Judy Blume
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Biography
Judy Blume was born on February 12, 1938 in Elizabeth, NJ to Rudolph and Esther Sussman. She married a man named John Blume and had two children, Randy and Lawrence. Her marriage lasted for 16 years. Twelve years later she married her current husband George Cooper who has a daughter from another marriage named Amanda (Contemporary Authors). She is a graduate of New York University. When Judy was younger she made up stories in her head and didn’t write them down until she got older (Judy’s Official Bio). She was not always welcomed as an author. Her early stories were rejected by magazines. She has received a lot of criticism over her years of writing. Judy’s books are a hit with readers, but they have also been hit with criticism. Jan Dalley has said, “Her work is all very professionally achieved, as one would expect from this highly successful author, but Blume’s concoctions are unvaryingly smooth, bland, and glutinous” (Contemporary Authors Online). But she is very dedicated to her readers none the less. Judy has said in an interview with a Toronto Globe and Mai, "The way to instill values in children is to talk about difficult issues and bring them out in the open, not to restrict their access to books that may help them deal with their problems and concerns” (Contemporary Authors Online). She enrolled in New York University writing class and that is where she got her first book published, The One in the Middle Is the Green Kangaroo (Contemporary Authors).
Judy’s most well known books include, Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret and the Fudge Serie, the most popular Fudge book is Superfudge. Judy Blume is one of America’s most controversial writers of young adult fiction (Contemporary Popular Writers). She relates her books to what children and young adults are going through. All of her stories are in first person, like they are saying their thoughts. Her simple dictation makes young readers connect with the charters of the book. Her books have life lesson that most young readers have to go through, like the first time they kiss a boy, or family moving. Some of her least controversial books is the Fudge series. There are five books to the series and she writes them over a thirty year span. Her sequels “expand on the original and enrich it so that the stories…add up to one long and much more wonderful story,” Van Leewen says from the New York Times Book Review (Contemporary Authors Online).It starts off with Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, about a boy Peter and his younger brother Fudge. The four other books are Peter and his life growing up.
Not only does Judy Blume write novels, a few of her books were made into movies and television series. Her book Forever was made into a television film in 1978, Freckle Juice was made into an animated film, and the Fudge books were made into a television series on ABC from 1994-96 and on CBS in 1997(Contemporary Popular Writers) .
Over the years Judy Blume has found herself on a number of committees. She is the founder and trustee of The Kids Fund, a charitable and educational foundation. She serves on the boards of the Author's Guild; the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators; the Key West Literary Seminar; and the National Coalition Against Censorship (Judy’s Official Bio). She is also a long time promoter of intellectual freedom.
The major themes of her books are teenage encounters with truth in them, like puberty, divorce, death, family and moving.Judy Blume Video
Quotes
“I didn't know anything about writers. It never occurred to me they were regular people and that I could grow up to become one, even though I loved to make up stories inside my head.” (Good Reads)
“I know that ideas come from everywhere—memories of my own life, incidents in my children's lives, what I see and hear and read—and most of all, from my imagination.” (Good Reads)
"The best books come from someplace deep inside.... Become emotionally involved. If you don't care about your characters, your readers won't either." (Good Reads)
"Believe in yourself and you can achieve greatness in your life.” (Good Reads)
"Let children read whatever they want and then talk about it with them. If parents and kids can talk together, we won't have as much censorship because we won't have as much fear." (Good Reads)
“It’s not just the books under fire now that worry me. It is the books that will never be written. The books that will never be read. And all due to the fear of censorship. As always, young readers will be the real losers." (Good Reads)
“After each book I get panicky, I don’t love the reviews. I don’t like going through all that, and you would think that, after almost 40 years of writing, I’d have got the hang of it. You can never grow complacent about it because it’s always new, it’s always exciting and it’s always like the first time. (Contemporary Authors Online)
Awards and Honors
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret
1970 Outstanding Book of the Year, New York Times
1975 Nene Award from the Children of Hawaii
1976 Young Hoosier Award, Indiana Media Educators
1979 North Dakota Children's Choice Book Award
1980 Great Stone Face Award, New Hampshire Library Association
Blubber
1974 Outstanding Book of the Year, New York Times
1983 North Dakota Children's Choice Award
Freckle Juice
1980 Michigan Young Reader's Award, Michigan Council of Teachers
Friend or Fiend? with the Pain and the Great One
2009 A Junior Library Guild Selection for Spring 2009
Fudge-a-mania
1983 California Young Reader Medal
Iowa Children's Choice Award
Nene Award from the Children of Hawaii
Nevada Young Reader's Award, Nevada Library Association
Sunshine State Young Reader's Award, Florida Association for Media Education
Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award, Pennsylvania School
Librarians Association
Librarians Association
Michigan Readers' Choice Award, Michigan Reading Association
Here's To You, Rachel Robinson
1993 Parents' Choice Award, Parents' Choice Foundation
Just As Long As We're Together
1989 Young Reader's List, Virginia State Reading Association
Otherwise Known As Sheila The Great
1982 South Carolina Children's Book Award
1984 Book of the Month Award, German Academy for Children's and
Young People's Literature
Young People's Literature
The Pain And The Great One
1985 Children's Choices, International Reading Association and Children's Book
Council Committee
Council Committee
1989 Young Readers' Choice Award, Alabama Library Association
Superfudge
1980 Texas Bluebonnet Award
1981 Great Stone Face Award, New Hampshire Library Council
Children' Choice Award, International Reading Association
and Children' Book Council
and Children' Book Council
Michigan Young Reader' Award, Michigan Council of Teachers
1983 Northern Territory Young Readers' Book Award, Darwin, Australia
Garden State Children's Book Award, New Jersey Library Association
Golden Sower Award, Nebraska Library Association
Iowa Children's Choice Award
Arizona Young Readers' Award
Georgia Children's Book Award
California Young Reader Medal
Young Reader's Choice Award, Pacific Northwest Library Association,
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Young Hoosier Book Award, Indiana Media Educators
Great Stone Face Book Award, New Hampshire Library Association
Young Reader Medal, California Reading Association
1982 Utah Children's Book Award
U.S. Army in Europe Kinderbuch Award
Texas Bluebonnet Award
Sue Hefley Book Award, Louisiana Association of School Libraries
Tennessee Children' Choice Book Award
Colorado Children' Book Award
North Dakota Children's Choice Book Award
Nene Award from the Children of Hawaii
West Australian Young Reader' Award
Georgia Children' Book Award
First Buckeye Children' Book Award, Columbus, Ohio
1984 Reader's Choice Award, Washington County, Minnesota
New Mexico Land of Enchantment Children's Book Award, New Mexico
International Reading and Library Association
International Reading and Library Association
1985 Great Stone Face Book Award, New Hampshire Library Association
Sunshine State Young Reader's Award, Florida Association for Media Education
1986 Great Stone Face Award, New Hampshire Library Association
Sunshine State Young Reader's Award, Florida Association for Media Education
1988 Favorite Book of the Children of Missouri Award, Missouri State Library
The Soaring Eagle Award, Wyoming Education Media Association
1989 Favorite Book of the Children of Michigan, Michigan Reading Association
Tales Of a Fourth Grade Nothing
1972 Charlie May Swann Children' Book Award, Arkansas Elementary School Council
1975 Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader' Choice
1978 Arizona Young Reader' Award, Arizona State University
1978 Rhode Island Library Association Award
Georgia Children' Book Award
Massachusetts Children' Book Award
1980 West Australian Young Reader' Book Award
North Dakota Children' Choice Award
1981 Great Stone Face Award, New Hampshire Library Council
USAREUR Kinderbuch Award, U.S. Army & 7th Army, Heidelberg, Germany
1983 Massachusetts Children' Book Award
Tiger Eyes
1981 A Best Book for Young Adults, School Library Journal
1982 Books for the Teen Age, New York Public Library
1983 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award, Vermont Department
of Libraries
of Libraries
Buckeye Children's Book Award, Columbus, Ohio
California Young Reader Medal
1985 Iowa Teen Award, Iowa Education Media Association
Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award
Other Awards
1986 Civil Liberties Award, American Civil Liberties Union of Atlanta, Georgia
John Rock Award, Center for Population Options, Los Angeles
1987 Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, Kean College, Union, New Jersey
Children's Choice Award, Harris County, Texas
Excellence in the Field of Literature Award, New Jersey Education Association
1989 "Most Admired Author", Heroes of Young America Poll, World Almanac
Children's Choice Award, New Jersey Region III
Favorite Author, Children's Choice Award, Harris County, Texas
1990 Favorite Author, Children's Choice Award, Harris County, Texas
1991 Favorite Author, Children's Choice Award, Harris County, Texas
1992 National Hero Award, Big Brothers/Big Sisters
1993 Columbian University College of Physicans and Surgeons Dean's Award
1998 South Australian Youth (S.A.Y.) Media Award for Best Author,
South Australian Association for Media Education
South Australian Association for Media Education
Children's Choice Award, Harris County, Texas
Are you there God? It’s me Margaret
Are you there God? It’s me Margaret is about a girl who is 12 years old going through adolescences. She just moved from New York City to Farbrooks, New Jersey. This book is about Margaret making new friends at her new school and trying to grow up into a pre teen. She is worried that she is not developing as fast as some of her new friends. Her group of friends go through things from stuffing their bra’s to what project they had to conclude by the end of the year and everything in between.
Her family is not religious anymore. Her mother was a Protestant and her father was of the Jewish faith but when they got married they were going to let their children decide of what religion they wanted to be. Margaret decides to do her project about religion. Throughout the year she visits different church services to decide what religion she wants to join. By the end of the semester she cannot decide what religion she wants to be, but at least she tried. But through the whole book she talks to God about things she cannot talk to anyone else about.
Evaluation
I believe that every young girl or boy can relate to this realistic fiction book. Each young girl goes through becoming a woman therefor prorating the realities of life for today's children. Not every child has a certain faith but most kids do question their faith. If they are not a faith, some children ask their parents why they are not. As for the children that are of a certain faith, they question if their faith is the "right" one.
Theme
Theme
The theme of the book is about growing up into a teenager.
Use in a classroom
Read the book in class and you put students in a club like Margaret had and that would be your cooperative learning groups for the time of the lesson. Make the boys feel included since this based around a girl. You can also have them write in a journal and give the journal a name so the kids can have someone to confide in. Margaret talked to God when she felt like there was no one else to talk to.
Then Again, Maybe I Won’t
This book is about a boy, Tony, who is in the 8th grade and his family moves from New Jersey to Rosemont, New York because his father invented electrical cartridges and a company bought his ideas. His father started to work for the company and needed to be closer to work so they moved. Since Tony’s family now has more money, his mother falls into appearances and what their neighborhood thinks about their family. Tony does not like the changes his family is going through and keeps it all bottled up inside, which makes him have great pains inside his stomach. It doesn’t help that his only friend likes to shoplift, which he knows is wrong. He doesn’t know whether to turn him in or leave it alone. His friend ends up getting caught but blames Tony! He is just a boy who is interested in girls and wants to live a normal childhood.
Evaluation
I thought this book is a good realistic fiction book for boys to read while they are growing up. Every young man thinks about sex and wonders when they are going to grow into a man. This book has a contemporary setting and the characters are believable because they all go through situations that young adults might go through. Some students have had to go through the process of moving to a new town and making new friends.
Theme
Theme
The theme of this book is growing into a young man while trying to settle into a new town.
Use in the classroom
I would have the children write a letter to Tony to tell him how they would stand up to his friend. They can also give suggestions on how to handle his situations he is facing. This can also teach the students how to conduct a letter and the proper way to address it.
Tiger Eyes
This book is about a girl whose father passed away. Fifteen-year-old Davey was the first person on the scene of her father’s murder. She has vivid memories of the night but has no one to talk to about it. Davey's mother withdraws into herself, to the extent that she accepts the offer of her in-laws to stay with them in a different state. They move from Atlantic City to New Mexico, and Davey finds herself with new rules and a new environment. Davey has to learn how to deal with her father’s death alone because her mother is trying to deal with it in her own way. She comes to love rock climbing and being out alone until she meets Wolf who helps her heal because his grandfather is dying. Davey realizes that she needs to hold on to the memory of her father’s love for her rather than dwell on his death. Towards the end of the book Davey, her brother, and mother all find a way to communicate and get through their father’s death together.
Evaluation
I thought this book was a pretty good book. Death is an issue that eventually everyone has to deal with. Not every student at the time will have had a death of a close one, so not every student will be able to relate to this book. This book will be able to help students who have gone through the pain of someone passing away. As students are growing up they like to be alone, and do things by themselves. Most students will be able to relate to Davey when she goes off to rock climb alone.
Theme
Theme
The theme of this book deals with death and grieving.
Use in Classroom
This book would be read to an older class. One way you can use this book is if someone in your school has passed away. It can help many children if someone close has passed away. As we were reading the class could discuss the conflicts Davey is facing. They can make predictions on what is going to happen next in the book and see if her family would ever move back home.
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