Blubber
By Judy Blume.
This book has been on the challenged list.
Jill and her friends in 5th grade decide that Linda is overweight and not worthy of their friendship, so they name her Blubber. This story does sound like the 5th graders in the school where I teach, but is much more innocent and less hurtful than any 5th grade class I know of. The students are even allowed to eat lunch in their room without adult supervision and don’t end up destroying the room and each other. Times have changed.
The fact that Jill eventually discovers that Blubber is just as valid a person as she herself is shows that this type of prejudice is both a part of growing up and a temporary thing for children. At this point in our nation’s history, calling another student Blubber would be dealt with more severely than it is in this story. All’s well that ends well.
Blume, J. (1974). Blubber. Scarsdale, New York: Bradbury Press.
No comments:
Post a Comment