Grown-up time: Judy Blume novel for adults, "In the Unlikely Event," to be released in June

Judy Blume is returning to the grown-up section.

The author's first adult novel since 1998 is coming out in June. Publisher Alfred A. Knopf announced Monday that the novel "In the Unlikely Event" will be set in the early 1950s in Blume's native New Jersey and will tell of a series of mysterious plane crashes.

The 76-year-old Blume is one of the world's most popular children's authors. She is known for such novels as "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" and "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing."

Most writers for young people struggle to reach older audiences, but Blume's previous adult novel, "Summer Sisters," sold more than 3 million copies.