Children's Books discussion

I can't believe she doesn't have her own thread yet. In advance of the movie Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret and a documentary about her life, she's been doing a lot of press.

This is a beautiful story from The Atlantic magazine April 2023 on why Judy Blume matters. I had no idea she was counseling so many kids.
If you can't get the online story, look for the print edition coming out soon.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/...

I also found a story about what happened when a mom read "Margaret" with her 12-year-old daughter. It went better than expected.

from Insider.com
https://www.insider.com/mom-read-you-...

QNPoohBear wrote: "I can't believe she doesn't have her own thread yet. In advance of the movie Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret and a documentary about her life, she's been doing a lot of press.

Th..."

I am so pissed off that Judy Blume has never been considered for a Newbery or a Newbery Honour!!

I think she was too controversial for the Newberry committee. Yet her books are a huge part of growing up for tweens and teens. She's fallen out of favor now. Kids like modern day issue novels like The Hate U Give (and all the other banned books).

QNPoohBear wrote: "I think she was too controversial for the Newberry committee. Yet her books are a huge part of growing up for tweens and teens. She's fallen out of favor now. Kids like modern day issue novels like..."

Pretty sad that the Newbery committees seem to have caved with Judy Blume (but not all that surprising either).

Either she was too controversial or they didn't think her books would stand the test of time. Given the huge numbers of kids who write to her and adults who come to her shop just to meet her, I'd say she deserves some honors.

QNPoohBear wrote: "Either she was too controversial or they didn't think her books would stand the test of time. Given the huge numbers of kids who write to her and adults who come to her shop just to meet her, I'd s..."

So do I ...

https://www.today.com/video/judy-blum...

Author Judy Blume sits down with TODAY's Jenna Bush Hager and talks about the re-release of her novel “Summer Sisters” in honor of its 25th anniversary and how she hopes to be remembered. She also opens up about her connection to her fans and love of writing. “It gave a me life. It gave me my own life," she says.

Judy Blume to receive inaugural lifetime achievement award for 'bravery in literature'

https://www.usatoday.com/story/entert...

Good for her! She deserves it.

Forever... is the next novel to get the movie treatment and the screenwriter is apparently unafraid to go big and go banned.

This story is paywalled but I'll look for more stories in the coming months.

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/...

QNPoohBear wrote: "Forever... is the next novel to get the movie treatment and the screenwriter is apparently unafraid to go big and go banned.

This story is paywalled but I'll look for more stories in ..."

I will definitely want to watch this, but I bet the movie will be banned in many red states.

It's a new Netflix show! Set in 2018, the characters are middle and upper middle class Black kids from the LA suburbs at elite schools juggling family expectations, the effects of social media and their growing relationship.

_____
Judy Blume Talks Inspiration Behind Her Controversial Teen Novel Forever, and the Change Happening at Home When She Wrote It
Elements of the author's life helped bring the book to life and shaped its ending

https://people.com/judy-blume-talks-i...

‘Forever’: Mara Brock Akil on How the Period Before George Floyd’s Murder, the Dangers of Smartphones and Judy Blume Inspired Her Black Teen Love Story

https://www.aol.com/forever-mara-broc...

“Young people are so much more knowledgeable about s-x and s--uality than when she was writing it back in 1975, so initially, I was told that she wasn’t sure ‘Forever’ would translate in modern times,” Akil says. “But she was willing to have a conversation with me around what I thought was still relevant in the book. And the universal truth is that young people have a lot of emotions. They’re falling in love for the first time, and they’re curious about s-x and whether those two things go together.”

Netflix’s ‘Forever’: Similarities and Differences From Judy Blume Novel
https://parade.com/tv/netflix-forever...

(view spoiler)[This time, in Brock Akil’s updated version, Katherine (now named Keisha Clark) has already lost her virginity and is dealing with another teenage crisis, which (spoiler alert!) involves a sex tape. And Michael (now named Justin Edwards) is actually holding off on sex until the timing is right and is dealing with how he’s perceived as a young Black man exploring his feelings. According to Brock Akil, Keisha mirrors Blume's male character, and vice versa. (hide spoiler)]

With Brock Akil’s modern-day Forever, “I'm changing race, I'm changing place, I'm changing times,” she explains. “A lot of new narrative had to happen.” That’s where the series’s showrunner got the idea to incorporate just how big of a deal social media and a cell phone play in teenagers’ lives.

“The phone is an extension of s--uality,” Brock Akil explains, referencing how it’s so commonplace for young adults to send explicit pictures or text messages back and forth these days. “They make one mistake, and they can ruin their futures,” she says, pointing out how teens explore “their s--uality with this device.”

What remains the same between the novel and the new Netflix series is that teenagers will continue to be teenagers. They will make mistakes, fall in love, explore their s--uality and dream of a big, bright future.

“Every relationship has a gift,” Brock Akil says. “Ultimately, I just wanted a love story — an epic, intimate love story — within a love letter to Los Angeles that really [you feel like] you just want to hug all of our children, of every race and background. They belong to us, and we need to make room for them.”

Zero to Well-Read Book Riot podcast on Forever...
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...

You never forget your first. Rebecca and Jeff revisit Judy Blume's classic young adult novel about first love, losing your virginity, and the thrills and fears of growing up. They discuss what made Forever... radical in 1975 and why it's still being banned and challenged today, what's timeless and what hasn't aged so well, and why every teenager should read a book like this.

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Email us: zerotowellread@bookriot.com

The Genius of Judy: How Judy Blume Rewrote Childhood for All of Us


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Five stars for The Genius of Judy: How Judy Blume Rewrote Childhood for All of Us (and yes, I might well be a bit biased but I absolutely stand by this rating and as such also totally agree with everything Rachelle Bergstein writes and says about Judy Blume, that both Blume and equally so her oeuvre are total champions of second wave feminism, that Judy Blume's stories are equally so and thematically speaking as relevant and as important, as essential today as they were when they were first published).

I am also planning( once I get a copy) to be reading the new Judy Blume biography Judy Blume: A Life.

Manybooks wrote: "The Genius of Judy: How Judy Blume Rewrote Childhood for All of Us


https://www.goodreads.c..."

Sounds like an excellent accompaniment to the documentary.

QNPoohBear wrote: "Manybooks wrote: "The Genius of Judy: How Judy Blume Rewrote Childhood for All of Us


https..."

I have not watched this, but this book I do highly recommend it.

If you have Amazon you can watch "Forever Judy" which features several women speaking about Judy's impact on their teenage selves.
https://www.amazon.com/Judy-Blume-For...

If you don't do Amazon, try Apple TV+

https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/judy-bl...