Parents' Guide to

Blubber

By Barbara Schultz, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

Honest novel shows brutality of grade school bullying.

Book Judy Blume School 1974
Blubber Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

age 11+

Based on 9 parent reviews

age 12+

watch out - bad language

I loved this book as a kid and was about to give it to my third grader. I started reading it and was surprised to see that very early on in the book a child calls the teacher a "bi*ch!" This should have been in the summary above!

This title has:

Too much swearing
2 people found this helpful.
age 14+

Don't Waste Your Time

This book is awful. There's an incident where they try to strip a girl in the bathroom. Inappropriate!
1 person found this helpful.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (9):
Kids say (11):

Blubber is a painful book to read because the children in the novel are so cruel to one another. However, it's an extremely honest and realistic view of kid behavior that's worth examining by parents and middle-grade children. The novel does not spell out moral lessons for kids, but it teaches them by portraying truly repugnant behavior. The characters are believable, if not too likable, and the story is logical and entertaining. Judy Blume proves a reliable source for insight into the kids' world, and shows the value of true friendship and courage under peer pressure.

Book Details

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