A devoted, multigenerational crowd gathered at the Judy Blume book signing at Bunch of Grapes Bookstore last Saturday afternoon, the first jointly held book signing between the store and Riley’s Reads.

Ms. Blume was signing any and all of her 28 releases, including the newest, Friend or Fiend? With the Pain and the Great One.

With her younger readers, Ms. Blume played a friendly game of “guess my age:” Ms. Blume’s accuracy is outstanding (she uses a combination of which book the child brings for signature as well as teeth to zero in on a specific number.)

“People are just so nostalgic,” Zoe Pechter of Riley’s Reads commented. Indeed, Ms. Pechter’s characterization rings true. Entire families approach Ms. Blume, each member tells their own story, each with their own relationship to the author and her work. One mother discloses that the first book her daughter read was by Ms. Blume, and that the author was also her favorite in high school.

One group from Norwalk, Conn. includes three generations. The grandmother has read Ms. Blume’s adult books, the mother grew up with them, and the youngest of the family avidly consumes her childrens’ and young adult books.

One youngster wears an “I love NY” tank, which prompts a discussion between her and the author. The pair discover that Ms. Blume used to teach at the school the young girl has attended her entire life. All share in the excitement that registers on the young girl’s face. She and Ms. Blume catch up about the current state of the Little Red Schoolhouse, and the young girl, still beaming, promises to send the author’s regards.

Ms. Blume carries on with the signing, offering reading suggestions throughout a spectrum of ages. One young man, however, needs no suggestions. In fact, for him, one of Ms. Blume’s books is on his school’s required summer reading list.

Ever unboastful, Ms. Blume snickers: “You mean you have to read my books?”