for Freddie to come inside.
“I’m Mr. Fieldstone,” the baker said, as Freddie stood in front of the counter. “Would you prefer an éclair or a cream puff? As payment for helping my customer.”
“Éclair, I guess,” Freddie said uncertainly. “Thanks.”
Mr. Fieldstone handed him a chocolate éclair. Freddie lifted the pastry out of its white paper cradle and bit into crisp, light-as-air choux pastry filled with creamy vanilla custard. As he savored the sweet goodness, he glanced down at a card beside the cash register. Help Wanted.
Mr. Fieldstone nodded toward the sign. “You interested? I’m looking for someone to come in the afternoons. It’s mostly cleanup.”
For weeks, Freddie had been hibernating in his room, trying to avoid Dad and Maggie, who endeavored to include him in every preparation for the baby. School didn’t start for another six weeks.
By the time Freddie left the bakery, he had a part-time job and a box of éclairs for dessert.
Illustration by Chris King
The next day, Mr. Fieldstone handed Freddie an apron and led him into the kitchen, where a red-haired girl stood over a large bowl, stirring cookie dough with a wooden spoon. Even the smudges of flour on her face couldn’t conceal her freckles.
“Freddie, this is my daughter, Amy,” said Mr. Fieldstone. He handed Freddie a broom. “You can start by sweeping the kitchen. I’ve got to work the counter, but Amy can fill you in on the rest of your responsibilities.”
As Freddie started to sweep, Amy asked, “Chocolate chips or raisins?”
“What?”
“In the cookie dough,” she said.
“Uh . . . just chocolate chips.”
“Oh, you’re the type who doesn’t like things too complicated, right?”
“I guess,” Freddie replied, his voice flat.
“Where do you live? What grade are you in?”
“Maple Street,” said Freddie. “Going into ninth.”
“Me too,” said Amy. “I mean about ninth grade. We live on Alder—a few streets away. These cookies are for my cousins. I can’t bake for customers yet, but maybe someday. Do you have any brothers or sisters—especially sisters?”
“Sorry to disappoint,” said Freddie. “It’s just me and a baby on the way.”
“I’ve always wanted a sister,” Amy said. “All I’ve got is a bunch of boy cousins on both sides of the family. Babies are a lot of work—I know because I babysit—but babies are really cute. And they love you. I mean, they really love you. You’re lucky.”
“Yeah, I’m lucky,” Freddie muttered.
“I can’t tell if you’re kidding or not with those glasses on,” said Amy.
“Precisely,” said Freddie.
Amy handed him a clean cloth and pointed to the baker’s racks. “Those are next,” she said. “And by the way, sunglasses are for outside—you know, to protect your eyes from the sun.”
Freddie smirked. “How enlightening. I didn’t know.”
He wiped the racks, cleaned the counters, and folded a tower of pink boxes. Later, as he walked home, he considered what Amy had said about babies. He knew that babies required a lot of attention, but it hadn’t occurred to him he’d be getting any attention in return.
Illustration by Chris King
Every afternoon, Amy had more questions.
“Where did you live before?”
“Why did you come here?”
“Why don’t you want a sibling?”
“Why do you wear sunglasses all the time?”
There was something wistful and sincere about Amy’s questions. And besides that, there was a peculiar feeling of safety in the warm kitchen, with the smell of bread baking and the curtains of steam on the windows, as if anything said within its walls would be protected. Freddie found himself revealing, bit by bit, the answers to Amy’s questions. He even told her that the sunglasses made him feel as if nothing more could upset his life.
“Stuff changes all the time,” she said. “How are sunglasses going to stop it? And like I said before, you’re lucky. I mean, your whole family is together all the time . . . . ”
Her voice trailed off.
At the end of the first week, as Freddie left the bakery and headed for home, Amy hurried after him.
“I’m going to the movies tonight with my cousins. Want to come?”
Freddie knew he wouldn’t be able to see a movie while wearing his sunglasses. Maybe he could furtively take them off after the lights dimmed and put them on again while the credits were rolling, before the lights came back up?
He said yes.
At the movies, Amy introduced Freddie to Kyle and Mark. Mark would be in ninth grade too, and Kyle was a year younger. Afterward, they asked Freddie if he wanted to join their basketball team, which played at a local park on Saturdays.
“Say yes,” said Amy. “I’m on the team too.”
Freddie wavered for a moment, then remembered he had a strap that would keep his sunglasses secure while he played.
He agreed.
Freddie was surprised at how much he looked forward to his job at the bakery. He loved opening the door each afternoon and smelling the gingersnaps and snickerdoodles. He loved cleaning the stainless steel and glass display case that held the muffins and pastries. He also enjoyed the camaraderie between Mr. Fieldstone and his customers; Mr. Fieldstone treated everyone as though they were his best friend.
Dad and Maggie began to frequent the bakery, and Mr. Fieldstone always slipped a little something extra into their order, a cream puff or lemon tart.
“We have to fatten up Freddie’s little brother or sister,” he always said.
Illustration by Chris King
A few days before school started, Freddie arrived at the bakery and found Amy in the kitchen, once again stirring cookie dough.
“These are my going-away cookies,” she said. “I’m leaving tomorrow.”
Freddie frowned. “For where?”
“For my mom’s. See, I live with my mom during the school year and my dad during the summer and some holidays. I’ll be back in December for two weeks, then a week in the spring, and then next summer.”
Puzzled, Freddie asked, “Why didn’t you mention this before?”
“You never asked. And besides, when I’m here, I like to pretend that I don’t ever have to leave. It’s . . . hard going back and forth, so I just don’t talk about it.” She stared into the cookie dough.
Freddie thought back over the past six weeks. Amy was right. He’d never once asked her a question about her life or her mother. It had always been Amy being interested in him, Amy bombarding him with questions. She was right about something else too: The sunglasses hadn’t stopped things from changing.
Now she was leaving.
Freddie took off the sunglasses and set them on the counter. “So what’s it like in your other town? And what’s your mom like?”
Amy studied his eyes for a moment and smiled. “More boy cousins. And my mom is nice. You’d like her. I’m lucky. I have lots of people who love me, but it’s like I’m always starting over. When I come here for the summer, everyone already has their friends from school, and when I go back to my mom’s, everyone has their new friends from summer. But I’m used to it.”
She shrugged. “Chocolate chips or raisins?” She gestured toward the dough.
“Both,” said Freddie. “More complicated that way.”
They both laughed.
“So, because you’re the expert on starting over,” said Freddie, “any advice for my first day of school?”
Amy nodded. “Don’t wear sunglasses inside, or some twelfth-grader might put you in a trash can.”
Illustration by Chris King
It turned out that school wasn’t so terrible. Freddie and Mark were in the same classes, and they played basketball together almost every day after school. Sometimes Freddie still wore his sunglasses—but only on sunny days.
Like that day in December when Amy came back for the holidays, and she and Freddie built a snowman for his new baby sister.
Writing Prompt
What is the main conflict Freddie faces in the story? How does Amy help resolve this conflict? Answer both questions in a well-organized essay. Use text evidence.
This story was originally published in the May 2023 issue.
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Core Skills Workout
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Skills Activities
The Core Skills Workout
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Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Close Reading, Critical Thinking, Skill Building
Essential Questions: How can we cope with change? How can others help us get through difficult times? How can our perspective affect how we feel?
1. PREPARING TO READ (20 MINUTES)
Do-Now: Journal and Discuss (10 minutes)
Project the following journal prompt on your whiteboard: Think about an item of clothing or an accessory that makes you feel a certain way when you wear it. Describe the item, how it makes you feel, and why. (You can also choose to write about an item of clothing or an accessory that you had in the past.)
Invite volunteers to share their responses.
Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)
- Project the Vocabulary Slideshow on your whiteboard. Review the definitions and complete the activity as a class. The audio pronunciations of the words and a read-aloud of the definitions are embedded on the slides. Highlighted words: bombarding, camaraderie, endeavored, enlightening, furtively, sauntered, savored, tantalizing, wavered, wistful.
2. READING AND DISCUSSING (45 MINUTES)
Read the As You Read box on page 26 or at the top of the digital story page.
Point out the directions at the top of the column on the far-right side of page 27 and read them aloud to your students.
Optionally, for students’ first read, have them follow along as they listen to the audio read-aloud, located in the Resources tab in Teacher View and at the top of the story page in Student View.
- Divide students into groups to read the story again, pausing to discuss the close-reading questions that appear in the margins of the print magazine or by clicking on the bolded words on the digital story page. Have students record their answers in their own document or on the Close-Reading and Critical-Thinking activity.
Close-Reading Questions (30 minutes)
In your own words, explain what is going on in Freddie’s life as the story begins and how he feels about it. (character, conflict) As the story begins, a lot is changing in Freddie’s life: His dad recently got remarried, his dad and his stepmom are expecting a baby, and Freddie’s family has just moved from a big city in California to a suburb of Minneapolis. Freddie is unhappy about all these changes. He shows no excitement about any of them; rather, he is focused on what he has lost and how uncomfortable it will be to start ninth grade as the new kid.
Why does Freddie decide to work at the bakery? (inference) Freddie takes the job at the bakery as a way of avoiding his dad and his stepmom, Maggie, who have been trying to involve Freddie in preparations for the baby they are expecting. Freddie says he has been spending all of his time in his room to avoid his dad and Maggie; the job will give him an even better way of avoiding them.
Why might the sunglasses have made Freddie feel this way? (character) Answers will vary, but students may say that to Freddie, the sunglasses felt like a protective shield—a barrier between himself and the events in his life that he was unhappy about. Perhaps the sunglasses made him feel hidden, as though if no one could see him, no one could harm him.
Why does Amy think Freddie is lucky? (inference) Amy thinks Freddie is lucky because she sees Freddie having two things she deeply longs for: parents who live together and a sibling. Plus, while it’s true that Freddie is currently dealing with the stress and sadness of moving, from now on, he will have the stability of living in the same place year-round, while Amy will continue to shuttle back and forth between two homes in two different towns so that she can spend time with each of her parents, who are divorced. As Amy explains to Freddie at the end of the story, it’s hard for her to go back and forth because other kids establish their friendships and routines while she is away, so she never feels completely a part of things.
Why do you think Freddie takes off his sunglasses in this moment? (symbolism, character) Students may offer that Freddie takes off his sunglasses in this moment as a way of signaling to Amy that he is now seeing her fully. The sunglasses limited Freddie’s perception of everything, including Amy. They provided something for Freddie to hide behind, and he focused so much on himself that he failed to notice what Amy had been trying to tell him about her own struggles. Freddie’s removal of his sunglasses also signals that he is at a turning point: Rather than hiding from the world, he is now going to engage with it.
How has Freddie changed over the course of the story? (character) Freddie has gone from being miserable about the changes taking place in his life to embracing those changes. He has gone from not wanting to share his feelings to being willing to share them, and he has gone from being quite internally focused to having a greater awareness of and compassion for others.
As a class, discuss the following questions.
Critical-Thinking Questions (5 minutes)
What message does the story have about change and how we can cope with change? What makes you say so? Answers will vary. Students may say the story’s message is that change can be difficult, but there’s no point in trying to avoid or deny it. Freddie is upset about the changes happening in his life and starts wearing sunglasses in an effort to hide from these changes, but the sunglasses can’t shield him from change or make things go back to how they were. Amy sums this up when she says to Freddie, “Stuff changes all the time. How are sunglasses going to stop it?” Students might also offer that the story has the message that the best way to cope with change is to face it, so you can appreciate what might be positive about your new situation. This idea is expressed through the way Freddie finds happiness—making new friends and celebrating the birth of his baby sister—after he removes the sunglasses he was wearing in an attempt to wall himself off from the changes in his life.
- How is the way Amy sees Freddie’s life different from the way Freddie sees his life? Freddie sees his life as unstable and full of change: His dad just got married, the family just moved, and Freddie is going to have a new sibling. Amy, however, sees Freddie’s life as stable because he has two parents who live with him all the time.
- Do you think Freddie was a good friend to Amy throughout the story? Do you think Amy was a good friend to Freddie throughout the story? Explain your answers. Answers will vary. Students may say that until the end of the story, Freddie wasn’t all that great a friend to Amy because he never asked her any questions about herself and he was too self-absorbed to think about why she might have told him more than once that he was lucky. Students are likely to say that Amy was a good friend to Freddie because she asked him questions about himself and was gentle but honest with him about her view of his life and his choice to wear sunglasses. Some students, however, might say that Amy should not have kept from Freddie that she’d be leaving at the end of the summer until right before she left—that she should have told him whether he asked her about it or not.
3. SKILL BUILDING AND WRITING (30 MINUTES)
Have students complete the Writing Planner: Freddie’s Conflict. This activity will help them organize their ideas in preparation for the writing prompt on page 28 in the printed magazine and at the bottom of the digital story page.
- Alternatively, have students choose a culminating task from the Choice Board, a menu of differentiated activities.
4. CONNECTED READING
Text-to-Speech