Book 3: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

 By Judy Blume

Summary

This is a book about a young girl named Margaret Simon who moves with her mother and father from the city and into a middle class neighborhood in the suburbs. She is an only child whose parents were raised in different religions: one Jewish and the other Christian. Margaret's parents do not attend any religious services and Margaret is expected to make up her own mind when she grows up. Still, Margaret often thinks about God, and in her mind, discusses many of her life's issues and worries with God. For Margaret, talking to God was a way to relieve some frustrations of family life, school, relationships and real worry about how her body is going to grow and change. One constant in the book is Margaret's wonder about when she will begin to menstruate. She does not want to be the last among her friends to begin menstruation.

Margaret makes friends with Nancy Wheeler who lives down the street and is in the same 6th grade class. While Margaret tries hard to fit in, she often emulates Nancy and believes all that Nancy tells her, even to the point of alienating another girl in the class, Laura. When the class is given an assignment to do a project about something meaningful in their lives, Margaret decides to write about religion. She attends services with her Jewish grandmother, Methodist services with one of her friends, and even tries to make confession at a Catholic church. Yet, Margaret remains confused as to where God is, unable to feel his presence in any of those places.

Impressions

Judy Blume is a writer that portrays very real life experiences for a young girl growing up. "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" explains how a young girl might talk to God as if to a friend or a powerful confidant: here are my problems, can you help me figure out how to fix them? Religion can often be a touchy subject for adults, yet many do not realize how religion may play an important role in a young persons' life. Teens and pre-teens often do not know how to vocalize their problems and may not know where to turn to find the answers. Sometimes, just finding a good listener can help. In this book, Margaret speaks to God in her mind, and He usually seems to be a good listener. Young girls will find this book interesting because the story may reflect many experiences they have. Some girls may turn to this book because they may not be able to discuss some of their very personal concerns with their own parents. Sometimes home relationships may not be ideal, and parents may not know how to communicate effectively with their child, so rather than talking about growing up issues, parents may merely give commands that are not heeded by the child. This book is one that a girl who cannot talk with a parent may find some guidance or solace for their worries. The book portrays a young girl learning to cope with boys at school, building new relationships with other girls, learning how to assert independence at home, finding the courage to shop for a bra, and learning to prepare for menstruation. Judy Blume touches on many sensitive subjects in her book sometimes with laughter and sometimes with heartbreak. I found this to be an excellent book, and even at my age, I enjoyed the reading, Judy Blume has become one of my favorite authors.

Use In The Library

I would use this book as part of a "favorite author week" library program. I would gather several of her books for a table display with colorful posters that indicate some of the topics that she discusses in her books. I would use Wordle.com and create word pictures of the issues that many pre-teens find embarrassing to vocalize. I would cut out these word pictures and hang them in a mobile above the display so students will get an idea of what the books are about without having to ask.

Reviews

New York Amsterdam News

"The first time I read this book, I was in the fifth grade. I read it with interest and excitement because the sixth grade was still ahead of me and I found the characters and events that took place to be alluring. As an adult, I regard it with more nostalgia because I'm now looking back on that pre-teen period of time. One thing remains the same: I love this book now as much as I did then! Judy Blume beautifully intertwines Margaret's prayers to God with events taking place in her life, and it was great watching Margaret grow into her own person through self-discovery by the end of the story." (C.J., 2006, p. 16).

New York Times Book Review

"In 'Are You There, God?' Margaret feels left out because all her friends belong to either a church or a synagogue (Margaret is half Jewish); she tries to find a religion for herself, visiting as many houses of worship as possible in a year. No other popular book for children credits them with thinking seriously about organized religion." (Mark, 1997, p. 44).

References

Blume, J. (2011). Are you there God? It's me, Margaret. First Ember edition. New York:
     Random House Inc.

C. J. J. (2009). Go Get a Book in Your Hand! CJ's Pre-Teens: The Journey of Self-
      Discovery.  New York Amsterdam News, 100(27), 16. Retrieved from   
      http://www.amsterdamnews.com/

Mark, O. (1997). Children's books essay: Why Judy Blume Endures. New York Times 
      Book Review, 44.  Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/pages/books/index.html