I just remember a phrase in the book. Guess I was really young.

I remember the book but also remember it being much more impactful to my middle sister 4 yr younger. I thought that perhaps I was too old when it came out-- but I looked it up and I was 6 when it was published in 1970. Hmm. definitely not too old.

What I remember reading voraciously at a young age was a set of books on the saints. I read early and a lot as a kid .. but those are the books that stick out in my mind. Oddly, perhaps, but I started to drift from the church at age 10 and fully left at 12. Still, they stand out in my memories and if I ever found them again, I'd buy the whole set.

When we go to the Keys we always pop into her bookstore. She's often there, very unassuming, and is usually behind the cash register or helping customers with books.

I also read voraciously as a child, mostly classics and Nancy Drew and not many young adult novels. So, I don't remember her making any particular impression on me. My Mom was a librarian and very conservative, I don't remember anything specific but I suspect she gently steered me away from her books. Because S-E-X!

There weren't many young adult books when I was a kid. I was reading adult books much earlier than I should have been... but if I would have read Judy Blume (and I am sure I did), it would have been in Elementary School. I was also obsessed with mysteries.. some Nancy Drew but I preferred the Hardy Boys (perhaps I had a better source for them-- not sure) and when younger, the bobsy twins, encylopedia brown and many others I am not remembering now. I never did lose my love of mysteries (in fact, I have 3 mystery preorders arriving today!)

My DD2 is a major Judy Blume fan. I think they even corresponded a bit. I did read a few of her books ( are you there and in the unlikely event) and really liked them. I graduated high school in 1970 which explains why I "missed" her. I was and am an reader.

She also wrote adult books. If you've never read "Wifey" I can highly recommend it.

Feathers, I heard theinterview too. It’s hard to believe some of her books are banned. She's in her 80’s! I think her books are important for young readers.

I do remember it...my best girlfriend had to hide it from her Mom. LOL I read it,

and liked it, but don't remember being "shocked", "stunned" by it. My favorite,

..,and still a favorite is/was "To Kill A Mockingbird". Not the same

story line, of course, etc., etc.,.,.,.,but, to me an "awakening" to a World I had never heard

about. But, it was written, close to a decade earlier, too. Also loved the Nancy Drew

"Mysteries", Encyclopedia Brown, etc., etc....would, and mostly did, read anything that I could. Would read any book about horses I could find. Christmas and Birthday was

always a great book receiving time for me.

Of course i have heard of her and her book, but the book was published long after i was grown, and i have two sons so they never read it.

My favorite book as a child was A Tree Grows In Brooklyn. I also read the Bobbsey twins series., not exactly feminist reading!

New York magazine recently did a piece on Judy Blume as did The Atlantic, article

I've never read any of her books. I was more into Stephen King and Dean Koontz.

I just remembered that I just read Summer Sisters a month or two ago. it was originally published in 1977. I think it was supposed to be an adult novel but to me, it was an odd mishmash of steamy romance novels and young adult novels. It was fine, I wouldn't enthusiastically recommend it.

Oh, yes, I’m a lifelong fan of hers. I think she’s awesome.

I discovered her around ages 9-10, in the late ’70s, and Margaret was my first book. After that I read and reread every book of hers I could get my hands on.

I had most in paperback — wish I still had them. The cover art has changed many times over the years.

As I got older, I read Wifey and Smart Women, both very good.

Thanks for this thread, made me smile. :)

PS: This was the one I had —

Yup, that's the cover of the edition I had; it was great, but I never read any of her other books. I still remember that one strongly, though. "We must, we must, we must increase our bust!"

I won't see the movie, though - it was good because of when and who I was when I read it.

Oh, I'll listen to that interview -thanks. Judy Blume was really a national treasure for our young girls.

Dee, I'd love to visit her bookstore someday. You describe her how I would picture her there.

Jrb, thanks for those links. I don't watch much TV and doubt I'll get around to the documentary. But I'll read those.

Jilly, yes, that's the cover I remember. I've never read any of her other books. It was just that one for me.

TV, I feel the same... likely won't seek out the movie. The book was special for me at an impressionable time in my life. I have other movies I'd like to see today.

Oh, all, thanks for the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew memories! I was a big fan of those, too.

There's a new documentary on A-zon Prime for anyone who is interested! (not gonna link, it's easy to find in a search.)

I'm a kid of the 80s and loved Judy Blume! Are You There God was such an important book. it taught me and my friends to be excited about our first periods rather than dreading it. some of the details were a bit confounding to me though -- I had to ask my mom what a "belt" was, lol. me and my girlfriends were also rather obsessed with Forever and giggled over it quite a lot. I don't think our moms knew we had gotten our hands on a copy at such a young age.

when I was in my 20s I quite enjoyed Wifey. she really was an author for all ages!

Oh yes it was a big thing back in jr high! I am trying to get a group of lady friends together to see it, NYT gave it a quite positive review.

I loved Are You There… and also Deenie. I remember reading Forever, and it was scandalous! Of course I loved it at whatever age I was. So risque! And my parents had no idea. I remember the unmade bed on the cover. I think I probably read Margaret and Deenie when I was around 13, and Forever a bit later.

I would totally have a fangirl episode if I saw Judy Blume in her book store. I met Jodi Picoult once (who doesn’t mean as much to me) and I acted like a total buffoon.

I finished the documentary on Judy Blume. She is so gracious. There is a whole segment where she reads some of the(thousands) of letters she received over the years from teen girls. It was amazing to hear what teens revealed to her in letters! She answered as many as she could and some she carried on correspondence with for years. It was quite touching.

I know who Blume is, and about her books and their influence, and I've been seeing the ads for the new movie too. I don't believe I ever read anything by her. I know my younger sisters and their friends read 'Are You There, God...' - and it was kind of a big deal for them too.

I missed out because when I was pre- and adolescent, I didn't much care for what I thought of as 'real life' fiction, I was mostly reading my dad's scifi books - and lots of fantasy too. I did love Elizabeth Enright too.

I don't think I've ever read this book, but I think I've read other Judy Blume growing up. The movie was filmed around here, so there was a lot on the local news about it.

I thought I saw Judy Blume name in a post somewhere!

I saw the movie last night and it was so cute and funny! I wasn't expecting it to be. So many giggles! I didn't see one man in the movie theatre LOL

Kathy Bates character is the best grandma! I want to be just like her!

I was too old to read these wonderful books. (I started college the year her first book was published.) I guess there were/are no counterparts for boys?

Blume has clearly lived up to her religion's commandment to Mend the World.

I would definately consider it a chick flick. There were boys in the movie, but it was made for us girls, IMO. If I were a guy in the theatre, I would feel out of place for sure.

I went with my three best girlfriends who went all the way through high school from 2nd grade together. We could relate LOL

FYI, I only read a couple of her books later in my life. To be honest, I couldn't remember them very well, but remembered I thought they were a cute read.

I'm not sure she had such an impact over here. I certainly never came across her books when I was of the age she was aiming at. By age 14 we were doing D H Lawrence in school and were generally expected to be reading novels for adults. I do remember a parent coming into a library where I was working in the early 80's complaining about a book his daughter had taken out. But we simply ignored him and put the book back on the shelf. We mainly felt sorry for his child. I read Forever ... when I was at the library and found it rather saccharine and unrealistic, not least because there was a reference to relieving period pain by doing some simple exercises. Ha, ha, ha not in my world. When my own kids were small we had a tape of Blume reading one of the Fudge books. They quite liked it but there was a certain amount of US vocabulary and descriptions of American school experiences that needed explaining to them, so they were not huge fans. I watched the Amazon documentary last night. Interesting, but she did come across as being almost too good to be true and the contributors who said they were heavily influenced by her books were relating experiences far outside my own.

By age 14 we were doing D H Lawrence in school and were generally expected to be reading novels for adults.

I think that is true everywhere. I think the target audience is significantly younger than 14, since it was for girls who had not yet gotten their periods. More like 10-12.

My Mom and grandmother were voracious readers, so it is hereditary. We were always allowed to read anything, and I mean anything, we wanted. I think I read Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex (but were afraid to ask)* around the same time as Blume. OTOH my Mom had a collection of works from Nobel Prize authors and I recall being really into those as well. LOL