Here's to You, Rachel Robinson

This one comes closer than Just as Long as We're Together to the Judy Blume I remember.

Rachel Robinson is the tallest girl in her class, a gifted student taking advance classes, on the debate team and an aspiring musician. Her mom's a trial lawyer who has just been appointed a judge, and her father is a lawyer-turned-teacher. She's the youngest of three and a very serious girl who compulsively cleans her room, her closet and her drawers when she's stressed.

To those around her she's extremely competent and intelligent, so naturally she's offered places in special programs: social, academic, theatrical and her friends want her to run for class president.

Judy Blume has perfectly captured the duck-on-the-pond teen: calm, cool and show more collected on the surface but underneath a boiling, churning, furious paddling to keep it all together. Her family life is far from tranquil and the worse things get at home, the harder she tries to control her immediate surroundings.

If this book were written today, there'd naturally be a semi-catastrophic climax to the story; something allowing Rachel to shatter and put herself back together into a healthier, better adjusted self. But that's not real life and Blume does real life, even if it makes for slightly less exciting reading. There are small, pivotal moments throughout the story; tiny releases of pressure here and there, that aren't magical fixes for anything. Rachel moves along, grows up, discovers that she continues to wake up each morning and the world continues to turn.

If Blume did anything for her readers it was sharing with them the knowledge that they aren't alone in their experiences, their feelings, or their angst. She may not do riveting yarns, but she does comfort better than anyone. show less

I’m consistently surprised by how there seems to be a Blume book for every type of kid/young adult out there. This one is geared towards those kids who are a little bit more mature and stress out a lot about being perfect and successful and overexert themselves. This book follows Rachel through trying to have a normal life while also dealing with a brother who has been expelled from boarding school and continuously antagonizes her.

The thing I loved most about this book is that Rachel is completely dreading her brother being home, and while he has his issues, she still learns a lot from him; she learns how to take it easy once in a while and blow some steam, something that she clearly isn’t good at, because the stress comes out when show more she grinds her teeth at night. This book also tackles some difficult family issues, like having a sibling who is having a tough time, or even Rachel’s cousin, who is struggling to go to school while being a single mom and trying to support herself and her child.

This book does a good job in being timeless; the problems in this are ones that are going to be faced by teens all the time: crushes, acne, siblings, grades, etc. It’s a quick read and stars a main character that feels genuine in her struggles and desires.

Also posted on Purple People Readers. show less

Really enjoyed this. Blume's books translate well even when you're reading as an adult. This story is about Rachel Robinson, a type A high achiever who is endearingly neurotic, and her (somewhat) dysfunctional family - type A mom and abrasive but intelligent brother. I heard Blume is writing another book for adults soon, hope this is true!

This is a very nice easy read for young pre-teens. I read the book just because I wanted a nice light easy read. I found myself laughing at the girls in the book as I remembered acting sometimes like them.

Rachel Robinson is a 13 year old girl who is highly intelligent and loves to learn. She is the youngest of the children in her family. She has an older brother who she finds annoying. I am sure many sisters would agree that their brother would be annoying too.

Rachel has two friends who she shares almost everything with. Her friends find her brother cute and interesting which makes her mad at them sometimes.

Judy Blume is after my time, so I don't hold her in beloved esteem. Rachel is in seventh grade, and deals with perfectionism, family and friends, and that unattainable boy. Didn't grab me, but might have had a different effect if I were 12.

A companion to one of my favorite books growing up (Just as Long as We're Together), ...Rachel Robinson is a look at how what seems perfect on the outside can be imperfect on the inside. I like these characters and their relationships. JALAWT was longer and more in depth, but RR hit different notes.

I thought this was a great book for young readers. Judy Blume is one of my favorite young adult authors. I loved her books growing up and still enjoy them. I read her book As Long As We're Together when I was young, but I had never discoverd this one. This book is about the same group of friends, but specifically about Rachel. Rachel has a lot of anxiety and doesn't get along with her brother. She has her friends and they help her a lot with dealing with her stressful situations. Basically, she's a perfectionist and her older brother is a rebellious, kind of troublemaker. He drives her crazy. She eventually figures it out and ends up with her dream boy. It was a good read and definitely entertaining. I think Judy Blume does such a great show more job writing about characters that young adults can relate to. She helps them feel normal. show less