MARVELOUS MIDDLE GRADE MONDAY
Starring Sally Freedman as Herself
by Judy Blume
"Starring Sally Freedman as Herself" is Judy Blume’s most autobiographical
middle grade novel. It takes place in 1947, after WWII. Judy has moved with her
family to Miami Beach, Florida
from New Jersey
for her brother’s health. She’s there with her grandmother and aunt while her
Dad stays and runs his business. He comes to visit, but it’s hard on all of
them being separated. Sally has to start at a new school, make new friends, and
cope with her father’s absence and her mother’s constant worrying.
Since this is mostly about the two school years that Judy Blume spent in Miami Beach, it’s a very
personal story. Sally is sweet, curious, but also dramatic and imaginative. The
story takes place after the War, but it didn’t affect her family that much,
except for some distant relatives who were lost in the Holocaust. Sally
imagines that a local old man, Mr. Zavodsky, is actually Adolph Hitler in
disguise and she’s out to catch and expose him to make him pay for the loss to
her family.
With all this imaginary intrigue, there’s real life adventure in making new
friends, and starting a new school. Sally has other adventures, and is hurt in
a painful man-o-war incident, so it’s not all fun and mind games. Ms. Blume has
also portrayed the adults accurately in this story. We see what’s happening in
their lives as they try to protect the children and their families from adult
concerns and problems.
Like all of Judy Blume’s stories, this one is as perfect nowadays for young
imaginative girls as it was years ago. There will always be pre-teen, or tween
angst and adventures. How Sally copes with the changes and problems in her
life is helpful to read at any age. I admit that I am a die-hard Judy Blume fan and wonder what I'll do when I run out of her books!
More information on Judy Blume and her books is at: www.judyblume.com
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Tags:
Judy Blume, Sally Freedman, tween, middle grade, Miami Beach, New Jersey,
Jews, the Holocaust, Hitler, spies, adventure, man-o-war, friends, family, changes, middle school.
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