Return of an Oldie
Last night in bed I started reading Judy Blume's Blubber. I haven't read it since I was about 11 or 12. It's strange how you can read a book after all those years and still remember it so clearly. I couldn't predict what was going to happen next, but as it happened I not only remembered, but remembered the feelings I had when I read it originally.
Judy Blume was my favorite as a kid and I read all of her books. I'm currently working on an older YA book, but I also have a younger YA idea floating around in my head. Her books are a quick read, so I thought I'd re-read them again. My favorite by her is Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. When I was little I felt like Margaret was my friend. I pulled for her and felt her pain. Reading it again a few months ago brought back the same feelings. Like I'd found a long-lost friend.
If you don't know the story of Blubber, it's about a girl in fifth grade who is bullied by a bunch of other girls. Most of know (either first hand or by watching) kids that happened to in school. There was a particular part in Blubber that I read last night that stood out. If you were to have asked me last week if I knew the part I would have never known it. But as soon as I read the first line, I immediately knew the rest:
Judy Blume was my favorite as a kid and I read all of her books. I'm currently working on an older YA book, but I also have a younger YA idea floating around in my head. Her books are a quick read, so I thought I'd re-read them again. My favorite by her is Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. When I was little I felt like Margaret was my friend. I pulled for her and felt her pain. Reading it again a few months ago brought back the same feelings. Like I'd found a long-lost friend.
If you don't know the story of Blubber, it's about a girl in fifth grade who is bullied by a bunch of other girls. Most of know (either first hand or by watching) kids that happened to in school. There was a particular part in Blubber that I read last night that stood out. If you were to have asked me last week if I knew the part I would have never known it. But as soon as I read the first line, I immediately knew the rest:
Oh, what a riot
Blubber's on a diet
I wonder what's the matter
I think she's getting fatter
and fatter
and fatter
and fatter
Pop!
I even sing-songed (sang-songed?) it in my head the same way I did when I was 11.
Are there any books you read as a kid that you've re-read recently? What did you think?
Comments
*sigh* I know.
At least until I started reading fantasy in sixth grade (The Hobbit was a bit of a jump from Calvin and Hobbes) but there are a couple favorite books I read over and over, and every time I read them is like starting over. They're familiar, but I get drawn into the story like I've never read it before. Weird, I guess, but true. :)
I did not long ago re-read an adult book that I read when I was 17. I don't normally ever re-read, but I wanted to see if I'd be as scared now as I was then. Not so much. :)