Chat to the one and only JUDY BLUME - ask Judy a question and discuss her latest book IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT on Monday 8th August, 9-10pm

[TillyMumsnetBookClub]

Judy Blume is a revolutionary. Her books have sold more than eighty-five million copies in thirty-two languages. She wrote about racism, bullying, sex, menstruation — you name it, she did it - with clarity, warmth and honesty. Now she has written what she says will be her ‘final novel for adults’, using her own experience of catastrophic plane crashes in her hometown as the central plot. IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT is set in 1950s suburban America, and told in a chorus of voices, covering the whole small town. Miri is an amusing and gawky 14 year old living with her glamorous single mother, her make-up saleswoman grandmother and her journalist uncle. Miri’s best friend, Natalie, comes from a wealthier family whereas her first-love/almost-boyfriend Mason is an orphan. When three separate planes fall out of the sky in the space of three months, the impact on the community is immense. Fear, panic, horror and a desperate need to make sense of the devastation means that emotions and relationships are pushed to the limit. But it is the long-term fallout that Blume really explores, with repercussions on her characters drawn out over three generations. It is a beautifully crafted, tightly woven work of art, with Blume’s unmistakable voice ringing throughout.

To find out more about the book, and for your chance to win one of 50 copies, please go to the book of the month page and fill in your details before 10am Monday 27 June. We'll post on this thread when all the copies have gone.

You can also find out why Judy is a Mumsnet heroine and read what Judy’s up to on the official Blume website or follow @JudyBlume on Twitter

We are honoured and delighted that Judy will be joining us to answer your questions about IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT, all her terrific novels and her exceptional career on Monday 8 August, 9-10pm. Please feel free to discuss the book here throughout the month and then come and meet Judy on the night, and ask her a question or simply tell her what you think of any of her work. Here is your chance to chat to a legendary literary figure, so please do come along, whichever book you’ve read at whatever age…

Hi Judy
My 13yo dd has gained such a lot from Are You There God. It feels very relevant to her. (I am grateful to you for enabling her to ask me questions and discuss openly the challenges of growing up in a mixed-religions family) She wants me to ask you how you make your novels so realistic, did you have those experiences yourself when you were younger? Thanks.

Sadly can't be here live for the chat but wanted to say hello to Judy and Thanks!

Oooh, I love Are You There, God, It's Me, Margaret and Deenie! I feel a Judy Blume binge coming on payday!

Wow!

Sooo excited about new Judy Blume - been wanting to get my 9 year old started on her books as they were a BIG part of my growing up - any recommendations to get started (i think Are you there God it's me margaret can come a little later?!?)

Amazing, amazing guest. Props to MNHQ!

Judy - I grew up reading your books (well certainly spent much of my puberty racing through each book before grabbing the next) and looking back you were SO ground breaking, covering so many diverse subjects with strong female characters. Wonderful! How do you think the young adult market has changed over the past couple of decades and do you read new YA authors? If so do you have a favourite? Cheeky three questions

I'm honoured to think you might have even read my words . RALPH FOREVER!

Try the Fudge books stepford. Oh I need to read them all again!

Just would like to say "Thank You Judy".... Your books were so fantastic to read as a teenager. I will always remember "Are you there God"... And am delighted to say I enjoy introducing my daughters to your books now. They don't seem to have aged!!

I'd like to say thank you to Judy. She answered the questions that my mother wouldn't at the time I was ready to understand. The experience of having a mother who wouldn't discuss the facts of life has made me a much better parent to my own DD. I answer everything honestly. Judy's books were a source of comfort to me at a time when I most needed but didn't have the emotional guidance of an adult. Thank you Judy for making my generation feel normal about perfectly natural things.

I am obsessed by Judy Blume. Have been since the age of 7.
i recently met her in person in the Hay festival and I have never been so starstruck in my entire life. I could barely speak....it was ridiculous!
I would love to win a copy of this book.

I would just like to say "thank you" to Judy, for talking to me about the topics that my Mum wouldn't discuss. Thank you for books that kept me company when I was lonely and answered all my questions.

Oo, a copy of this arrived today. Many Thanks indeed MN.

I've never read anything by Judy, but am going to read this after current read and will post back.

The books have been distributed now and we've emailed all those who have been allocated copies. Sorry to those who weren't selected (quite a few applied!) Please do still join the webchat with Judy on 8th August and if you fancy reading before hand pick up a paperback or download to your e-reader.
Happy reading!

Ohhh Im getting one!
Thanks so much 😊

very excited to be picked , can't wait for the book to arrive. Tiger Eyes was the first JB I read, and I remember it seeming to speak so much more directly to me than any other book I'd ever read (despite loving reading and being an avid reader already). I don't think there's another author quite like her. Sooooo looking forward to this book!

Just finished this book. Loved it. A great cast, intertwined stories and a sad sad piece of history. I didn't know the plane crashes were real until just now, googled it in finishing (and Judy mentions it in the afterward).

I can't think of any questions just yet because I'm still in the warm fuzz of finishing a great book. Just to say FABULOUS book. I hope it's not really your last. Actually, that's my question - can you be tempted to write anymore??!!

Thanks for a wonderful story. Thanks to MN for the book. all around.

So thrilled to have been chosen! Judy Blume should be on every teenage girl's required reading list. Through her books I learnt so much more than my (embarrassed) parents or biology teachers ever could! Sadly I'm away so will miss out on the webchat but am taking my copy of the bk with me on holiday to enjoy.

I am so grateful that I was chosen to get this book. I read it all last week while on holiday and it was the most fantastic reading. I am so glad I wasn't at work last week because I couldn't have put the book down if I had tried - in fact the only problem I had was that it simply wasn't long enough and there was a huge chunk seemingly missing. I want to know the story of the middle 35 years and not just inferred by the epilogue.
I will write more but I think I need to work out what I need to say because I can't think of anything other than I totally loved it. Thank you.

Have just finished the book I was lucky enough to be sent. My very first Judy Blume book - how have I missed you before, Judy?! A totally brilliant read which I read in a very happy afternoon, totally transported to the 1950s. I felt that I could see, hear, taste and touch everything. Beautifully evoked. I was very glad (as an unashamed hater of being left dangling) to read the last chapter set in the 1980s and to find out how things had resolved themselves. The tragedies of the plane crashes - I almost couldn't believe that they had really happened as the bad luck seems so terrible. Somehow I felt guilty enjoying a fictional book in which the tragedies were interwoven, but I think now it is a lovely tribute to remember the disasters in this way.

All in all a wonderful read and a great big prompt to go and find some more Blume books, especially ones to share with my 14 and 16 year old daughters. Thank you Judy.

For some reason I never read any of Judy's books when I was a young teen, I have no idea why!! I didn't actually pick up one until my twenties and I feel I really missed out.
However I have to say In the Unlikely Event is awesome.

Thank you MN for sending me a copy of this book and thank you Judy Blume for writing it!

I was inclined to love it as soon as I saw the list of Principal Characters at the beginning. I love books with a character list - it's so much easier to pick up again when life gets in the way of reading and by the time I get back to the book I've forgotten how people are connected. With 'In the Unlikely Event', it was more a case of reading getting in the way of life as I couldn't put it down and was completely absorbed.

I'd not read any Judy Blume for quite a few years and had forgotten how brilliantly she writes characters and relationships. I instantly warmed to Miri and her family and enjoyed the complicated network of connections which linked the other characters to them. It felt slightly 'small town and gossipy' as everyone seemed to know everyone else and their business, which added to the warmth of the book. I knew nothing of the series of plane crashes before reading this and can't begin to imagine how a community could muster the strength to keep going. Despite the book being based around the crashes it's not a depressing read, rather it is a positive and uplifting reminder of all that is good about the human spirit. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you for my copy Mumsnet - was genuinely delighted (like many others, "Are you there God," was a memorable part of growing up). Many books I have read recently have been quite light - and seeing the character list thought it quite daunting. However, (best not to dwell on them) as just reading makes it all clear, the characters just blend and flow.

What I liked most about this book was the honesty in the relationships, hearing/seeing the characters as a whole - no stone left unturned!! Needless to say, I was an emotional mess reading this book. Even more so when I read that it was based on actual events.

There are many characters in this book - do you plan the characters or the plot first? and did you find it more difficult writing about historic events that both your friends and family have memories of?

Loved how Natalie's character came out ..... made me think of my "best friend relationships" and how bitter sweet they can be.

Will definitely be going back through your old titles - so that I can pass them on to my daughter xx

I haven't had any internet for a while but did want to say that I have been happily ploughing through "In the Unlikely Event" now we are on holiday and so far I love it. It's my dream read, family saga of intertwined threads. The age and characters are superbly drawn.

Brilliant book. I absolutely loved it even though it was emotionally draining at times. Thank you for my copy. I liked how it was broken up into sections from the various characters' perspectives. It helped the pace.

I was amused by Mike and Frekki Monsky being referred to as 'long-lost friends' under Principle Characters.

You must have nearly been Miri's age when the actual events took place in Elizabeth. Do you remember how you felt and where you truly aware of what happened at the time?

Which of your works are you most proud of and why?

Oh wow, I loved Judy Blume when I was a teenager!
Especially Forever. although I still snigger at the name Ralph