I've never read either author, but somehow I don't remember ever thinking of Judy Blume as a purveyor of tweener-targeted erotica. Oh well.
The NEH seems to have made a good pick in L'Engle, but the NEH and the NEA shouldn't exist. Art is not a legitimate government function.
Chuck Colson has it right. I read Forever as a teenager and remember feeling almost offended by the obviousness of her leftist agenda. Judy Blume is purveyor of smut for children, and poorly written smut at that. From the official
Amazon's Editorial Review:
"Going all the way" is still a taboo subject in young adult literature. Judy Blume was the first author to write candidly about a sexually active teen, and she's been defending teenagers' rights to read about such subjects ever since. Here, Blume tells a convincing tale of first love--a love that seems strong and true enough to last forever. Katherine loves Michael so much, in fact, that she's willing to lose her virginity to him, and, as the months go by, it gets harder and harder for her to imagine living without him. However, something happens when they are separated for the summer: Katherine begins to have feelings for another guy. What does this mean about her love for Michael? What does this mean about love in general? What does "forever" mean, anyway? As always, Blume writes as if she's never forgotten a moment of what it's like to be a teenager.