Just as Long as We're Together Book

I loved this book growing up. It was my first Judy Blume novel, and it captured perfectly the world of preteen girls that I was in the midst of experiencing. I wanted to be just like those girls. The emotionally difficult situations of changing friendships and the breakdown of the Hirschs' marriage struck a chord as well. The one real flaw is that the ending just seems to suddenly appear. It doesn't seem to really tie things up at all. I never really minded it much though, other than that I wanted the book to keep going beyond the last page.

All I can say is that to this day I still remember Stephanie's poster when I see a Benjamin Moore paint can, I still recall Rachel's book collection when I come across Gone with the Wind, I can still tell you that Stephanie's middle name is her mother's maiden name, I think of Jeremy Dragon each time I see or read the word "chartreuse," and I recall perfectly all the excitement of the girls' first date experiences at the Ground Hog Day dance. Definitely a memorable read. Good for young girls or anyone who would like a short jaunt down the memory lane of being a young girl.

Update 11/20/11: I am a Family Studies and Child Development major. After taking a class on adolescence and a class on divorce, this book seems even more excellent! Judy Blume has done a terrific job accurately portraying a preteen experiencing family break up. I'm picking up on something new with each read-through (I'm using it for a project). She has truly done a splendid writing job with this one.