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Author Study: Judy Blume. Brynn Beavers FRIT 7431 July 10, 2008. Biography:. Grew up in Elizabeth, New Jersey Graduated from New York University with a B.S. in Education in 1961 Founder of the Kids Fund, a charitable and educational foundation
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Author Study: Judy Blume Brynn Beavers FRIT 7431 July 10, 2008
Biography: • Grew up in Elizabeth, New Jersey • Graduated from New York University with a B.S. in Education in 1961 • Founder of the Kids Fund, a charitable and educational foundation • Serves on the boards of 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 • Lives in Key West and New York with her husband, George, she also has three adult children and one grandchild
Books By Judy Blume: • PICTURE AND STORY BOOKS • The One in the Middle is the Green Kangaroo • The Pain and The Great One • Freckle Juice • PAIN AND THE GREAT ONE SERIES • Soupy Saturdays with the Pain & the Great One • Cool Zone with the Pain & the Great One (May 2008) • FUDGE SERIES • Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing • Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great • Superfudge • Fudge-a-mania • Double Fudge • MIDDLE GRADES BOOKS • Iggie's House • Blubber • Starring Sally J. Freedman As Herself • It's Not the End of the World • Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret • Then Again, Maybe I Won't • Deenie • Just As Long As We're Together • Here's to You, Rachel Robinson • YOUNG ADULT BOOKS • Tiger Eyes • Forever • Letters to Judy: What Your Kids Wish They Could Tell You • Places I Never Meant to Be • ADULT BOOKS • Wifey • Smart Women • Summer Sisters
Websites • Judy Blume Website • Books by Judy Blume • Writing Tips from Judy • Judy’s Blog • Interview with Judy Blume from TeenReads
Summary: Iggie moves away to Tokyo. Her best friend, Winnie is left on her own, until a new family moves into her best friend’s old house. Summer vacation is looking bleak until the Garbers arrive. They have three kids and Winnie is ecstatic at the thought of new friends, but her new friends are African-American and all the other neighbors aren’t as excited. At first Winnie, unwittingly, insults the Garbers and their friendship is off to a rocky start. Then Mrs. Landon, another neighbor, begins a petition to make the Garbers move. Winnie expects everyone else to be as upset as she is about the petition and she is shocked when others are not, even her parents. This story is about Winnie struggling to understand racial tensions during the 1960’s.
Summary: Margaret is almost 12 and has just moved from New York City to the suburbs of New Jersey. Everything is different in the suburbs, from the house and lawn to her new school and friends. Soon, Margaret has formed a club with her new friends and the topics of discussion are boys, wearing a bra and who has their period. Her friends are either Christian or Jewish, but Margaret is neither. When Mr. Benedict assigns a project, Margaret decides to find out about different religions. What no one knows is that while Margaret does not have a religion, she does talk to God about all of her problems. The book details Margaret’s relationship with God through all of her problems: relationships with classmates, her parents and her grandparents. While she does not have specific religion she has found a way to communicate with God in her own way and on her own terms.
Summary: Karen Newman knows her parents are having problems, but she never expects them to get divorced. When her dad moves out, she and her siblings must face the facts that her parents are getting divorced. Before Karen knows it her dad has a new apartment and her mom has a job! Karen tries to get her parents to see one another to get them back together, to no avail. She is not the only one having trouble adjusting to the new home situation, her younger sister, Amy is having trouble sleeping and her older brother Jeff runs away. Throughout the situation, Karen has to come to terms with her “new” family and the effects of divorce.
Issues discussed by the author: • Censorship • Judy Blume’s books were written during a time where the issues in her books were taboo. For example, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, could at one time have been considered communistic. Judy Blume became one of the most banned authors during the 1980’s. She talks candidly about the subject in the introduction of the book, Places I Never Meant To Be, Original Stories Written by Censored Writers Edited and Introduction by Judy Blume. • Racial Tensions • Sexuality • Divorce • Religion • Peer Pressure
Response Strategy: • IGGIE’S HOUSE • Response Strategy: Stories from the Headlines • Students can investigate the civil rights movement and other outside events that occurred during the 1960’s when the events from Iggie’s House would have take place. • IT’S NOT THE END OF THE WORLD • Response Strategy: Story Quilt • Students can create quilt patches that will allow them to relate to the story. Even if student have not been impacted by divorce, most can relate from the experiences of friends or family or can relate to an experience that left them feeling helpless to change it. • ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET. • Response Strategy: Chapter Chat • Students can discuss the points of the book at specific points in the book. For this book, males will be paired with males and females with females, or this may be a book that only girls read and boys can read another. Many girls in middle school would feel uncomfortable discussing topics like menstruation with other boys in the class.
