| Judy Blume | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Airdate | June 5, 2007 | ||
| Curriculum | English Social Studies | ||
Judy Blume launched in BrainPOP English/Social Studies June 5, 2007.
Summary[]
Tim notices his turtle is missing. Moby's chest shows a turtle inside.
Appearances[]
Transcript and Quiz[]
Trivia[]
- Tim opens the video singing to the tune of "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor.
FYI[]
Quotables[]
Here are some quotations from Judy Blume!
“Believe in yourself, and you can achieve greatness in your life.”
“I wanted only to write what I knew to be true. I wanted to write the best, most honest books I could, the kinds of books I would have liked to read when I was younger.”
“My characters live inside my head for a long time before I actually start to write a book about them. Then, they become so real to me I talk about them at the dinner table as if they are real. Some people consider this weird. But my family understands.”
“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.”
“Censors don't want children exposed to ideas different from their own. If every individual with an agenda had his or her way, the shelves in the school library would be close to empty.”
“The best books come from someplace deep inside. Become emotionally involved. If you don't care about your characters, your readers won't either.”
Real Life[]
As Tim mentions in the movie, a number of Judy Blume’s books have been censored. Censorship generally refers to the act of some form of speech — whether it’s a book, a movie, a play, a picture, or another form of communication — being suppressed or deleted so that the general public can’t read, hear, or see it.
Censorship is not always a bad thing; for example, during World War II, the U.S. government censored news reports to keep military secrets from leaking out. But other forms of censorship risk violating the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prevents the government from restricting people’s freedom of speech.
Since public schools and libraries receive tax money and are run by public officials, many people believe that it’s illegal for them to ban books from their libraries. The U.S. Supreme Court reinforced this view in 1982, when it ruled that school boards can only ban books that are “educationally unsuitable.”
Unfortunately, the battle over library censorship continues to rage. People from across the political spectrum have attempted to ban books they don’t like — from the works of Judy Blume to classics like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn — by claiming that they are inappropriate for young readers.
On the other side of the debate are organizations such as the American Library Association and the National Council of Teachers of English. These groups believe that people should be free to choose what they read. And they publish guides to help teachers and school librarians resist efforts to keep particular books away from students.
As Tim says in the movie, it’s a controversial issue. What do you think?
Trivia[]
- Judy Blume claims that her most autobiographical work is Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself.
- The title of Freckle Juice came from a concoction Judy Blume’s young daughter would make out of soap and shampoo during bathtime.
- Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing was inspired by a newspaper article that Judy Blume’s babysitter showed her. It told the true story of a toddler who’d swallowed his family’s pet turtle. The chapter about the turtle was written as a stand-alone short story, and then expanded into a book at the suggestion of her editor. Blume based the character of “Fudge” Hatcher on her son when he was a toddler.
- In addition to her children’s books, Judy Blume has written three bestselling novels for adults.
- Judy Blume has updated several of her books from the 1970s. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret was changed so that Margaret now uses more modern feminine hygiene products; and in Superfudge, references to The Muppet Show and The Electric Company were replaced by references to Nickelodeon.
- Judy Blume’s most-censored book is Forever, a young adult novel published in 1975. According to the American Library Association, it was the eighth-most-frequently challenged book in America during the 1990s (to challenge a book is to submit a request that it be removed it from library shelves). Nevertheless, Forever has sold more than 3.5 million copies worldwide!
- In 2007, an anthology of essays by successful female authors, entitled Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl, I Learned from Judy Blume, was published.
In Depth[]
Here’s a quick look at some of Judy Blume’s most beloved characters!
Tony Miglione: The 12-year-old main character of Then Again, Maybe I Won’t has quite a few problems. In addition to the usual troubles faced by boys entering puberty, his family has just come into money and moved into a wealthy new neighborhood. Tony begins suffering anxiety attacks when the misbehaving boy next door begins involving him in his shoplifting schemes.
Sheila Tubman: The rival of Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing’s Peter Hatcher, who both live in the same New York apartment building. Peter believes that Sheila is a bossy know-it-all and the “Queen of Cooties.” Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great details her family’s move to a New York suburb.
Wilmadeene “Deenie” Fenner: The protagonist of Deenie, she’s named after a character in one of Judy Blume’s favorite movies, 1961’s Splendor in the Grass. 13-year-old Deenie feels that her mother is pushing her into a modeling career that she doesn’t want, and pushing her older sister toward becoming a doctor or lawyer. When Deenie is diagnosed with scoliosis and must wear a brace, her mother is devastated, but she is secretly relieved.
Linda Fischer: Linda is an awkward, overweight girl who becomes the target of grade-school bullies in Blubber. She’s frequently tripped, pushed, shoved, pinched, and forced to say, “I am Blubber, the smelly whale of class 206.” According to her classmate Jill, Linda “lets everybody walk all over her” and “really looks for it.”
FYI Comic[]
