Judy Blume's First Movie to Premiere in Fairfax City Friday

Fairfax City will be the site of an unlikely event this Friday as famed teen author Judy Blume rides into town for the premiere of the film adaptation of her best-selling novel Tiger Eyes.

Despite the fact that Blume's first young adult novel, Iggie's House, came out in 1969, and despite how wildly popular her books have been, Tiger Eyes is Blume's first book to be made into a movie.

Also interesting is that the book Tiger Eyes was released more than 30 years ago, in 1981. However, it appears its popularity has not waned at all with the passing years, and longtime fans of Blume's appear eager to see the movie.

Blume is perhaps best known for her 1970 young adult novel, Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret, about a young girl struggling to find her own religion amidst her Christian mother, her Jewish father, and her own thoughts on the subject.

Blume also came under some fire for the novel, which was banned by many school libraries, for some of the more sensitive subject matter in the book, such as the young heroine's confusion over her changing pre-teen body and her blossoming feelings about liking boys, pushing the novel to a cult status of sorts among pre-teen girls the world over, ever since.

Tiger Eyes, at the start of the 1980s, is more of a modern story, centered around a troubled teen dealing with the brutal murder of her father and her remaining family's sudden move from the more bustling Atlantic City to the more podunk Los Alamos, New Mexico, in the wake of his death.

Fans of Blume's have been taking to fan sites, excitedly discussing any details of the movie they have been able to find out, such as casting choices - the main teenage girl character, Davey Wexler, is portrayed by Willa Holland of The O.C. and Gossip Girl - and the fact that Blume's now-grown son, Lawrence Blume, directs the film.

All in all, the many children's, young adult and adult works of Judy Blume have sold more than 80 million copies worldwide, and have been translated into more than 30 languages.

See the film and meet Blume herself in Fairfax City this Friday

A premiere for Tiger Eyes will be held in Fairfax City this Friday night at the Cinema Arts Theatre, 9650 Main St. in the Fair City Mall, at 7 p.m.

Following the film, Blume herself will be on hand for a question-and-answer session with the audience.

For more information about the premiere, visit Cinema Arts' website at http://cinemaartstheatre.com or call the box office at 703-978-6853.

Were you, or are you, a fan of Judy Blume's novels? Have you read 'Tiger Eyes?' Tell us in the comments.

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