Throwback Thursday: Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume

Author: Judy Blume
first published in 1981 by Dell Publishing Company

Davey has never felt so alone in her life. Her father is dead (shot in a holdup) and now her mother is moving the family to New Mexico to try to recover. Climbing in Los Alamos Canyons, Davey meets mysterious Wolf, who seems to understand the rage and fear she feels. Slowly, with Wolf's help, Davey realizes that she must get on with her life. But when will she be ready to leave the past behind? Will she ever stop hurting?

I thought I would give another Judy Blume book a go after reading Are You There God, It's Me Margaret.  I had rated Tiger Eyes 3 stars on Goodreads based on my memory of how I liked it as a teen.  Now after reading it, I'm not sure I would agree with that rating.  I really didn't care for this one.  Is it because I'm now a 40-something adult?  Maybe.  In all honesty, I found the book depressing and at times really dated.  I'm not sure I would recommend this one to my kids. It's definitely not one of her better books!

Interesting fact though, it is the only book that the author ended up censoring herself.  Based on a recommendation form the publisher, she took out a particular scene that they thought would end up excluding younger readers from picking it up.  

Throwback Thursday: Banned Books Week

In honor of Banned Books Week, we are each doing a Throwback Thursday book that has been challenge in the past for various reasons. For more information about banned books, you can visit the ALA website. We hope you enjoy a banned book very soon!

Are You There God, It's Me Margaret? by Judy Blume was first published in 1970 and was frequently challenged having been deemed "sexually offensive and amoral", "profane, immoral, and offensive", as well as having "anti-Christian behavior". 

I was a HUGE Judy Blume fan when I was in middle and high school.  Her books just really resonated with me and I felt like I wasn't alone in thoughts and feelings after reading one of her books.  This one will always be one of my all time favorites.  Re-reading it as an adult with a 12 YO daughter, I still love the book.  For me, the content and feelings of the girls in the book are timeless.  I can't wait to share it with my daughter.

The Bridge to Terabithia was published in 1977 by Katherine Patterson.  It's been frequently challenged due to themes of magic and witchcraft.  Also, there is an issue with how death is handled in this book.  One of the characters does die and I found it was dealt with in a normal, logical way.

This book was required reading when I was in Middle School.  Having kids that have gone through middle school they don't require reading much anymore, but I wouldn't have a problem with any of my kids reading this book.  It's a good story and I think readers of this generation would still enjoy the story.