Literary mysteries: The string of plane crashes that inspired Judy Blume's new book

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This week's question: What inspired Judy Blume's new book for adults, "In the Unlikely Event"?

Judy Blume is a living legend for young readers — and for readers who were once young.

She's the author of more than 25 novels, which have sold more than 85 million copies worldwide. "Blubber," "Freckle Juice" and "Are You There God, It's Me Margaret" remain classroom classics more than 30 years after they were first published.

Blume is beloved for her frank discussion of topics that were once considered taboo for young readers: sex, masturbation, divorce and racism. Her candid writing has landed her on numerous banned book lists, but has also inspired legions of women. In 2009, a group of writers compiled an anthology called "Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume."

Blume didn't stop with young readers, however — she's also the author of several books for adults. Her last book for adults, "Summer Sisters," came out in 2009 and hit No. 1 on The New York Times bestseller list.

Now, more than 15 years later, she's back with another book, and the 77-year-old said it may be her last for adults. "In The Unlikely Event" hit shelves in June, and it features a string of historical events that left a deep impact on Blume's imagination.

Blume was born and raised in Elizabeth, N.J., where, she says, she led a typical, mid-century American suburban childhood. The town sits near the Newark airport.

When Blume was 13, three planes crashed in 58 days in her hometown.

The first happened just before Christmas 1951, when a flight headed to Tampa, Fla., crashed, killing 56 people.

The next month, a plane flying from Syracuse, N.Y., crashed into a row of homes in Elizabeth, killing 23 people on board and seven people on the ground. That plane skimmed the roof of the all-girls high school Blume later graduated from.

At that point, Elizabeth's mayor demanded they close the Newark airport, but was rebuffed.

Then, in February 1952, another plane bound for Florida crashed into an Elizabeth apartment building, killing half of the people on board and four people on the ground.

The crash happened near an orphanage, and children from the orphanage actually helped pull people to safety.

Blume's father, a dentist, was called in to help identify victims. In total, the three crashes killed more than 100 passengers and more than 10 people on the ground.

The morning after the third crash, the Newark airport was closed. It didn't fully reopen for almost a year, and the runways were repositioned away from Elizabeth.

Blume said she buried the memories of the crashes for decades, even when her own daughter became a pilot.

But now, in "In the Unlikely Event," they're at the forefront. She mines her childhood experiences, and imagines how the crashes changed the lives of people in Elizabeth.

When the planes start falling, her characters are sent reeling — every day suddenly feels uncertain. Blume's trademark storytelling is on display as she tackles love and friendship in the face of hometown tragedy.