Judy Blume to Publish First Book for Adults in Sixteen Years

Posted on June 30, 2014

Good news for Judy Blume fans: The Guardian reports that the bestselling author of classic young adult literature such as Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret, is currently writing a new novel for adults. She hasn't published a novel for adults in sixteen years.

Blume is best known for her children's books, but she has also written three books for adults that were bestsellers: Wifey, Smart Women, and Summer Sisters. The new book follows the lives of teens who live in the 1950s who are now 50 years old. The book explores her favorite themes of love, betrayal, friendship and family.

Blume told The Guardian that the book is based on her own childhood memories of a series of tragedies that upset everyone in the town (she grew up in Elizabeth, New Jersey which had a series of plane crashes in the 1950s). The adults never talked about it to the children, which made it worse as the children began making up imaginary stories about what it all meant.

Blume had not written the kind of books you do a lot of research for, so this was a departure for her. she had to do quite a bit of digging, which she loved. She said, "That is the most fun I have ever had writing, and I said I'm never doing another book without research, I love it."

The book is due out in summer, 2015, and will be published by Alfred A. Knopf.