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A review by vanessakm
Blubber by Judy Blume
4.0
I’m not sure what the first Judy Blume book I read was—it may have been [b:Freckle Juice|37738|Freckle Juice|Judy Blume|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1295888341l/37738._SX50_.jpg|244031]—but my love for her definitely ignited when our teacher read us [b:Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing|37741|Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (Fudge, #1)|Judy Blume|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1630471264l/37741._SY75_.jpg|879886] when I was in the fourth grade class of St. Mary’s. I read a lot, but Judy Blume was the first author I really loved and that love demanded I read all of her books available at the time (including [b:Wifey|37744|Wifey|Judy Blume|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388448472l/37744._SX50_.jpg|543406], which I...regret.) I had a boxed set of her books which included Nothing, my beloved [b:Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret|37732|Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret|Judy Blume|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388356524l/37732._SY75_.jpg|4121], and this book.
I liked Blubber and read it enough for it to start to fall apart (as opposed to Margaret which did completely fall apart, because sometimes I slept with it like a stuffed animal.) This one didn’t resonate the same way with me, and it’s been decades since I’ve read it.
And boy, was this hard to read as an adult.
This story is about bullying, and Blume explains in the epilogue that it was inspired by bullying her daughter witnessed at school (it was first published in 1974.) Jill Brenner is basically a good kid, other than pranking a mean neighbor on Halloween, but when her fifth grade class—cheered on by a nasty ringleader—decides to pick on a classmate that’s a bit of a doormat, she can’t help but join in. And when Linda Fischer does a class report on whales, the nickname “Blubber” sticks. But it gets much worse than name-calling.
And while this story had its funny, charming moments (because this is Judy Blume), it was very difficult to read about how this gang of otherwise mostly ordinary children tortured another child—from keep-away on the school bus, which many of us are undoubtedly familiar with, to more serious offenses like force-feeding her and making her vomit, locking her in a closet, and pulling her skirt up to show everyone her panties.
It's like that South Park episode where the kids connive to have all the adults arrested and just one week later they’ve gone full-on Children of the Corn.
I don’t know where I’m going with this. Bullying is bad and children are terrifying and humanity can be awful and I used to watch a lot of South Park. Anyway, I think this is still a valuable read for kids.
I liked Blubber and read it enough for it to start to fall apart (as opposed to Margaret which did completely fall apart, because sometimes I slept with it like a stuffed animal.) This one didn’t resonate the same way with me, and it’s been decades since I’ve read it.
And boy, was this hard to read as an adult.
This story is about bullying, and Blume explains in the epilogue that it was inspired by bullying her daughter witnessed at school (it was first published in 1974.) Jill Brenner is basically a good kid, other than pranking a mean neighbor on Halloween, but when her fifth grade class—cheered on by a nasty ringleader—decides to pick on a classmate that’s a bit of a doormat, she can’t help but join in. And when Linda Fischer does a class report on whales, the nickname “Blubber” sticks. But it gets much worse than name-calling.
And while this story had its funny, charming moments (because this is Judy Blume), it was very difficult to read about how this gang of otherwise mostly ordinary children tortured another child—from keep-away on the school bus, which many of us are undoubtedly familiar with, to more serious offenses like force-feeding her and making her vomit, locking her in a closet, and pulling her skirt up to show everyone her panties.
It's like that South Park episode where the kids connive to have all the adults arrested and just one week later they’ve gone full-on Children of the Corn.
I don’t know where I’m going with this. Bullying is bad and children are terrifying and humanity can be awful and I used to watch a lot of South Park. Anyway, I think this is still a valuable read for kids.