KEY WEST, Fla. — At Books & Books, the nonprofit store Judy Blume and her husband have run for the past seven years, you will find her own work in various sections: from general fiction, among the other “B”-named authors, to a shelf dedicated exclusively to her — a name unto herself.
For more than 50 years, since her breakthrough novel “Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret,” Blume has been a proud member of the literary community and a citizen of special status. She is an eager promoter of other people’s works, whether on social media or at her store. She is also a literary celebrity of the rarest kind, who has not only sold millions of books, but moved young readers so profoundly that, as adults, they approach her in tears and thank her.
“I remind them of their childhood,” she likes to say.
Now 85, Blume has never been forgotten, but she is currently enjoying renewed interest. For the first time, one of her books has been adapted into a major Hollywood film: “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” is written and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig (“Edge of Seventeen”). Premiering this week, it stars Abby Ryder Fortson as the preteen from New Jersey with a lot of questions about religion, boys and her own body. There’s also a new documentary, “Judy Blume Forever,” which includes tributes from Molly Ringwald, Tayari Jones, Jason Reynolds and many others.
“She just really got what it was like to be that age,” Craig says. “And I think at that age it’s meaningful to see yourself reflected back at you.”