engelkat's review against another edition
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
garleighc's review against another edition
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
annamontana's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I know that I read a lot of Judy Blume growing up, but she was one of the few middle grade/young adult authors when I was growing up. I may have read Blubber, but I have no recollection of it. I have been trying to pick up a few of my childhood books and reading them now as an adult.
this was a difficult book for me. At least in part because it was written almost 50 years ago and the way w deal with a lot of issues (bullying, body positivity, etc.) has changed drastically.
The book deals more with bullying and not body shaming, as the title might lead one to believe, but there is plenty of body shaming also. Bullying a girl until at 10 or 11 she is going on a diet. I also had a hard time with the teachers, who seem oblivious to the bullying and the ring leader of it all.
I am guessing that there are many other books written today for middle grade about bullying and body shaming, and I would recommend trying those first. That being said, Thank you Judy Blume, for writing about difficult subjects back then, so that my generation could have something to start that conversation.
this was a difficult book for me. At least in part because it was written almost 50 years ago and the way w deal with a lot of issues (bullying, body positivity, etc.) has changed drastically.
The book deals more with bullying and not body shaming, as the title might lead one to believe, but there is plenty of body shaming also. Bullying a girl until at 10 or 11 she is going on a diet. I also had a hard time with the teachers, who seem oblivious to the bullying and the ring leader of it all.
I am guessing that there are many other books written today for middle grade about bullying and body shaming, and I would recommend trying those first. That being said, Thank you Judy Blume, for writing about difficult subjects back then, so that my generation could have something to start that conversation.
adrianlwaller's review against another edition
challenging
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
xxselenaj's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jesssicawho's review against another edition
2.0
This feels dated and I can't imagine it would resonate much with a pre-teen today. The topic (bullying) is important but I'd wager that there are other YA books that deal with this in a more relevant way. As it stands, it could be a decent conversation starter with kids -- it requires a lot of reading between the lines to arrive at a moral lesson. For (far) future reference: could be good one to share and discuss with my daughter, there's certainly nothing off-putting, but there might be better options.
felinity's review against another edition
2.0
Having reread this as an adult, I now remember why I only read it once as a child, and why I didn't like it: because the main character is one of the bullies. Unintentionally so, but that doesn't change her actions or the impact of them. Ever pre-teen girl should read this, though, to recognise what bullying is.
paovilchis25's review against another edition
3.0
“ it’s very foolish to laugh if you don’t know what’s funny in the first place”
“It’s there more than one way to think”
“A person who can laugh at herself will be respected”
This was one of the books that you have in your tbr shelf for years, or that’s what happened to me. In the beginning I though this book had a lot of promise. The author had many opportunities to turn this into a moral story about the damages of bullying. But in the end it just turned out to be a superficial story even for a middle grade book.
The end of this book was painful to read. Jill never stands up for Linda so there is no moral of the story and it does not wrap up neatly. I was very disappointed by the end of this book.
“It’s there more than one way to think”
“A person who can laugh at herself will be respected”
This was one of the books that you have in your tbr shelf for years, or that’s what happened to me. In the beginning I though this book had a lot of promise. The author had many opportunities to turn this into a moral story about the damages of bullying. But in the end it just turned out to be a superficial story even for a middle grade book.
The end of this book was painful to read. Jill never stands up for Linda so there is no moral of the story and it does not wrap up neatly. I was very disappointed by the end of this book.