Judy Blume. Appropriate?

[2cats2many]

So my Y7 DD has come home with a Judy Blume book from the school library. I never read them when I was a teen, but flicking through it, it talks about people getting laid and definitely has sexual themes.

I don't know how I feel about it? She's borrowed it because her also Y7 friend said it was good.

Would you be OK with this? I don't know how to feel about it

Thanks PotPlant but she's known how babies are made since she was 4 and we're very open about it in our house. Then that's great OP! You were asking because you were unsure about the book?

I have that book at home and I read it again recently. I realised the relationship was actually slightly unpleasant and the whole ' meeting ralph' made me do a sick in my mouth.
I'd let my year seven daughter read it but I'd be wanting to chat about it after.

Also I think year seven is totally reasonable to read it.

That book is sexual but not inappropriately so for young people going through puberty.

Pornography is a lot more worrying.
www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/education-36527681

Yr10 is 14-15 so ok maybe yr9 then! Forever talks pretty graphically about “coming”, “riding” and has a pretty descriptive sex scene from memory. I certainly wouldn’t want my DD to read it in yr 6 or 7.

Are year ten not too busy reading jilly cooper and jackie Collins?

I think there is a scene where a boy shows his penis and calls it "Ralf". I think they are on a picnic blanket at the time. This is what was etched in my memory from that book anyway! I know nothing else of the story.

I read this book in Year 7. I think most of my facts about sex came from it. Years later when I was at university I was surprised that the Penis didn't throb or pulsate as Ralph was described

I read Forever when I was 13. Id read all the others a lot younger but my mum made me wait till I was older for that one. It is sexual and does describe in some detail two teenagers losing their virginity but its talked about before, completely consensual and they use contraception. Its basically the dream story of how to lose your virginity. I dont think theres anything wrong with her reading it if shes curious but embarassed to ask.

Should have read the thread - everyone remembers Ralf! I can't remember any names of other character though, including the main one

Judy Blume was banned from my very starchy church school's library, so we all borrowed Forever from the town library instead. Year 7 is about right. Children are curious about the next stage of life, and Forever is about normal teenagers having an age-appropriate relationship. It certainly didn't make any of my friends rush out and get laid, we still thought kissing would be a bit yucky, but it probably meant that when we did get to that stage, we had another sensible mental image of what it should be like in addition to the messages from school and parents. It could be said that books like that are more important than ever in the world of instant porn.

It went round my school when we were around 13, it was quite grown up back then (early 80s) I still remember it now, especially Ralph! We all moved on to Lace & Princess Daisy by the time we were 14-15!

Forever is pretty rude!

I think I read it in about year 8 and had no idea what 'coming' meant, so when it kept saying that he 'came' I was like 'came where'? 😂

A copy of Forever was passed around our year 7 classroom back in the olden days when it was called "First Year".

I still can't look anyone called Ralph in the japs eye.

I was probably about 12 when I first read Forever. I was (and still am) a massive Judy Blume fan. I have all my old copies.
Forever is probably her worst one though with very dull characters. It has not aged well (it came out 1975 so it's a 44 year old novel). Unless modern re prints have changed the words then your girl won't have a clue what is going on with mention of words like 'sheath' and 'VD'. I cringe at some of the sub plots now as an adult. The friend who has a baby and gives her up for adoption is covered in about 2 chapters and the casualness of the characters talking about abortion and giving up a baby just seems odd. Another characters attempt to commit suicide barely covers a page. The sex scenes maybe are a bit 'wow' for a 12 year old but it is more likely to be giggled at or going "ewww". But the rest of the book is quite crap really compared to more modern teen books and to other books by Judy Blume herself.
If she is going to read Judy Blume then Tiger Eyes or Just Along As We're Together are way way better.

Forever is one of those books that is eye opening for 13yo's.

It's a bit much for Y7s

I read it 33 years ago, and still remember how brilliant it was.

I was about 12 when I read it (late thirties now). If I remember correctly, the one copy was passed around between the whole class. I don't think it had any great impact on me. I'd read all her other books at that stage. 'Then again maybe I won't' mentions erections quite a lot. 'Deenie' talks about masturbation.

Ha ha I also remember Ralph the willy. Funnily enough it's the only thing I do remember.

I thought no Forever would make an ok introduction to sex. It’s consenting and fun and exploratory, like teen sex should be. I’d much rather my teen had this book than porn to learn from.

A girl in my year 7 class at school had a copy of Forever. She had kindly and diligently noted down all the pages numbers for the sexy bits on the inside cover. Every girl in my year had a borrow of it.

It does focus on a first sexual relationship, but it's worth noting that it is about mutual enjoyment and consent, as well as safer sex, so there are definitely worse ways to be exposed to the subject matter for the first time.

It's forever! I read it when I was 10 ish and I asked my mum what "cumming" was. It is pretty graphic but if she isn't ready for it then she won't understand what it's all about anyway. Maybe ring the school and ask if they realise about the content given it's a primary school?

I'm quite surprised the school library has a copy. It was very much a book of the 1980s. Is it even still in print?

I loved Judy Blume as a teenager in the 80s, but I could never get into 'Forever'. I'd suggest 'Are you there God' or 'Deenie' would be good ones to read if you're 11 or 12, but there again I expect girls of that age are more sophisticated nowadays than we were in the 80s.

Always liked the fact that Kathleen made sure she got her rocks off, not just Michael

It’s graphic but not in a bad way, very realistic and responsible- contraception is mentioned a lot and the teenage couple have sex for the right reasons- they both want to and they like/love each other. While my first instinct is “blimey year 7 is a bit young!” If my own DC’s first fictional sex scene in a book was this I’d be quite content with that. I wouldn’t ban a book like forever. No point anyway.

Btw other Judy Blume books include Deenie which features mastubation and Tiger Eyes there is a murder. I loved all her books growing up.