Josephine Humphreys
''Just as Long as We're Together'' looks at first like a Blume medley, with strains of earlier stories wound together. There are no new, big issues here; the main theme is friendship -how it is tested and how it endures. There is a muted, mellow tone to the story, and Blume fans looking for ''the good parts'' to dogear will find few. They may even get the feeling they have read this book before....The narrative tone is flat and defensive, minimizing or deflecting emotion in the same way that cartoons do.
--New York Times
Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
Stephanie, 12, is into ``hunks'' even though she's never met one herself. But when she starts seventh grade and finds out that she and her best friend, Rachel, aren't in any of the same classes except gym, Stephanie has more to worry about than boys. A new girl, Alison, moves in; she's a welcome new friend, but her presence alters the relationship between Steph and Rachel. For the first time, Rachel has secrets from Steph. But worse, Stephanie accidently learns that her father isn't in California on business, but that her parents have separated, and that her father has a girlfriend. She even suspects her mother of having a ``fling.'' The relationships within the storyamong the three friends, and between Steph and her parentsare complicated, and Blume handles this aspect realistically and with great ease. The plot resolution, though carefully handled, is curiously flat. Despite this weakness, the story is lively, moves quickly, and captures the nutty, poignant world of very young teenagers. Ages 10-13. (September)
School Library Journal
Gr 5-7 Blume once again chronicles the customs, mores, and lifestyle of preteen girls. This first-person narrative touches on many themes found in her previous novels: friendship, emerging sexuality, body weight, the family, menstruation. The freshness and intimacy of 13-year-old Stephanie Hirsch's account infuse those themes with originality. Stephanie enters seventh grade armed with innate optimism, two best friends, and a supportive mom. She gradually assimilates the devastating news of her parents' separation, endures the pain of an all-out fight with her oldest best friend, and comforts her young brother through nightmares of nuclear war. The Blume trademarks of realistic dialogue, funny non sequiturs, and forthright misinformation (gullible Stephanie is told by her friend that hairy legs on a boy indicate sexual experience) are much in evidence. The inviting jacket design, showing the three friends in a fit of giggles, perfectly evokes the upbeat story. Susan H. Patron, Los Angeles Public Library
School Library Journal - Audio
Gr 5–7—Stephanie moves to the same subdivision as her best friend, Rebecca. Just before school starts they make a new friend, Alison. Rebecca is ultra-organized and musically gifted. Alison, who was adopted as an infant from Vietnam, quickly becomes popular at school because she's perky and pretty. While being supportive to her friends, Stephanie tends to deal with her problems alone, including being called "El Chunko" because of her weight and learning that her parents are having a trial separation. Arguments with Rebecca over keeping secrets as well as a disastrous trip to her father's new apartment are laced realistically throughout the novel, and conflicts are not neatly resolved. Judy Blume's novel (Orchard, 1986) is somewhat dated. While Stephanie's desire to get a phone with a long cord and her brother's Cold War fears may be foreign to today's tweens, the realistic plot and issues involving friendship, popularity, and parents will resonate with listeners. Rebecca Soler's fully-voiced narration is spot-on once past the sibilance in the first few chapters.—C.A. Fehmel. St. Louis County Library, MO
