Blubber

If you've ever been the brunt of a joke or even the person who does the teasing, you can appreciate this book. Although it was published back in the 1970s, the content is still fresh.

Jill Brenner is a fifth grader who goes along with teasing a fellow classmate who happens to be rather large. But Jill stands up for "Blubber" (a.k.a. Linda) and then suddenly finds herself on the receiving end of the attacks. Kids, they say, can be cruel and this book shows a little of the story from both sides and some ways to deal with it.

The best part of the book is that it is honest. In real life, the people who do the teasing don't always get their "comeuppance." Wendy, the ringleader of the teasers, never finds out what it feels like to be on the receiving end of the joke. Life isn't perfect. Sometimes the good guys finish last and sometimes they finish first. And sometimes, they realize that it doesn't matter where you "finish."

In one way or another, we have all been there. After all, none of us is perfect. Judy Blume helps us to realize that we don't have to be. She continues this theme in many of her other books, such as Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret, and Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great. You know you're growing up when you learn to accept yourself for who you are, and not how other people see you (or how you think they see you).

Younger kids will enjoy this book, but parents should consider reading it as well if their child is on either the giving or receiving end of schoolroom teasing. It can serve to remind them of what it really is like back in the fifth grade.