Judy Blume was born on February 12, 1938, in Elizabeth, New Jersey, where she spent her entire childhood. As a shy youth, she spent hours making up stories. However, it was not until she was in her twenties that she began to write her stories down.

Her first book was actually a picture book for young children, and since that was published, she has spanned the fiction landscape, writing young children's books, young adult's books, as well as titles for adult audiences. Blume actually characterizes Summer Sisters as a work of adult fiction, but because of her name and its resonance as a novelist for young adults, many younger readers are drawn to her more adult narratives.

After graduating from New York University in 1961, Blume lived and wrote in a wide variety of places, and today, she lives with her husband in various homes along the...