Book Pull [colloq]: When a library assistant or staff librarian (at Scholastic) pools a list of book requests from writers, editors, etc., and journeys down to the archive to pull them from the archive shelves.

I don’t know any girl (and some boys) who didn’t grow up reading at least one Judy Blume book. Blubber. Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret. Superfudge. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. Each book she wrote was a classic, and admittedly I quickly absorbed as many as I could into my world. As I was walking through the stacks looking for my very first Book Pull of the year, I rediscovered Just as Long as We’re Together. Nothing starts off the year better than visiting an old friend.
Just as Long as We’re Together is the story of friendship, starting at a new school, becoming a teenage girl, the things your parents don’t tell you, and feeling comfortable in your own skin. I know what you must be thinking: “Aren’t all books written about teenaged girls about those very same things?” Sure…sometimes. Isn’t that the fun of it? You are either going through that period of your life, or you remember going through it.

I must have been 11 or 12 the first time I read this book. It was a completely different experience reading it now. I remembered that time in my life and everything that was going on back then. It was a sweeter experience the second time. No longer was this a possible primer to what could happen, but instead a look back. Reading a Judy Blume book was like coming home to an old friend. But then that’s the exact reason to reread old books; to stroll through the stacks and visit your friends.

Do you remember Just as Long as We’re Together by Judy Blume? Let us know in the comments! And take a look at this Q&A we found on the Scholastic site with the author herself!