As a woman in my 30s, I am definitely aware of the presence and significance of Judy Blume. And the fact that she recently celebrate her 80th birthday! (You hang in there, Judy). I read all the classics in my youth and read Summer Sisters a few years ago. I remember the former being formative and the latter not really at all, and that should have been an indicator of how I would feel about this book: a resounding shoulder shrug. I would say I […]
These books taught me more about life than any middle school health class.
I remember the summer that I discovered the “older” section of my local library’s children’s department. It had books by authors like Paula Danziger, Lois Duncan, and the goddess Judy Blume. I tore through them all between 4th and 6th grade (and then moved on to Stephen King). And while I knew that I loved these books, I also knew that I didn’t quite understand everything going on in them. Until health class. And then I understood more than I bargained for. Honestly, Judy Blume […]
“Life is a series of unlikely events…”
I love Judy Blume. I love her with the same passion I love Paula Danziger and Cynthia Voigt. Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret? and Blubber remain two of my all time favorite books, and I love gifting Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing to young readers. For Pete’s sake, I had a crush on Peter, Fudge’s big brother, when I was about eight. He was my first book boyfriend. But…I didn’t love this book. In the winter of 1952, the small town of […]
Getting on an airplane soon? Maybe skip this one.
I’ve got a ton of nonfiction in a pile next to my bed but I decided I really needed some fiction to take the edge off my anxiety. This wasn’t the best choice. I mentioned this on Facebook and my friends wanted to know if I had fallen down and hit my head because why would I think a Judy Blume book would be calming? I tried to disprove them and then I remembered: Iggie’s House – racism Superfudge – dead turtle Blubber – Mean […]