Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

Blume, Judy. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Bradbury Press, New York, 1970. 149 pages.  Tr. ISBN 0027109917

Plot Description:

Margaret Simon and her family have just moved to the suburbs of New Jersey from Manhattan.  In New York no one ever asked Margaret what religion she was, but her new friends all want to know what church or temple her family attends.  Margaret has her own relationship with God without having a religion, but Margaret starts to wonder if it would be easier to have a religion. 

Besides worrying about not having a religion, Margaret and her friends are concerned that they are not maturing fast enough.  Each of the girls is concerned that they will be the last to develop breasts and get their periods.  For Margaret many of her conversations with God are about her apprehension at not growing up fast enough. 

Review:

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret is Judy Blume’s classic novel about growing up and going through puberty.  This is a great book for tween girls experiencing puberty or tween girls who are concerned they are not maturing fast enough.  Blume assures her readers that everyone matures and develops at their own rate.  Blume perfectly captures the concerns of an eleven year old girl who is starting to grow up and develop an interest in boys and sex. 

Genre:

Realistic Fiction

Humorous Fiction

Reading Level/Interest Level:

Grades 4-6

Similar Books:

The Amazing Life of Birds (the Twenty Day Puberty Journal of Duane Homer Leech) by Gary Paulsen

Author’s Website:

http://www.judyblume.com/