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Blubber

3.74 of 5 stars 3.74 · rating details · 17,413 ratings · 574 reviews

Blubber is a good name for her, the note from Caroline said about Linda. Jill crumpled it up and left it on the corner of her school desk. She didn't want to think about Linda or her dumb report on the whale just then. Jill wanted to think about Halloween. But Robby grabbed the note and before Linda stopped talking it had gone halfway around the room.

That's where it all st...more

Paperback, 127 pages

Published 2006 by Macmillan Children's Books (first published 1974)

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Oct 11, 2007 Dawn rated it 4 of 5 stars

The genius of this book is not that it doesn't impart any moral, it does, but it does so subtly, without condescension. There's no comeuppance for the ringleading bully, no adult interference to save the tormented. Hell, the girl who is picked on isn't all that sympathetic. It's a dark little book, and the darkness works beautifully.

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May 29, 2007 Alise Scheeler rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If you were fat as a kid, and you didn't read this book, we can no longer be friends.

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May 07, 2008 Gigi rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrens

I was at the library with my children yesterday when I noticed the Judy Blume books. I loved Judy Bloom when I was younger. So I thought it would be interesting to reread some of them again. Blubber is the one I read last night. I remember when I read it the first time that I really related to the main character, Jill. It is about a 5th grade class who begins to pick on Linda who is overweight. This is day in and out teasing-harassing. Then one day Jill gets on the wrong side of one of the main...more

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Apr 12, 2008 Claire rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: kids-and-ya

My signed copy of Blubber is one of my most prized possessions. This is an honest and sometimes painful to read portrayal of bullying. It does not wrap up neatly, as few real-life bullying situations do, but it does have some important lessons. After reading this book, it is comforting to find Judy Blume's personal note about why she wrote it:
"I wrote Blubber because bullying is often kept a secret by the kids who see it happening, and even by the person who's being bullied. Being bullied feels...more

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Mar 30, 2008 Karly 8-22 rated it 4 of 5 stars

The book Blubber is realistic fiction written by Judy Blume. The main characters Jill and Tracy are best friends that are inseparable in Mrs. Minish’s 5th grade class. They love to collect stamps and hang out.
When one of Jill and Tracy’s classmates, Linda who is very shy and doesn’t have many friends, give their report on whales she gets made fun of. She was talking about how whales have blubber and that a flenser is a person who strips the blubber. When a note gets passed around the classroo...more

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Nov 03, 2009 Ariel rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mg

Oh, it was almost excruciating to read Judy Blume's brilliant description of childhood bullying, and how the children turn on each other for petty reasons. The evilness of the main bully almost made me gag several times; for example when she forces the victim to say "I am a big smelly whale" before being allowed to use the bathroom, to show her underwear to the boys or, worst of all, eat chocolate-covered ants. The narrator first joins in on the bullying of one heavy, passive girl who gives a re...more

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Nov 03, 2007 Vesra (When She Reads) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: borrowed, 2007

The story is surrounds the experiences of being a bully and being bullied by them. The main character is Jill, who is in the group of girls who bullies this girl, Linda who they dubbed as "Blubber" because of her essay about whales. It grew from just an inside joke to the rest of their peers, making Linda's life a living hell.

I spent reading this book emotionally. I actually feel like wringing some of the characters' necks! This would be one of the good books out there to introduce to the kids t...more

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Jan 18, 2008 George added it · review of another edition

I recently decided to ready this book again. I liked that Judy Blume was a stickler on realism. Linda who was dubbed "Blubber" was the target of (5th grade mafia, led by a future corrione or soprano queen Wendy) Jill was like the kid who the most mild of the bullies and actally hung out with her oriental frined Tracy who was in another class..

Anyways, as seen thru the eyes of Jill, we can tell that she is getting fed up with Wendys attitude. Especially after she started making racial remarks abo...more

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Mar 11, 2009 K Nolfi rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read this last night. I remember reading it when i was in 2nd or 3rd grade and being really upset about the book. Especially the "strip her" scene. It's an intense upsetting book.

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Feb 25, 2013 Amadeus rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a quick afternoon read & I was looking forward to seeing how I read it as an adult now compared to how my pre-teenage self read it. It definitely represents the grade school drama and makes my adult safe glad I am past those days. I am left with two sad feelings as a result of this book:

1. There is no particularly happy ending for the bullied child, Linda. Sure, you can assume she is no longer bullied, but who is her friend now? It's both hard to be a bullied kid and hard to be a lo...more

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Jan 21, 2013 Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars

I picked up Blubber for the first time since I was in elementary school to remind myself why I liked Judy Blume's books so much as a kid. I remember loving Are You There God, It's Me Margaret, Then Again Maybe I Won't, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Deenie, and many of her other titles. When I was older, I read Forever (in secret, no doubt). As an adult I read Wifey and Summer Sisters. Basically, Judy Blume has been around all my life, and she has written books that have appealed to me through...more I picked up Blubber for the first time since I was in elementary school to remind myself why I liked Judy Blume's books so much as a kid. I remember loving Are You There God, It's Me Margaret, Then Again Maybe I Won't, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Deenie, and many of her other titles. When I was older, I read Forever (in secret, no doubt). As an adult I read Wifey and Summer Sisters. Basically, Judy Blume has been around all my life, and she has written books that have appealed to me throughout the years.

Clearly, Blume isn't a hot new author on the literary scene. The copyright date for Blubber is 1974, which means it came out when I was just 7 years old. But do her tales endure? Absolutely. Her novels for children reflect the struggles of kids in the 1970s as much as they reflect them today. When we read her books as kids, we felt an immediate connection. When we read them as adults, we get how her stories are just as true for kids today as they were years ago. What a gift to be able to tap into kids' psyches - to really understand the dilemmas they face, and make them feel less alone. Blume has managed to tap in the universality of childhood experiences.

Blubber, for those of you who might not remember (I didn't) is a story about bullying. Linda is a sixth grader who is a tad overweight. She is mercilessly teased by her classmates, with number one bully Wendy as the ring leader. Jill, the main character, thinks nothing of getting in on the taunts. She has no remorse for it. In fact, she doesn't really even think about it and just jumps on the bullying bandwagon. But, throughout the story, you find yourself liking Jill, and knowing that somehow she will turn around. Indeed she does, but it takes a very painful lesson for the turnaround to happen. Blubber isn't a didactic tale. Rather, it presents a story that gets kids thinking, and allows them to make their own decisions about what's right and wrong. Like many of Blume's books for children, Blubber it is written at a level that is perfect for upper elementary school students, and possibly even some middle school students. And that's exactly the time that they may be facing issues like bullying.

So, thank you Judy Blume, for good writing, books that are still relevant today, and, most importantly, books that keep kids engaged in reading.(less)

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Nov 26, 2012 Rory rated it 5 of 5 stars

I am still working my way through all of Judy Blume and what a treat this has been from begining to end. I just needed to put that out there before I began to gush.

What an honest book.

It's funny because I always ignored the Blume catalog because I worried that it would be too simple, idealist and immature--how wrong I have turned out to be on this. Blubber is a simple book about the cruelty of children, the wanning shelf life of popularity and social status and the petty cruelties which can be d...more

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Jun 30, 2012 Shawn Thrasher rated it 4 of 5 stars

It's still one of the best books written about bullies and being bullied. But I still get a pit in my stomach reading it, and I wanted it to end quickly. The girls in the book are despicable. It was the same feeling I get when I read about serial killers or Nazi torturers. Poor Blubber. Who then turns around and is a Nazi herself. Shit rolls down hill.

I'd like to think I was a sensitive child -- and probably was more like Jill Brenner, the cowardly teaser, than I ever knew. But maybe we all were...more

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Jun 15, 2012 Sonya Huser rated it 2 of 5 stars

This is a bullying book, and is a little unusual in that the narrator is a bully rather than a victim for most of the book. Only when Wendy (the queen bee mean girl in their 5th grade class) finally takes things too far with a girl the whole fifth grade calls "Blubber," does Jill finally take a stand. She's not doing this in support of Linda/Blubber AT ALL. She's just finally had enough of Wendy.
In response, Wendy comes up with an equally as ridiculous nickname as Blubber for Jill. The kids beg...more

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Apr 28, 2012 Beth Bonini rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s-book-club

It's been years (30+) since I've read a Judy Blume book, although at one time I was quite au fait with the entire oeuvre -- being exactly the age to read most of the books as they were being written and published. I'm beginning a unit on realistic fiction, and I wondered if any of her books would hold up for a contemporary English audience. In the case of this book, I would say YES.

It observes (in an amazingly non-judgemental way) the garden-variety sort of bullying and power-playing that goes o...more

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Feb 28, 2012 Peacha rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: cliquey-pizza

I did a long in-depth review of this - on my site - http://cliqueypizza.wordpress.com/ entitled Judy Blume's Blubber - Ballad of a Bully - as you can see by the title , I wasn't too impressed by the supposed lesson every reader out there, believes we've been taught. Jill is painted as an unremorseful heroine who blames just about everyone for her actions, most specifically - Wendy. While Linda a.k.a Blubber is a most pathetic victim - never is she given one ounce of dignity, everything associate...more

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Feb 28, 2012 Peacha rated it 2 of 5 stars

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Jan 22, 2012 Ira syarif rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kids

percaya atau tidak ini adalah novel pertama yang saya review seumur hidup saya. waktu itu saya kelas 2 SMP dan ditugaskan membuat review novel. berbeda dengan teman2 saya yang meminjam buku dari perpustakaan macam novel klasik siti nurbaya dan sebagainya (entah beneran siti nurbaya atau bukan) saya memilih novel populer ini untuk direview. kenapa? karena untuk ukuran anak kelas 2 SMP ini adalah buku yang sempurna untuk dikritik sekaligus di sanjung :D

menceritakan tentang Jill Brener yang duduk d...more percaya atau tidak ini adalah novel pertama yang saya review seumur hidup saya. waktu itu saya kelas 2 SMP dan ditugaskan membuat review novel. berbeda dengan teman2 saya yang meminjam buku dari perpustakaan macam novel klasik siti nurbaya dan sebagainya (entah beneran siti nurbaya atau bukan) saya memilih novel populer ini untuk direview. kenapa? karena untuk ukuran anak kelas 2 SMP ini adalah buku yang sempurna untuk dikritik sekaligus di sanjung :D

menceritakan tentang Jill Brener yang duduk di kelas 5 dan punya seorang teman yang selalu jadi bulan-bulanan di sekolahnya bernama Linda Fischer. Linda sebenarnya tidak terlalu gemuk walaupun cukup gemuk. suatu kali Linda menulis tentang Ikan Paus untuk tugas biologi tentang mamalia. Dan dia menyebutkan bahwa Blubber adalah lapisan lemak yang melindungi ikan paus dari suhu dingin.
Dua anak terpopuler Wendy dan Caroline lantas berinisiatif untuk mem-bully Linda dengan sebutan "Si Blubber, Ikan Paus Bau" dan Jill demi rassa setia kawannya pada Wendy da Caroline ikut2an mengejek Linda. Banyak sekali kemalangan Linda yang disebabkan karena keengganannya untuk membela dirinya sendiri.

Tapi bagaimana ketika Jill harus berada di posisi Linda. apakah dia harus bersikap seperti Linda yang pasrah untuk selalu dikerjai teman satu kelasnya, atau dia harus bertindak seperti Tracy, sahabatnya yang meninju seorang anak di kelasnya yang mengejek ras mongolianya.

Banyak ekspektasi saya dibuku ini tapi saya harus kecewa. Mrs. Blume menulis dengan gaya orang pertama sehingga mau tidak mau pembaca jadi terkesan tidak netral. saya membenci diri saya sendiri (aku) ketika harus ikut-ikutan mengerjai Linda. endingnya pun jauh dari harapan walaupun memang hidup biasanya tidak selalu seperti sinetron dengan aspek hukuman dan jera. ketika saya SMP dulu rasanya tidak adil, dan saya merasa buku ini miskin muatan moral. tapi sekarang mungkin agak bisa dimengerti. pesan yang mungkin ingin disampaikan oleh penulis adalah
jangan pernah membiarkan orang lain menentukan nasib mu, karena kamu berhak dan memiliki kekuatan untuk mengatur hidupmu. dan itu hanya dapat terjadi jika kamu berani memulainya (less)

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Jan 02, 2012 Vlad rated it 1 of 5 stars

Jill is an ostensibly innocent spectator to her friend Caroline and several others bullying Linda, a fat girl. This goes on for most of the book, with Caroline constantly proving herself a more fearsome, expert bullier than anyone I've ever met in life. (Boys, teenagers, and TSA personnel included) Eventually, there is a major change in Linda's social status, and it's handled about as gracefully as a pregnant elephant performing ballet on a frozen lake.

I remember having to read this book in 3rd...more Jill is an ostensibly innocent spectator to her friend Caroline and several others bullying Linda, a fat girl. This goes on for most of the book, with Caroline constantly proving herself a more fearsome, expert bullier than anyone I've ever met in life. (Boys, teenagers, and TSA personnel included) Eventually, there is a major change in Linda's social status, and it's handled about as gracefully as a pregnant elephant performing ballet on a frozen lake.

I remember having to read this book in 3rd grade and absolutely despising it. It has the usual Judy Blume flaws; poor, clumsy use of language, with the convenient cop-out that she's writing from the first-person perspective of a semi-literate, pre-pubescent girl.

It's also peppered with irritating personal details about the narrators' lives that are supposed to be funny or quirky, but come across as lame, hokey, and forced.

However, the main sin of this book is much worse. One so vile that most of Judy Blume's other works actually manage to avoid it. Namely, it has no point.

What exactly are we supposed to get from Caroline bullying Linda? The book never makes any over-arching statement on the matter. Nothing about the mindset of the bullier, the victim, what to do, how it can change, or anything of the sort. Instead, all we get is a dry, boring account of the bullying.

Even the defense of "realism" doesn't work, because as mentioned above, Caroline is just so laughably unrealistic in her bullying ability. It's not that she's too mean either, but that she's far too smart and sophisticated with her tactics.

The bullies I've encountered in life were never subtle or intelligent. They were just nasty and relentless.

Which, incidentally, Caroline is not.

So what else do we have? The idea that bullying sucks? Well sure... and two plus two makes four.

So essentially, Blubber is a poorly written book with lousy jokes and irrelevant trifles, fails at realism, has an awful conclusion, and possesses no real point.

Avoid it like the plague. (less)

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Sep 15, 2011 Kristen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Are you ever picked on at school by popular kids? Have you ever felt that teachers are out to get you? If so the novel, Blubber, by Judy Blume is for you. Blume often writes relistic middle level storys which many students can connect to their own life. Blume always add humor into a real life situation, like bullying. This book showed many things that I remember from my fifth grade classes.
I felt this book showed a realistic view of students picking on other children. The parents and the adult...more

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Apr 29, 2011 Amy Flink rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I first read this book when I was 9 and loved it and laughed in spite of myself. I knew it was very mean and cruel. As I reached the climax I suddenly realized that what was happening in the book to the victims (Linda "Blubber" and later Jill) was happening to me all the time with my groups of friends from the time I started school! Even preschool and in neighborhood situations, sadly enough. I have been at the middle (like Jill) and bottom (like Blubber) of the pecking order in cliques so I kno...more I first read this book when I was 9 and loved it and laughed in spite of myself. I knew it was very mean and cruel. As I reached the climax I suddenly realized that what was happening in the book to the victims (Linda "Blubber" and later Jill) was happening to me all the time with my groups of friends from the time I started school! Even preschool and in neighborhood situations, sadly enough. I have been at the middle (like Jill) and bottom (like Blubber) of the pecking order in cliques so I know what it's like. I have been picked on, beat up, tortured, teased, bullied. I was shy and quiet but more outspoken then the passive Linda "Blubber" in the book.
The victim Blubber is portrayed as a bland character with not much to stay who lets people walk all over her so she becomes a victim.
A few of these reviews sound very mean and almost sick by saying this was a "funny book" about a group of animalistic kids ganging up on someone. I get the impression that those reviews were written by very young readers. I don't recommend this book for young readers at all because of that. They may not understand it. (believe me, i didn't entirely either when i first read it at 9 either!)Also readers too young to understand feelings of others may copy the bad things about the negative characters (Wendy and Carolyn, the follower) like I did at times when I was young (I felt bad about it later and found myslef on the receiving end afterwards). Also the fact that some may not like the idea of a somewhat un-satisfying ending which is disturbing to younger readers.
I didn't get the point at the time, but the reason Linda is singled out as a victim is not just due to her weight (although doing a report on a whale may have opened her up to ridicule), contrary to popular belief. If you read chapter 1 about when Jill introduces us to Linda as she is giving her whale report, you notice she just mentions Linda as the "pudgiest girl" in the class but says she's not the largest kid in the 5th grade; there's students who are fatter but not singled out as victims. So obviously that's not the thing that makes her the target. Apparently she's at the bottom of the pecking order because of her lack of personality and initiative.
Wendy the ringleader is this overpowering, very pushy, aggressive manipulator. I knew quite a few "Wendy"s in my time. They're the people in who are sorta the homewreckers in your circle of gradeschool friends. They disrupt the peace and break up your friendships by stealing your friends. This book sorta hit home with the issue of loyalties with childhoold friendships and friction between them. I admire Jill and Tracy for standing together. Tracy was so good to Jill even if she probably didn't always agree with what Jill's inappropriate behavior. I had a friend like Tracy who defended me when I was being bullied and kept track of my abusers to tell my mom so we could report it.
A lot of time the "Wendy"s get their way even with adults if they're allowed to. I knew a juvenile delinquent who beat me up and mostly got her way even when I ended up taking her to court on charges of harassment and battery.
One reviewer stated that there is nothing adults/teachers/principals/school authorities, etc. can do and please, please please listen. I hope y'all will please read this. I am not criticizing anyone but I've been to hell and back. Trust me and don't believe the lie that there's nothing they can do and it's just up to the individual. You can't do it alone and feel like an outcast. It is the teacher's job to protect you and they are getting paid anyway. It sickens me to think of all the teachers striking for months on end in some areas. Some do deserve it if they're good teachers but they aren't even working an 8-hr shift and get weekends and vacations, and what about the ones who won't protect their student's? They need to wake up and pay attention to what's going on around them in class. Teachers need to be tuned in to the students and be on the ball.
For this reason I'm glad Judy wrote this book because in jr high and high school I was harassed and wondered why! I was average size in grade school but picked on in jr high when i put on a few lbs. yet I'd see larger girls who apparently weren't victimized. I tried being loud and boisterous to be popular and that didn't work so I tried being quiet as a mouse and they still teased me--could not figure it out!! It wasn't the weight that was an issue! I read an interview with Judy Blume on Blubber and she explains that Linda was passive and kind of brought it on herself; She didn't stand up for herself. I was like that at times and needed to learn to do that. PLEASE do not fall for the lie that children "Ask for it". At school, very often when I'd go to teachers or principals for help and they acted uninterested, their response was that I must have done something to provoke the behavior. This is baloney. The truth is you have a right to an education free of harassment and torment. Some say it's just life and you can't expect much more but that is a crock. Life doesn't have to be like that! Believe me, I have had wonderful teachers who knew how to meet student's needs and teach respect and then again I've had bad teachers with no control and it was chaos. I've seen the good, bad and ugly so i'm not naive. I'm talking about a healthy learning environment. A teacher's job isn't simply to teach 2x2=4 and Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Think about it: 30 years from now; do you remember that stuff or are you more likely to remember the teacher who touched your life by making a difference with kind words, ect. it's more than just knowledge, it's about teaching the golden rule and respect.
I loved the book but I have mixed feelings about it so i can't classify it in one category.
One reviewer said that parents think this book is realistic and I certainly hope to God this isn't true because it happens all the time in school. Pay attention to what your children are doing and how the teachers are handling things. They say "kids can be cruel". Well that's true. Some pass it off as "kids being kids" but please. We need to train a child in the way they should go. Where are the parents and teachers who are supposed to teach them manners and respect? Instead they act like animals and hoodlums. They say this is just a sad fact of like but this is a fact that needs to be changed. One reviewer said that "apologies rarely come in real life". That's true. I was raised with "good breeding" and always taught manners and if children were taught from birth the civalized way maybe they wouldn't behave this way.
Like I said I wouldn't recommend to children under 12 and I'd read it with my kids and discuss feelings with my kids if I did.
Like a reviewer said, what comes around goes around. What you sow, you will reap. But what doesn't make sense in the story is Wendy the ringleader is the instigator of the Blubber business. Wendy is cruel and ruthless.If you read original editorial review, note that it was WENDY who passed the note that started the whole thing saying "Blubber is a good name for her" and Jill isn't even thinking of Linda at the time; she's preoccupied with thinking of her plans for Halloween. She doesn't get drawn into it till Linda talks about whale blubber in her report and Wendy starts to laugh. By then word gets spread and everyone is laughing. Jill becomes a willing participant but not the true leader. Not to excuse her; she's just as guilty. But we see how far one person's meanness can get spread. Wendy's influince is all over the class and effects even the principal. Oddly enough when the tables turn it's Jill who becomes the victim, not Wendy.
Wendy dosen't switch roles and remains the tormenter but Jill becomes victim and Wendy becomes her bully. Everyone begins ganging up on her. Linda isn't gracious towards Jill's gesture to sorta "rescue" her from the supply closet as Wendy's prisoner. Instead, Linda, a weak, subordinate character, becomes Wendy's "friend" and joins in the gang of tormenters who turn against the new victim, Jill.
This book lacks some emotional depth in that it fails to totally identify with Linda's feelings. People think of her as a zombie. But she's a person and we all have feelings. Jill's mom did tell her to put herself in Jill's position but the parents seem so distant in this book! My mom was much more involved! She'd say "How would Linda feel?" and more! Jill has no sympathy for Linda and when the tables turn just has sympathy for herself...
I was glad Judy wrote this book and it's a must-read some. It should be banned from some young readers though. It's a message that you can make a difference and you do have the power. It's not about a saccarine lala land. it's about doing your best! (less)

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Mar 03, 2011 Sweet on Books rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: melissa-g, independent-reader-jr

Over 35 years after it was first written, Judy Blume’s Blubber still delivers a relevant view of bullying, from the perspective of fifth grader, Jill Brenner. After pudgy Linda presents a classroom assignment on the whale, she is nicknamed “Blubber” by Wendy, the most popular girl at school, and so begins a daily ritual of abuse. While Jill isn’t the leader of the pack, she joins right in, seemingly without any hesitation. Is it peer pressure? When Wendy first writes a note using the name Blubbe...more Over 35 years after it was first written, Judy Blume’s Blubber still delivers a relevant view of bullying, from the perspective of fifth grader, Jill Brenner. After pudgy Linda presents a classroom assignment on the whale, she is nicknamed “Blubber” by Wendy, the most popular girl at school, and so begins a daily ritual of abuse. While Jill isn’t the leader of the pack, she joins right in, seemingly without any hesitation. Is it peer pressure? When Wendy first writes a note using the name Blubber, Jill smiles, not because she thinks it’s funny but because Wendy is watching her. After that, she participates wholeheartedly.

Over the next few weeks, most of the kids laugh at Linda, call her names, spit at her, and trip her. They even physically hold her down to mess with her clothes and later, to force her to eat something unappealing. Linda lets it happen, doing very little to resist or fight back. In the end, they lock her in a closet and declare that she’s on trial. Of course, Wendy is the judge and this inquiry is anything but fair. Jill thinks that she’ll never be in Linda’s position, but she learns that popularity is fleeting and that her position in the classroom hierarchy only lasts as long as she is willing to go along with the crowd.

These kids seem to feel no remorse. In fact, there is a general lack of respect for their neighbors, teachers and other students. They justify inappropriate behavior by claiming that the person gets what they deserve. They vandalize houses during Halloween and brag about it. Their teachers are oblivious and Jill’s parents are distracted, leaving the action to play out without any supervision. In many ways these kids are still so young, dressing up for Halloween or collecting stamps, and left to their own devices they sink to the lowest level. While none of the characters ever seem to gain much in the way of compassion or feeling, Jill does show readers that they should never let “other people decide what’s going to happen to you” and that there are ways to stand up for yourself. This matter-of-fact, true to life portrayal of classroom dynamics is a must read!(less)

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Jan 27, 2011 Tracy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

This is one Blume book I did not read as a child, so this was my first reading. I don't even know how many stars to give this book. I didn't like the story, but yet it wasn't a one-star book. I didn't like it because there is nothing likeable about any of the characters. We see the story through the eyes of Jill, a seemingly normal 5th-grade girl who collects stamps and likes peanut butter. She lives in a nice home in a good neighborhood and has a group of friends. She is a very ordinary person....more

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Oct 16, 2010 Jessica rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: age-10-15, pre-2000, contemporary-realistic-fiction, juvenile, novels

Three main characters in this book are Jill, the narrator, Wendy, the "popular" girl, and Linda, an overweight girl in their class. Jill wants Wendy's approval and goes along with Wendy's bullying of Linda, who did a report on whales at the beginning of the book. They nickname her "blubber" because she talks about blubber in her report. The bullying is really nasty and difficult to listen to even after out of the elementary school environment for as long as I have been--I remember girls like Wen...more

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Jun 13, 2010 Lars Guthrie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Judy Blume has a lesson to teach in 'Blubber,' which could be the kiss of death in a children's book. Teaching a lesson often transmogrifies into an adult talking down.

But this novel about bullying is saved by Blume's attention to reality. While the bully--Wendy, one of the few characters here without much depth--gets a kind of comeuppance, Blume offers no pat solutions. Jill, her protagonist, is just as guilty of nasty behavior as Wendy is.

Jill's clueless fifth-grade teacher, Mrs. Minnish, an...more

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Mar 13, 2010 Krista Ashe rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-110-of-2010-books

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I just received my boxed set of Judy Blume favorites. Growing up, Are You There God, It's Me Margaret was won of my favorite books along with Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing and Superfudge, I'd never read Blubber, Iggy's House, or Starring Sally J Freedman. So, I set out to read more Blume since she is the quintessential MG and YA writer before there was really a genre.

I gotta say I'm not a big fan of the MC of this novel. And after reading and LOVING all the Blume Mc's, this book was a jolt. I fo...more I just received my boxed set of Judy Blume favorites. Growing up, Are You There God, It's Me Margaret was won of my favorite books along with Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing and Superfudge, I'd never read Blubber, Iggy's House, or Starring Sally J Freedman. So, I set out to read more Blume since she is the quintessential MG and YA writer before there was really a genre.

I gotta say I'm not a big fan of the MC of this novel. And after reading and LOVING all the Blume Mc's, this book was a jolt. I found her to be anything but sympathetic. After reading the Afterword, I gained more perspective for the reason why Blume wrote Blubber. She says her daughter was like Rochelle, the silent observer to seeing some pretty horrific bullying at school. I almost wish the book had been written from the perspective of Rochelle, rather than Jill. Why? Because Jill is just plain despicable! You almost don't even feel pity for her when the tables are turned and she becomes the one who is bullied. Not only does she participates in the HORRIFYING bullying of poor, overweight, Linda, but she's a downright brat most of the time, even putting rotten eggs in the neighborhood crumudgeon's mailbox! The whole scene where Mr. M confronts her and her friend really made me dislike her b/c as the friend is crying and apologetic, Jill is doing the typical "It wasn't my fault, it's b/c he's a mean, butthole" act. Then she does the whiny act after getting blisters when Mr. M makes them clean up his yard as retribution for his mailbox.

You've got the archetype Queen Bee, Mean Girl with the character of Wendy. She reminded me a preteen Regina George from Mean Girls! She tells the other girls what to do, and they do it. However, when Jill finally grows a conscience(over halfway through the book), Wendy turns on her, and there's Hell to pay.

Another thing i didn't like it the abrupt ending. Sure, Jill gets a new friend in Rochelle, and luckily Caroline, another Mean Girl disciple, finds aother friend, but we're left with the image of poor Linda still sitting alone after Wendy has abandoned her(Wendy only befriended her to get back at Jill for letting Linda out of hte closet during their "fake trial".

I would recommend Blubber for young girls and teens to read to once again drive home the point of bullying. (less)

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Nov 24, 2009 Will Shetterly rated it 5 of 5 stars

I saw a reviewer say she didn't like Blubber because the ending did not make it clear that bad things are bad. That's because Blume knows to trust her readers. As many children's book writers have noted, children usually can figure out things their parents don't understand.

The following is from my blog:

When Judy Blume wrote Blubber, I wasn't interested in kids' books. But when Robert N. Lee wrote, "I've said for years and years that everybody should be issued this book before they get online," I...more

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Jul 20, 2011 Scott rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library, kids

Read this to my fourth and second grade daughters and it really got them talking - about the bad behaviors of the girls in the story - and how they could react differently if facing the same set of circumstances. Given all the talk in schools these days of bullies and bullying - the story didn't seem to have the same "punch" as I'm sure it did when it was written in 1974. The language was a bit shocking - but it lead to more discussion - so I think that was good.

I remember many, many girls in m...more

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Mar 30, 2009 Ashley added it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 10, 2012 Elemillia Ucselub rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Judy Blume at the back of the book says the following: "I wrote Blubber because bullying is often kept a secret by the kids who see it happening, and even by the person who's being bullied. Being bullied feels so humiliating, it's such a terrible and frightening experience, that kids are often afraid to tell anyone, even their parents." Linda is the character being bullied in Blubber, and her fellow classmates do anything and everything they possibly can to tease her, abuse her verbally, and eve...more

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About Judy Blume

Judy Blume spent her childhood in Elizabeth, New Jersey, making up stories inside her head. She has spent her adult years in many places doing the same thing, only now she writes her stories down on paper. Adults as well as children will recognize such Blume titles as: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret; Blubber; Just as Long as We're Together; and the five book series about the irrepressible Fu...more Judy Blume spent her childhood in Elizabeth, New Jersey, making up stories inside her head. She has spent her adult years in many places doing the same thing, only now she writes her stories down on paper. Adults as well as children will recognize such Blume titles as: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret; Blubber; Just as Long as We're Together; and the five book series about the irrepressible Fudge. She has also written three novels for adults, Summer Sisters; Smart Women; and Wifey, all of them New York Times bestsellers. More than 80 million copies of her books have been sold, and her work has been translated into thirty-one languages. She receives thousands of letters a year from readers of all ages who share their feelings and concerns with her.
Judy received a B.S. in education from New York University in 1961, which named her a Distinguished Alumna in 1996, the same year the American Library Association honored her with the Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement. Other recognitions include the Library of Congress Living Legends Award and the 2004 National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.
She is the founder and trustee of The Kids Fund, a charitable and educational foundation. She serves on the boards of the Author's Guild; the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators; the Key West Literary Seminar; and the National Coalition Against Censorship.
Judy is a longtime advocate of intellectual freedom. Finding herself at the center of an organized book banning campaign in the 1980's she began to reach out to other writers, as well as teachers and librarians, who were under fire. Since then, she has worked tirelessly with the National Coalition Against Censorship to protect the freedom to read. She is the editor of Places I Never Meant To Be, Original Stories by Censored Writers.
Judy has completed a series of four chapter books -- The Pain & the Great One -- illustrated by New Yorker cartoonist James Stevenson. She has co-written and produced a film adaptation of her book Tiger Eyes, and is currently writing a new novel.
Judy and her husband George Cooper live on islands up and down the east coast. They have three grown children and one grandchild.(less)

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Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (Fudge, #1)

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