Just as Long as We're Together

by Judy Blume

Overview

From the New York Times bestselling author of Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret and the adult bestseller In the Unlikely Event comes a tale of family, friendship, and pre-teen life like only JUDY BLUME can deliver. The companion to Here’s to You, Rachel Robinson.
 
Can you have more than one best friend?

Stephanie’s best friend is Rachel. Since second grade they’ve shared everything, good and bad. But now it’s the start of seventh grade and Alison has just moved to their neighborhood. Stephanie immediately clicks with her—she’s cool and fun and totally humble even though she’s the daughter of a famous actress. Stephanie hopes all three of them can be best friends, but the more she pushes Alison on Rachel, the more Rachel seems to drift away. Is it possible to have two best friends? Or is it true that two’s company, three’s a crowd?
 
“Judy Blume does it again in what may be her best book yet!” –American Bookseller

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780385739887
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	04/13/2010
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	68,087
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.70(d)
Lexile:	600L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Judy Blume is known and loved by millions of readers for her funny, honest, always believable stories. She lives in Key West and New York City. You can visit her at www.judyblume.com.

Hometown:

New York's Upper East Side, Key West, and Martha's Vineyard

Date of Birth:

February 12, 1938

Place of Birth:

Elizabeth, New Jersey

Education:

B.S. in education, New York University, 1961

Website:

http://www.judyblume.com/

Editorial Reviews

''Just as Long as We're Together'' looks at first like a Blume medley, with strains of earlier stories wound together. There are no new, big issues here; the main theme is friendship -how it is tested and how it endures. There is a muted, mellow tone to the story, and Blume fans looking for ''the good parts'' to dogear will find few. They may even get the feeling they have read this book before....The narrative tone is flat and defensive, minimizing or deflecting emotion in the same way that cartoons do. --New York Times

Josephine Humphreys

Stephanie, 12, is into ``hunks'' even though she's never met one herself. But when she starts seventh grade and finds out that she and her best friend, Rachel, aren't in any of the same classes except gym, Stephanie has more to worry about than boys. A new girl, Alison, moves in; she's a welcome new friend, but her presence alters the relationship between Steph and Rachel. For the first time, Rachel has secrets from Steph. But worse, Stephanie accidently learns that her father isn't in California on business, but that her parents have separated, and that her father has a girlfriend. She even suspects her mother of having a ``fling.'' The relationships within the storyamong the three friends, and between Steph and her parentsare complicated, and Blume handles this aspect realistically and with great ease. The plot resolution, though carefully handled, is curiously flat. Despite this weakness, the story is lively, moves quickly, and captures the nutty, poignant world of very young teenagers. Ages 10-13. (September)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Gr 5-7 Blume once again chronicles the customs, mores, and lifestyle of preteen girls. This first-person narrative touches on many themes found in her previous novels: friendship, emerging sexuality, body weight, the family, menstruation. The freshness and intimacy of 13-year-old Stephanie Hirsch's account infuse those themes with originality. Stephanie enters seventh grade armed with innate optimism, two best friends, and a supportive mom. She gradually assimilates the devastating news of her parents' separation, endures the pain of an all-out fight with her oldest best friend, and comforts her young brother through nightmares of nuclear war. The Blume trademarks of realistic dialogue, funny non sequiturs, and forthright misinformation (gullible Stephanie is told by her friend that hairy legs on a boy indicate sexual experience) are much in evidence. The inviting jacket design, showing the three friends in a fit of giggles, perfectly evokes the upbeat story. Susan H. Patron, Los Angeles Public Library

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