The author of Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing has really made something of herself! Since the 1970s, Judy Blume has written several funny and realistic novels about growing up. But you don't have to be a kid to appreciate her work. On November 17, Blume will become the first children's book author to win the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. She has won many prizes for her writing, but says they are not what motivate her. "You don't write to win awards," Blume told TFK. "You write because there's a burning (desire) inside you."