That week] I touched my special place practically every night. It was the only way I could fall asleep and besides, it felt good" [p.79 in the 2005 Laurel-Leaf edition] and "Usually I take showers and get in and out as fast as possible. But the hot water [in the bathtub] was very relaxing and soon I began to enjoy it. I reached down and touched my special place with the washcloth. I rubbed and rubbed until I got that good feeling" [p.129]. The brace looks like the one Dr. Kliner showed us three weeks earlier. It's the ugliest thing I ever saw. Janet Kayser— One of Deenie's best friends. She is selected for the cheerleading squad instead of Deenie.

Deenie – Judy Blume on the Web

Blume, who speaks her mind, was criticized recently after a U.K. newspaper published an interview with her with the headline: “I’m behind JK Rowling 100 per cent.” Blume clarified with a tweet that her words were taken out of context; her point was that she can empathize with a person who has been harassed online. “I stand with the trans community and vehemently disagree with anyone who does not fully support equality and acceptance for LGBTQIA+ people.”

Ages 9-11

Meanwhile, Helen has fallen in love with a boy named Joey, who works for the family’s business, a gas station. Thelma has Joey fired from the gas station because she sees that Helen has become preoccupied with him and is now distracted from her school work. She claims that Joey was let go because of the family’s doctors’ bills due,to Deenie’s scoliosis. This causes Deenie to become afraid that Helen will hate her because of that. Fortunately, Helen doesn’t blame Deenie and this causes them to become closer. I really enjoyed the author's notes at the end and Judy Blume explaining how she came about writing the story. She explained that she feels this story is more about "parental expectations." For sure that was another "issue" played out throughout the book especially between Deenie, her sister, Helen and her mother.

Deenie - Wikiwand

After surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself.I did not remember this book very well so I once again decided on listening to the story. I found the narration entertaining. Like all other Judy Blume books she does incorporate a mix of teenage issues within the story. I totally forgot about this one. Ms. Blume really was a pioneer for her day and quite brave for her time. This story also touches on sex and the dreaded...yup.... teenage masturbation.🫢 Much of my memory of childhood is fuzzy, but I remember exactly where Margaret lived in my elementary school library: the shelf it was on and the spot on the carpet where I spent oodles of time, cross-legged, reading it. I’m not sure I have ever wanted to own a book so badly. I had very few books at home, mostly inherited from my big sisters. And the purse-strings were tight in my family. So I didn’t ask. Maybe I knew my parents would balk at buying a novel they thought I would just grow out of. Maybe I was afraid to ask them for this particular book. Never My Fault: Thelma thinks she knows what's best in regards to her daughters (i.e. what she wants them to be) and will point fingers at everyone else when things don't go her way, from her husband to her daughters themselves. When Deenie gets diagnosed with scoliosis and Helen has a crush on the young man working at her father's garage, she goes hysterical and wails that all she wanted was the best for her daughters. The book has since been updated in one respect; originally, the period equipment was much more complicated, with belts and hooks. Now, the book describes adhesive pads, like the ones girls of my generation were handed by our moms or big sisters, on that very big day.

Deenie – Judy Blume on the Web Deenie – Judy Blume on the Web

In the novel, Margaret Simon, child of an interfaith but non-practising couple – Jewish father, Christian mother – develops a relationship with God. “ Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret,” the book begins. “ We’re moving today. I’m so scared God.” This is your usual cautionary tale, of not being needlessly judgmental, because one day it could happen to you, mixed with a heavy dose of little girls can be anything they want, so stop pushing them into ready-made boxes. And on that note, let's hear three cheers for Helen, Deenie's older sister: the brains and empathy of the family.Well, friends it's hard to believe but a year has gone by and this is my last book for my personal childhood challenge re-read. Sadist Teacher: Deenie’s sewing teacher, Miss Wabash, who is “100 years old and very mean.” When Deenie had forgotten an assignment because she had gotten fitted into and was getting acclimated to her Milwaukee Brace over the weekend, Miss Wabash is unsympathetic. Not only does she consider Deenie’s excuse invalid, but she also says that she will only give half credit if Deenie does make up the assignment.