Judy Blume facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Judy Blume
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Blume at a book signing in 2009
|
|
| Born | Judith Sussman February 12, 1938 Elizabeth, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer, teacher |
| Education | Boston University New York University (BA) |
| Period | 1969–2020 |
| Genre | Realist young adult novels, children's books |
| Notable works |
|
| Notable awards | Margaret Edwards Award etc 1996 |
| Spouse |
John M. Blume
(m. 1959; div. 1975)Thomas A. Kitchens
(m. 1976; div. 1978)George Cooper
(m. 1987) |
| Children | 2 |
Judy Blume (born February 12, 1938) is an American writer. She writes books for kids, teens, and adults. She started writing in 1959 and has published over 26 books. Some of her most famous books include Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (1970), Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (1972), Deenie (1973), and Blubber (1974). Her books have made a big difference in children's and teen literature. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2023.
Blume grew up in Elizabeth, New Jersey. She graduated from New York University in 1961. She began writing stories to keep herself busy while she was a homemaker. Judy Blume was one of the first authors for young adults to write about topics like growing up and changes in the body. Her books have sold over 82 million copies. They have been translated into 32 languages around the world.
Blume has won many awards for her writing. These include the American Library Association's Margaret A. Edwards Award in 1996. This award recognized her important work in young adult literature. She was also named a Library of Congress Living Legend. In 2004, she received the National Book Foundation medal for her great contributions to American writing.
Blume's books are very popular and well-liked. People praise them for helping kids and teens learn about themselves. However, some of the topics in her books have caused discussions and disagreements. The ALA has said that Blume is one of the most often challenged authors of the 21st century. This means some people have tried to remove her books from libraries.
Several of Blume's books have been made into movies. Tiger Eyes was released in 2012. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. came out in 2023. A large collection of her writings is kept at the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Yale University. The documentary Judy Blume Forever tells the story of her work. It won a Peabody Award.
Contents
About Judy Blume's Life
Her Early Years
Judy Blume was born Judith Sussman on February 12, 1938. She grew up in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Her mother was Esther Sussman, and her father was Rudolph Sussman, a dentist. She has an older brother named David. Her family is Jewish.
Blume saw some difficult things when she was a child. When she was in third grade, her brother had a kidney infection. Judy, her brother, and her mother moved to Miami Beach for two years so he could get better. Her father stayed home to work.
Also, in 1951 and 1952, three airplane crashes happened in her hometown of Elizabeth. Many people died in these crashes. Her father, as a dentist, helped identify the remains. Blume said she "buried" these memories. She only wrote about them in her 2015 novel In the Unlikely Event. This book's story is about those plane crashes.
As a child, Blume enjoyed many creative activities. She liked to dance and play the piano. She loved reading, a hobby she shared with her parents. She often made up stories in her head. Even with her love for stories, she did not plan to become a writer when she was young.
Blume finished high school at Battin High School in 1956. She then started at Boston University. After a few weeks, she got sick and took a short break from school. In 1959, her father passed away. Later that year, on August 15, 1959, she married John M. Blume. She had met him while studying at New York University. She earned her degree in Education from New York University in 1961.
Her Adult Life
After college, Judy Blume became a homemaker. Her daughter, Randy Lee Blume, was born in 1961. Her son, Lawrence Andrew Blume, was born in 1963. Blume started writing when her children began nursery school.
Judy Blume and John M. Blume divorced in 1975. She later met Thomas A. Kitchens, a scientist. They married in 1976. They moved to Los Alamos, New Mexico for two years for his job. They divorced in 1978.
A few years later, a friend introduced her to George Cooper. He was a former law professor who became a writer. Blume and Cooper married in 1987. George Cooper has a daughter named Amanda from a previous marriage. Judy Blume is very close to Amanda.
In August 2012, Blume shared that she was diagnosed with breast cancer. This was found during a regular check-up before a trip to Italy. Six weeks after her diagnosis, she had surgery. She recovered well and was cancer-free after the surgery.
Randy Blume became a therapist. She helps writers finish their books. She has a son, Elliot Kephart. He encouraged his grandmother, Judy Blume, to write the most recent "Fudge" books. Lawrence Blume is now a movie director, producer, and writer. As of 2021, Cooper and Blume live in Key West.
Judy Blume's Career
Judy Blume loved reading her whole life. She began writing through courses at New York University when her children were in preschool. For two years, publishers turned down her books. Then, in 1969, she published her first book, The One in the Middle Is the Green Kangaroo.
A year later, Blume published her second book, Iggie's House (1970). The next ten years were very busy for her. She published 13 more books. Her third book was Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (1970). This book became a huge success. It was a groundbreaking novel for young adults. It made Blume a leading voice in young adult literature.
Some of her other books from that time include Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (1972), Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great (1972), and Blubber (1974).
In 1975, Blume published Forever.... This book was important in young adult literature. Blume said she was inspired to write this book when her 13-year-old daughter wanted to read a book where characters experience love and growing up. These books talked about real-life issues like family problems, bullying, and body image. Blume has said she writes about these topics because she believes children need to know about them. She also wondered about these things when she was a child.
After writing books for young children and teens, Blume also wrote for adults. Her novels Wifey (1978) and Smart Women (1983) became bestsellers on The New York Times list. Wifey sold over 4 million copies. Blume's third adult novel, Summer Sisters (1998), was very popular. It sold more than three million copies.
Several of Blume's books are on the list of top-selling children's books of all time. As of 2020, her books have sold over 82 million copies. They have been translated into 32 languages. Although Blume has not published a new novel since 2015 (In the Unlikely Event), she continues to write. In October 2017, Yale University received Blume's collection of papers. This included some of her early, unpublished work.
Besides writing, Blume has also worked to stop books from being banned in the United States. In the 1980s, when her books started facing challenges, she began reaching out to other writers, teachers, and librarians. She wanted them to join the fight against censorship. This led Blume to join the National Coalition Against Censorship. This group works to protect the freedom to read. As of 2020, Blume is still on the board of this group.
She also started The Kids Fund, which is a charity and education foundation. Blume is on the board of other groups too. These include the Authors Guild, the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, and the Key West Literary Seminar. In 2018, Blume and her husband opened a non-profit bookstore called Books & Books in Key West. Blume calls herself a "liberal Democrat."
Awards and Honors
Judy Blume has won more than 90 literary awards. This includes three lifetime achievement awards in the United States. In 1994, she received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement.
The ALA Margaret A. Edwards Award honors an author who has made important contributions to young adult literature. Blume won this award in 1996. The ALA recognized her book Forever..., published in 1975. They said it was groundbreaking for its honest portrayal of high school seniors falling in love for the first time.
In April 2000, the Library of Congress named her a Living Legend. This was in the Writers and Artists category. It was for her significant contributions to America's culture. Blume received an honorary doctor of arts degree from Mount Holyoke College. She was the main speaker at their graduation ceremony in 2003.
In 2004, she received the annual Distinguished Contribution to American Letters Medal. This was from the National Book Foundation. It recognized her for making American literature richer. In 2009, the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) honored Blume. They recognized her lifelong commitment to free speech. They also praised her courage in fighting censorship in books.
Blume also received the 2017 E.B. White Award. This was from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. It was for her lifetime achievements in children's literature. In 2020, Blume was honored by the Authors Guild Foundation. This was for her distinguished service to the writing community.
Books Made into Movies and Shows
The first time one of Blume's novels was adapted was a TV film. It was based on her novel Forever... and came out on CBS in 1978. Forever... tells the story of two high school teenagers, Katherine Danziger and Michael Wagner, who fall in love for the first time. Stephanie Zimbalist played Katherine, and Dean Butler played Michael.
Ten years later, in 1988, Blume and her son wrote and produced a small film. It was based on Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great. This film was later shown on ABC. In 1995, a Fudge TV series was made. It was based on Blume's novel Fudge-a-Mania. The show ran from 1995 to 1997. The first season was on ABC, and the second was on CBS. Jake Richardson played Peter Warren Hatcher, and Luke Tarsitano played Farley Drexel "Fudge" Hatcher.
In 2012, Blume's 1981 novel Tiger Eyes was made into a movie. This was the first of Blume's novels to become a full-length movie shown in theaters. Tiger Eyes is about a teenage girl named Davey. She is trying to deal with the sudden death of her father, Adam Wexler. Blume and her son, Lawrence Blume, wrote the movie script together. Lawrence Blume also directed the film. Willa Holland starred as Davey, and Amy Jo Johnson played Gwen Wexler.
Blume is the subject of the 2018 song "Judy Blume" by Amanda Palmer. The song talks about how Judy Blume's books helped Amanda Palmer as a teenager. The song explains that Blume's books were important in helping Palmer understand topics like growing up and changes in the body. They also helped her understand universal subjects like sadness and parental divorce.
She is also the subject of the Peabody Award-winning documentary Judy Blume Forever. This documentary first showed at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. was released as a feature film in 2023. In 2025, her novel Forever... was adapted into a Netflix series.
Judy Blume's Books
Books for Children
- The One in the Middle Is the Green Kangaroo (1969)
- Iggie's House (1970)
- Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (1972)
- Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great (1972)
- The Pain and the Great One (1974)
- Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself (1977)
- Freckle Juice (1978)
- Superfudge (1980)
- Fudge-a-Mania (1990)
- Double Fudge (2002)
- Soupy Saturdays with the Pain and the Great One (2007)
- Cool Zone with the Pain and the Great One (2008)
- Going, Going, Gone! With the Pain and the Great One (2008)
- Friend or Fiend? With the Pain and the Great One (2008)
Books for Young Adults
- Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (1970)
- Then Again, Maybe I Won't (1971)
- It's Not the End of the World (1972)
- Deenie (1973)
- Blubber (1974)
- Forever... (1975)
- Tiger Eyes (1981)
- Just as Long as We're Together (1987)
- Here's to You, Rachel Robinson (1993)
- Places I Never Meant to Be (1999)
Books for Adults
- Wifey (1978)
- Smart Women (1983)
- Summer Sisters (1998)
- In the Unlikely Event (2015)
Short Stories (Collaborative)
- It's Fine to Be Nine (2000)
- It's Heaven to Be Seven (2000)
Non-Fiction Books
- The Judy Blume Diary (1981)
- Letter to Judy: What Your Kids Wish They Could Tell You (1986)
- The Judy Blume Memory Book (1988)
Other Awards and Recognitions
Blume's other awards include:
- 1970: Outstanding Book of the Year from The New York Times for Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
- 1974: Outstanding Book of the Year from The New York Times for Blubber
- 1981: Children’ Choice Award from the International Reading Association and Children's’ Book Council for Superfudge
- 1983: Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award
- 1984: Carl Sandberg Freedom to Read Award, from the Chicago Public Library
- 1986: Civil Liberties Award from the Atlanta Civil Liberties Union
- 1988: South Australian Youth Media Award for Best Author
- 2005: Time magazine All-Time 100 Novels List for Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
- 2009: University of Southern Mississippi Medallion for lifelong contributions to children's literature
- 2010: Inducted into New Jersey Hall of Fame
- 2010: Inducted into Harvard Lampoon
- 2011: Smithsonian Associates: The McGovern Award
- 2013: Chicago Tribune: Young Adult Literary Prize
- 2013: New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (NAIBA) Legacy Award
- 2013: The NAIBA Legacy Award
- 2013: Assembly on Literature for Adolescents (ALAN) Award
- 2013: National Coalition of Teachers of English (NCTE) National Intellectual Freedom Award
- 2015: Catholic Library Association: Regina Award
- 2018: Carl Sandburg Literary Award from the Chicago Public Library Foundation
- 2025: Women's National Book Association: WNBA Award
See also
In Spanish: Judy Blume para niños
