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Judy Blume

Judy Blume (1938-) is an American novelist and a best-selling young adult author. Judy Blume was born on February 12, 1938, in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and attended Battin High School. She first enrolled at Boston University as an undergraduate student but transferred to New York University after contracting mononucleosis and taking leave from classes. She graduated from NYU with a degree in education. Blume’s books, written for young adults, focus on issues that many young people face. Many of her books have been New York Times bestsellers; however, several of them have also been banned for the topics she discusses through her characters. Her young adult novels include Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret., Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Blubber, and Tiger Eyes. She has also written novels for adults, including Wifey and Smart Women.

Blume has won many awards for her works, including the addition of her name to the Library of Congress’s Living Legends and the American Library Association’s Margaret A. Edwards Award. Despite attempts to censor her work, Blume has continued to write to help young adults cope with the challenges that come with growing older.

Blume has won many awards for her works, including the addition of her name to the Library of Congress’s Living Legends and the American Library Association’s Margaret A. Edwards Award. Despite attempts to censor her work, Blume has continued to write to help young adults cope with the challenges that come with growing older.

References:

Anderson, Kirsten. Who Is Judy Blume?. New York: Penguin Workshop, 2018.

Fournier, Eddie. 2005. Judy Blume. [Toledo, Ohio]: Great Neck Publishing.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/889215838 

Jewishness in Judy Blume’s Adolescent Fiction.” Shofar (West Lafayette, Ind.) 29, no. 1 (2010): 22-47

Krasner, Jonathan, and Joellyn Wallen Zollman. “Are You There God? Judaism and 

Nault, Jennifer. Judy Blume. New York: Weigl Publishers, 2003.

Nault, Jennifer. 2014. Judy Blume. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/818465708

Tracy, Kathleen A. Judy Blume: A Biography. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 

2008. 

Van Allen, Lanny. “An Interview With Judy Blume.” The ALAN Review 20, no. 1 (1992): 9-13.

Questions to Explore

What are some of the topics Blume discussed  about the issues young adults face? List some of the solutions and tips Blume offers in her books.

Why were some of Blume’s books banned? What topics did she discuss in them?

What are some ways young adults were influenced by Blume’s books?

Additional Resources

Krull Kathleen and David Leonard. 2015. Judy Blume. New York: Bloomsbury. https://www.worldcat.org/title/881387246

Telford Cee. 2004. Judy Blume. 1st ed. New York: Rosen Central. https://www.worldcat.org/title/52312180 

O’Connell, Jennifer. Everything I Needed to Know about Being a Girl I Learned From Judy Blume. First Pocket Books hardcover edition. New York: Pocket Books, 2007.