Women Who Broke the Rules: Judy Blume

Inspiring, Important, True, Witty, Honest 

Women Who Broke the Rules: Judy Blume by Kathleen Krull

Illustrated by David Leonard

Published by Bloomsbury, Copyright 2015

Judy Blume faced many obstacles on her journey to becoming a writer, but that didn’t stop her from doing what she loved. She was determined to help kids feel comfortable confronting their everyday concerns and questions. In this biography, we learn her inspirations, beliefs, and struggles that she endured in order to become one of the most beloved and influential children’s author. 

Grade level: 3

Lexile Measure: N/A

Description: Biography

Suggested delivery: Independent aloud 

Electronic Resources:

Judy Blume's Website

This a good website for students to visit either before or after they read the book to learn a little bit more about Judy Blume and her own books. The site includes a short biography, her views on writing and a list and summary of all of her books, and many more resources. 

Interview with Judy Blume

This interview is something students can read if they are interested in learning more about Judy Blume. She talks a lot about her books, her life, and how she comes up with her ideas. She also offers some writing strategies that students can use in their own writing. 

Teaching Strategies

Key vocabulary:

·         Stifling – not allowing something to be done or expressed

·         Outlet – something that people use to express their emotions or talents

·         Regulation – an official rule or law that says how something should be done

·         Oracle – a person who has a lot of knowledge about something and whose opinions and advice are highly valued

·         Squelch – to stop something from continuing by saying or doing something

·         Confide – to tell something that is secret or private to someone you trust 

Before reading: Ask students if they have ever read any books by Judy Blume and what they know about her and her stories. Introduce some of her books to students who may be interested. By having some knowledge about what she writes about, it will help students better understand some of the criticism she faced addressed in her biography.

During reading: Have students write down any comments, questions, or vocabulary words that they would like to have clarified in their reading notebooks.

After reading: Have students create a mock twitter account for Judy Blume which includes at least 3 tweets, a profile, and an image. 

Writing activity: Have students write a paper in the form of a diary entry relating to Judy Blume’s experience as an author. She continued writing and doing what she loved despite the constant criticism and disapproval that she received. Recall a time in your life where you faced a similar problem. 

 Krull, K. (2015). Women Who Broke the Rules: Judy Blume. New York, NY: Bloomsbury.