Then Again, Maybe I Won't

Rating:
Summary: "The funny, touching story of a boy with problems."
Review: After moving to Long Island, New York, from Jersey City, 13-year-old Tony Miglione tries to cope with a new life--new friends (like shoplifting Joel), new feelings (like for Joel's older sister, who un/dresses in front of her window, thus explaining the binocular cover), and virtually new parents (his mother especially, who's become a social climber ever since the family's sudden wealth)--though Tony doesn't cope very well, seeing as how he later develops an ulcer.

Even though "Then Again, Maybe I Won't" isn't one of my favorites by Blume, it's still very good. In fact, I have yet to come across a book by her (either for adults or children) that I don't like. This one is more for preteen boys (age 10 - 14), but I'd still recommend it to Blume fans, regardless of age/gender.

Rating:
Summary: "The funny, touching story of a boy with problems."
Review: Blume's books are so realistic. She has not written anything that is not if anything, honest. She is brutal in bringing the truth of what these characters think, feel, and desire to the page. She is wonderful and so is this book.

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Summary: Excellent coming of age story told in the male perspective
Review: I first read Then Again Maybe I Won't when I was about 13, and it has remained one of my favorite books. It is the only novel, in fact, that I have read more than 3 times. I enjoyed everything about this book, but most especially I was impressed with the maturity and insight of the main character, Tony. He was someone I could identify with, and at that tender age, he was also someone I would have loved to have met and spoken to as a friend. Ms. Blume has a way of fleshing out her characters and making them seem human. I have yet to read another children's book that captured so effectively the trauma of puberty, the confusion of adult relationships, and the painful reality of shirking your childhood to embrace the challenges of manhood. Read it! It's a great book.

Rating:
Summary: An Absolute, Must-Read for Girls and Guys Alike
Review: I first read this book when I was about ten-years-old. That first time, I really enjoyed it, but I didn't understand a lot of it (like the stuff about wet dreams). About a year later, I read it again, and learned so much more than the previous time. I am now 14-years-old and have read this novel about five times, and I plan on reading it many times more, regardless of whether I now am supposedly "too old" for it. I am a girl, but I have gotten as much out of this book as any of Blume's involving female characters. In fact, I have probably learned more; now I understand guys so much better than I would have if I had never read this book. It is amazingly realistic and hilariously funny and I can see Tony in so many of the guys I know! I learned more from this novel than from any health class, and enjoyed it more than any T.V. show. All I can say in conclusion is, you absolutely must read this book, whether you are aged 9-12 or not!

Rating:
Summary: A Classic Blume Book
Review: In a classic coming-of-age story, Judy Blume writes with all the compassion and understanding she can muster for a young boy.
A woman writing about the trials and tribulations of adolescence (including all the baddies: wet dreams and all) might seem a dangerous undertaking. Blume makes it work. This is a grand story that has you truly understanding what the protagonist is going through.
It's primarily a book for and about boys; however, a girl would do well to read this and at least start to understand what boys have to deal with.
A well-written story with well-developed characters, this book is on any number of must-read lists for teens.


Rating:
Summary: Still a fan of Judy Blume though
Review: Judy Blume's wonderful book should not be missed by any child about to enter the turbulent years of adolescence. When I first read this book as a fifth-grader, it mean little to me beyond the facially charming stories. As I travelled down the sometimes-painful corridors of pubescence, it became a constant companion that helped me through the ever-increasing trials. I, too, had an "older sister" that was the subject of my ocular ministrations. This book is real, in a way that I truly needed at that critical time. I hope everyone derives as much benefit from it as I have. Even now, I think back on those few crucial passages with visible delight. Many's the time . . .

Rating:
Summary: Nicely written.
Review: There are hundreds of stories about coming of age. But most are told in the female perspective. Judy Blume's Then Again, Maybe I won't, is written in the male perspective. This is a nice changein young adult literature. Tony is a typical boy who lives in a suburb and his life is pretty normal. That is until his father invents some type of electrical circuit which gets his family extremely rich. Tony and his family move to a rich, classy neighborhood. There, he realizes how money changes people. He also makes a friend who has a terrible shoplifting habit. Should Tony tell someone? Tony also is growing up. The one flaw to the story was the ending. But, as far as YA fiction goes, it is well-done.