51 pages • 1 hour read
Judy BlumeBlubber
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1974A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 9-12Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 9 Summary: “So who won the game?”
In class that morning, Jill catches Wendy and Caroline making a list of different ways to “Have Fun with Blubber” (85). The list includes pinching, shoving, and tripping Linda. It also includes making Linda confess to being called Blubber and being a smelly whale.
Jill is asked to retrieve a form from the office for Mrs. Minish. When she returns, the class is sent to gym class. While walking down the hall, Caroline tells Jill about how Wendy tripped Linda. Mrs. Minish didn’t see, so she told Linda to be more careful.
After school, Jill calls Tracy. Tracy asks about Mrs. Rothbelle’s punishment. Jill says she had to write, “I was very rude yesterday. I will not misbehave in music again” (87) on the board 100 times. Jill then tells Tracy about what happened in gym class.
They had a game of kickball. Linda was picked last. She ended up on the same team as Wendy. Jill was on the other team. When it was Jill’s turn, she kicked the ball very hard at Linda. Linda didn’t catch it and was hit in the stomach. She fell to the ground in pain. Jill, who was already on second base, was asked to take Linda to the nurse. Jill tried to argue, but the teacher told her that someone could step in for her to finish the game. While walking to the nurse, Linda asked why Jill and her friends always pick on her, saying she’d never done anything to them. Jill told Linda that she’s “full of it” (89), and Linda told Jill that she’d be sorry one day. Jill sarcastically said she’s really scared. Linda told Jill, “I hate you” (89), which surprises Tracy.
That night, Jill struggles with her math homework. The next morning, on the bus, Linda tells Jill that her stomach is black and blue and that her mother had to take her to the doctor. Linda uses the phrase “knocked the wind out of me” (91), which Jill jokes about having smelled it. Jill and Tracy laugh.
After science class, the girls line up to go to the nurse to get weighed, which they must do once in the fall and once in the spring. Jill wishes she had eaten more because she’s tired of hearing that she’s underweight. While putting her shoes back on, she hears the nurse tell Linda that she needs to lose weight. Linda tells the nurse that she’s on a diet, which the nurse stresses is important.
After lunch, during recess, Donna teaches everyone a chant to jump rope to. The lyrics make fun of Linda for being on a diet but still being fat. Bruce, who is bigger than Linda, enjoys the song a lot. Linda does not get in line to jump rope with everyone else. Instead, she goes back inside for the remainder of recess.
Chapter 10 Summary: “Not crazy…just different.”
On the bus ride home, Wendy tells Jill and Tracy that Mr. Machinist is showing the photo he took of them on Halloween to everyone in their neighborhood. Wendy tells them not to worry because even though Wendy and Caroline knew who they were, Jill and Tracy are hard to identify in the photo because of their pillowcases. Caroline adds that Tracy’s feathers were visible in the photo, and Wendy gives Caroline a look. Wendy then assures Jill and Tracy that no one will say anything. Jill feels good about being Wendy’s friend but hopes Wendy is telling the truth.
Jill checks the mail when she gets home and says goodbye to Tracy. Jill has mail from one of the stamp companies she orders from. She goes inside, where Kenny informs her that Mrs. Sandmeier will be going to Switzerland for three weeks. Jill asks Mrs. Sandmeier about it. Mrs. Sandmeier replies that it’s her mother’s 85th birthday, and she wants to be there for it. Jill is surprised because she never thought of Mrs. Sandmeier as anyone’s daughter before. Jill worries that their parents will have Grandma come take care of her and Kenny in Mrs. Sandmeier’s absence.
Jill opens her letter from the stamp company. The letter expresses concerns because Jill is spending less than 35 cents on each selection. The company wants Jill’s feedback to better cater to her interests. Jill writes a letter responding that she only gets 50 cents a week in allowance. She adds that this stamp company isn’t even her favorite, so they’re lucky to get any business from her.
When Jill’s parents get home, she immediately expresses concerns about who will watch them. Mom asks Jill to give her time to shower before they talk about it. Jill waits, and the moment she hears the shower turn off, she asks through the bathroom door who will watch them. Mom tells Jill that Great Maudie, Grandma’s sister, will be coming to watch them. Great Maudie and Grandma have not spoken in a while, and Jill wonders if Grandma knows Great Maudie will be there. Jill goes to where Dad and Kenny are playing chess, announcing how her fingernails have grown and telling them about Great Maudie coming. Jill adds that she thought Great Maudie was supposed to be crazy. Dad says she’s not crazy but different.
Tracy calls Jill later to inform her that she hasn’t heard from Mr. Machinist. Jill believes they’re safe, but both girls are still worried.
Chapter 11 Summary: “I just can’t believe my class would do such a thing.”
Wendy, Caroline, and Jill have been using Wendy’s list of ways to bully Linda to harass her. Linda is forced to say she’s “Blubber, the smelly whale of class 206” (105) before she can do things like use the restroom, get water, eat her lunch, or get on the bus. Linda has started saying this without prompting. Wendy praises Linda’s good behavior and, as a “reward,” forces Linda to kiss Bruce. Two other boys hold down Bruce while Wendy and Caroline drag Linda to him. Bruce threatens to spit on Linda, so they settle for having Linda kiss Bruce’s cheek. Jill thinks Linda enjoyed it. They also force Linda to show her underwear to the boys in the class. Caroline holds Linda’s hands while Wendy lifts Linda’s skirt.
On Friday, during lunch, Wendy brings a piece of chocolate to school. She tells Linda it’s a chocolate-covered ant. She forces Linda to eat it. Linda initially refuses, saying she’ll get sick and die, but Wendy holds Linda’s nose, so she has to open her mouth. Caroline holds Linda’s hands down. Jill shoves the chocolate into Linda’s mouth. They then sing “Blubber ate an ant” (108), getting the whole class to join in on the song.
Linda turns green and throws up on her desk, so Wendy fetches the lunch teacher. Linda cries and explains that they made her eat an ant. The empathetic teacher takes her to the nurse. Linda does not return. Later, the principal, Mr. Nichols, comes to the class.
Mr. Nichols informs Mrs. Minish about what happened at lunch. Mrs. Minish can’t believe her “class would do such a thing” (109). Wendy tells how Linda was begging for her piece of chocolate because Linda is on a diet. Wendy says she told Linda no, but Linda wouldn’t stop begging for the chocolate. Wendy says she lied to Linda about it being an ant, but Linda didn’t care, so Wendy gave her the chocolate. Wendy says that after Linda ate it, Wendy asked her how the ant tasted, and that’s when Linda got sick. Jill thinks it’s wild how Wendy just lies to the principal.
When Jill and Tracy get home, Tracy says she’ll see Jill tomorrow, but Jill reminds Tracy that she has to go to the bar mitzvah. That evening, once Jill’s parents get home, they discover a letter in the mail from Mr. Machinist. The letter informs them that he’s identified their child as one of the culprits of the Halloween prank. He wants them to contact him immediately. Jill spots the photo included in the letter and knows that she and Tracy have been caught.
Chapter 12 Summary: “You really got yourself in big trouble.”
Later that evening, Jill’s parents and Tracy’s parents sit down together and have a meeting with Jill and Tracy present. Tracy is crying while her parents talk about how they’ve always tried to teach her proper values. Jill explains that they only pranked Mr. Machinist because he’s a mean person. Jill brings Tracy some tissues and asks if they will go to jail. Dad tells her they won’t, but they must face the consequences of their actions. The other parents agree.
Dad calls Mr. Machinist, then relays the plan to everyone. Mr. Machinist says he’ll talk to the police unless the girls admit what they did and show remorse. He wants them to rake and bag up the leaves in his yard on Sunday. Jill is upset because Sunday is her only free day since they have the bar mitzvah on Saturday. The parents agree this is a fair punishment. Dad adds that this will teach them that it’s not up to them to “decide who deserves what in this world” (117).
After Tracy’s family leaves, Jill goes to the bathroom to get ready for bed. Kenny is brushing his teeth. He tells her he heard the whole thing. He says she wouldn’t have gotten into trouble if she had stayed home like he did. Jill tells him to mind his business. As she gets into bed, Jill thinks about who could have told on them. She decides it must have been Linda, recalling how Linda had threatened to get her.
Chapters 9-12 Analysis
The theme of people getting what they deserve takes shape in Chapters 9 through 12. These chapters also continue the escalation of Linda’s bullying and how it has affected her.
Chapter 9’s biggest focus is on the consequences Jill faces for her bullying of Linda, even if Jill does not make the connection herself. Along with the rest of her class—aside from Linda—she must stay after school and write on the board as punishment for publicly humiliating Linda. Afterward, Jill tells the story of their kickball game, where she injures Linda. Despite Jill insisting that she did not mean for Linda to get hit by the ball, Jill is forced to give up her position on base to take Linda to the nurse. During this conversation, Linda reminds Jill that she “never did anything to” Jill (89). Jill doesn’t consider the meaning of these words, continuing to provoke Linda by telling her she’s “full of it” (89). At this moment, Jill rejects critically thinking about her part in Linda’s bullying and whether Linda had done anything to deserve it. Linda tells Jill, “I hate you” (89), which surprises Tracy. Tracy has participated in some of the bullying, but this reaction from her shows that she doesn’t know the full scope of the torment Wendy, Caroline, and Jill have put Linda through.
Chapter 10 builds tension regarding the conflict between Jill, Tracy, and Mr. Machinist with Wendy’s information. Despite confirming that Mr. Machinist’s photo was of Jill and Tracy, Wendy assures them that no one will tell. Caroline even adds that she could see Tracy’s feathers hanging out, causing Wendy to give Caroline “a look that made her shut her mouth” (97). Wendy tells Jill and Tracy to “believe me” that no one will tell on them. Jill narrates that it’s “important to be Wendy’s friend” but adds that she “hopes that what [Wendy] says is true” (97). Tracy also shows concern about Wendy’s trustworthiness by asking Jill directly once they’re alone if she thinks “Mr. Machinist will find out who we are” (97). Jill tells Tracy, “You heard Wendy” (97), to assure her, putting trust in Wendy’s ethics.
Later, in Chapter 11, Jill watches as Wendy manipulates a situation with Linda and blatantly lies to the principal about the incident. In yet another escalation of Linda’s bullying, Wendy, Caroline, and Jill hold Linda down and force a chocolate into her mouth. Not only does Wendy lie to Linda about the candy being a chocolate-covered ant, but she also lies to the principal about what really happened. Jill observes this, noting that “only Wendy could sit there telling lies to Mr. Nichols as if he were a regular person instead of the principal of our school” (111). This hints that Wendy is not to be trusted. However, Jill fails to connect Wendy’s habit of telling lies and manipulating people to her own concerns about Mr. Machinist. Wendy and Caroline were the only people who saw Jill and Tracy’s faces on Halloween, but both Wendy and Caroline have assured Jill and Tracy that they didn’t tell anyone. At the end of Chapter 11, it comes out that Mr. Machinist has identified Jill as one of the kids who pranked him. Chapter 12 confirms that he identified Tracy too, and Jill and Tracy must face the consequences of their actions.
During the meeting of Jill and Tracy’s parents, the theme of whether people deserve their treatment comes up. Jill justifies the prank on Mr. Machinist by explaining that “he’s so mean…he hates kids…he won’t even give to UNICEF…” (115). She says, “In one way I know we did wrong, but in another way, he really deserved it” (115). Jill’s dad responds by saying, “It’s not up to you to decide who deserves what in this world” (117). This response reinforces the moment in Chapter 5, when Jill expresses that “a person gets what she deserves” (52) but is unable to deliver the punishment that she believes Linda deserves because her Silly String has run dry. At the end of Chapter 12, Jill decides that Linda must have told Mr. Machinist about her and Tracy’s prank.
The idea of people getting what they deserve is Jill’s interpretation of how things have unfolded with Linda and Mr. Machinist. However, Jill is the one who suffers consequences for her treatment of Linda and Mr. Machinist in these chapters, creating a departure between the way Jill interprets her actions and what is really happening.
Finally, these chapters highlight the toll the bullying has taken on Linda. Linda asserts to the school nurse that she’s on a diet after being weighed, which directly results from the lunchtime torment the kids subject her to. Linda also has begun to preemptively debase herself due to negative conditions: After being forced to call herself “Blubber, the smelly whale of class 206” (105) before she can use the bathroom, drink water, or do other things around the school, Linda takes it upon herself to say these things about herself “without anyone forcing her to” (106). This illustrates the breakdown of Linda’s mental state and the lengths Linda is willing to go to avoid further bullying from Wendy, Caroline, and Jill.
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