Review #2: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

Title: Blume, Judy. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret. Delacorte Press. 1988. 149 pages. Pb. $5.84, ISBN 978-0-385-73986-3

Genre: Fiction
Reading Level/Interest Level: 3.6/3-6
Similar Titles: Unknown

One of the most difficult topics to cover in Juvenile literature is puberty. Judy Blume does so with creativity, truth, heart and humor. As Margaret Simon’s parents move her from the excitement of New York to the suburbs of New Jersey, she finds herself desperately searching for her place in this new world. When Nancy, a neighbor girl her own age, strikes up a friendship with Margaret and ultimately a girls’ club, she finds out just how different her world really is. Faced with a whirlwind of feminine expectations and gossip, a new school, fitting in, curiosity about boys, obsessions with periods and bras, and the all-important question of religion, Margaret feels lost and impressionable and the only person she can talk to about it, is her god, until, that is, one day, she loses faith.

As is the case with most literature for the 3^rd to 6^th grade level, the protagonist, often mirroring the desires of the reader, just wants to fit in. Self-esteem often comes from self-confidence and a feeling of belonging within a community. Is there anything harder to discover when your body is changing and your friends have so many expectations? Margaret’s move may be symbolic of leaving her childhood behind (New York) and entering the new phase of her young adult life in New Jersey. Gone are the toys, dolls and innocent entertainments. Now she feels she is expected to act more grown-up than she may even feel but still has to fight against peer pressure while learning how to think for herself and have faith in her own beliefs. It isn’t until she sees the truth, stops trying to be someone she is not and learns to have confidence in herself, and faith in a higher power, that she is able to transcend the barrier.

While other books for this age group, such as Ramona and Beezus or The Bridge to Terabithia, have a similar writing style from the perspective of the protagonist, Judy Blume takes it one step further by really exploring the very real and unique issues that girls face when going through puberty and finding their place in society.  This makes it difficult to compare as no other juvenile book that I have read to date is as real and thorough with these issues. Though some of the terms and imagery may be slightly dated, the content is still very relevant for today’s reader who is trying to make sense of their own pubescent transition. It may even be a good tool for parents who have a hard time relating to their new “tween-ager.”  

Review #1: A Wrinkle In Time by Madeline L'Engle

Title: L'Engle, Madeline. A Wrinkle In Time. Dell Publishing. 1962. 211 pages. Pb. $6.49, ISBN 978-1-25000-467-3

Genre: Fiction/Science Fiction with Fantasy elements
Reading Level/Interest Level: 4.7    /Grades 5-8
Awards: Newberry Medal 1963
Series: The Time Quartet:
       ·         Book 1:    A Wrinkle in Time
       ·         Book2:    A Wind In The Door
       ·         Book 3:   A Swiftly Tilting Planet
       ·         Book 4:   Many Waters
Similar Titles: Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, Interworld by Neil Gaiman

 
Review:

Margaret “Meg” Murry struggles with the constant affliction of all 11 year olds; attempting to fit in. The problem is, her brain is simply hardwired differently than those of her peers. Socially awkward and quick tempered, she feels odd and ugly and the only place she really seems to fit in is at home with, between her brilliant physicist mother and her eccentric but adored little brother, Charles Wallace. Even her mischievous but protective twin brothers, Sandy and Dennys, cannot put her at ease. But then her whole world goes topsy turvy 2 years after the disappearance of her father.

Mysterious neighbors move into an abandoned house nearby and their presence seems to draw in Meg and Charles Wallace, not to mention their new friend, Calvin O’Keefe, as a search for answers suddenly turns into an unexpected quest to save her father and the entire universe. Mystical beings and strange worlds lead to a crisis of faith and a journey of self-discovery and heroism. The fight between light and dark, good and evil has never been so obvious or more deadly. Will they make it out alive? More importantly, will they be able to fight against the darkness of the terrifying “IT” or will they succumb to its intoxicating persuasion?

 

The first in a series of 4 novels, A Wrinkle In Time is a fascinating indoctrination into the world of Sci-Fi for the tween reader. A book often used in conjunction with 5^th through 8^th grade curriculum, it is a comfortable read because of the use of familiar elements of fantasy but expands the imagination by pushing the limits of the reader’s concepts of time, space and what is possible within the realm of physics without the use of confusing industry specific language. The characters are warm, relatable and well developed. After a few short pages you feel as if you have known them for years and you’d do anything to see them succeed, the mark of an excellent writer. It is no great wonder that this title won the Newbury Medal in 1962 and inspired 3 subsequent novels, which, this reviewer recommends reading in order, to lessen confusion, avoid frustration and consequently, a tragic loss of interest in the series.

Consistent themes within the book are similar to those found in the Chronicles of Narnia series. Faith, doubt, battle (internal and external), self-esteem, peer relationships, overcoming anger and fear, learning and personal growth through trials and experience; the issues that come with a journey that takes us from childhood to early adulthood. It would seem that not only does the book intimate a battle between good and evil, the Christian God and Satan, light and dark but also the internal struggle, self-doubt and feeling of loss that every child experiences growing up when they are expected to put away childish emotions and respond with adult reasoning. With adulthood comes not only a mandatory maturity but a keen awareness of not just good and bad, but of Justice vs. Evil, the metaphoric sinners and saints. L'Engle seems to be saying that those who turn to the light, find the good and the power to lead, those who believe in themselves and the right can change the world and dissapate any evil that threatens it.

Boys vs Girls in the Mass Market Paperback

"Are there boy books and girls books? Do we embrace this as a professional necessity or do we actively try to fight stereotypes." Use the books, the articles, the developmental assets, and if you are up to it the articles the blogs link to to respond. 

 

I've heard this argument alot. Is there such a thing as a boy's book and a girl'sbook? Is there cross-reading? Should it be encouraged?

 

Typically, a book is defined into one of these two gender categories in Tween literature according to the gender of the protagonist. This is stated over and over again in discussion groups, textbooks, articles, lecture and daily conversations. It makes sense. Kids, and really readers in general, want a character they can relate to, that they have something in common with or exemplify something they want to be. (Boys LitWire, Sept 22, 2010). This is part of building a positive identity and social competencies, in some aspects, typically because we learn that similarites between individuals (including ourselves and another person) mean they are not so different and we can develop empathy, sympathy and cultural sensitivity in this manner (40 Developmental Assets for Middle Childhood, 2012). If you can't find a similarity or some element to relate to, how can you understand the individual or the context of the situation? How can you figure out where you fit in with society? This theory explains why boys read about boys and girls read about girls. However, why are more girls willing to read about male protagonists, instead of vice versa?

 

Slowly, as the years have crept on, humans have evolved more and more cultural sensitivity as well as gender sensitivity. It might have started when the first woman went to work, or demanded equal rights, cast their first vote or campaigned for their fair share of "equal rights." However, the social order still has a relatively defined version of gender roles for males and females, even if the lines have blurred somewhay. With more focus having been presented for women's rights,  their right to do "manly" things, it has become more acceptable for a girl to read books about male protagonists or male subects than a boy reading about a girl. It isn't necessarily that girls are more flexible, though there may be some truth to that. I believe it is a cultural stigma that is responsible for the lack of cross reading and the development of more Tween literature for girls, than boys.

If a boy is caught reading about a girl, he is shunned and labeled in stark contrast to the macho ideal still being presented to boys as they grow up as the ideal model of manliness. Boys are taught from a young age that taking interest in anything "girly" is tantamount to turning over their "man card." Girls, on the other hand, are encouraged to break gender barriers and attempt traditionally male roles and to explore traditionally male associated literature. Some might claim they are being too masculine, but typically it is encouraged and becomes a sign of strength, equality and perserverence for females. Unfortunately, this severely limits the field of socially acceptable titles of tween boys.

This is further encouraged as researchers and marketers have come to understand the purchasing power of girls in this age category. Male tween characters have been sentenced to "side-kick" or "best-friend" status. They have now become secondary where originally girl characters were defined as secondary (Sweet Valley High: The Great Re-tweening, 2010).

 

While searching through a Children's Literature Listserv archive  I read a theory by the post author that children are encouraged to read classic "high level" literature in schools which more often than not, features a male protagonist. They are taught, subversively or not, that women are second class citizens, no matter what rights they have won from their counterparts. Books and topics by or about women are typically not encouraged and in doing so (not encouraging minority protagonists), teachers may be unknowingly imparting a social bias with their uneven curriculum (Boys Don't Read Girls' Books?, 1995). With this method of teaching, teachers are also narrowing the field for male book readers while encouraging the girls to cross-over. Genders often have difficulty sharing, and book titles and genres are no different. There is still no secure middle ground where girls and boys can explore the same titles in the tween category without some sort of censure.

 

Take for example Hatchet and Are You There God? It's me, Margaret. While Hatchet is a well written book, I did not enjoy it. For me, it was not relatable. The protagonist was male and the subect was survival, becoming a man. Whereas, Are You There God was more relatable to me, the story of a young girl, in a new environment, struggling with faith, bodily changes, friends, school and trying to fit in. Her emotions were easy to interpret because I had experienced many of the same as a tween myself. I did not have that experience, that relatability to the other book. This goes back to my original theory. While the gender lines do blur, and more and more people are encouraging cross reading across the gender categories, there will always be boy and girl books, as long as there are gender identities and gender roles in our societies. Readers want a book to speak to them, to relate to them. In tween literature, this speaks to their desire to grow up and be successful as a grown up, in their given gender role. It is difficult to "get into"a book about the opposite gender role, unless you are able to distance yourself from the protagonist and read the book strictly for reference. No matter the age or the gender, the reader will look into the text and the subtext for markers identifying proper and improper behavior for each role.

What Makes a "Tween" Title?

L'Engle, Madeline. A Wrinkle In Time. Dell Publishing. 1962. 211 pages. Pb. $6.49, ISBN 978-1-25000-467-3
    
     When A Wrinkle In Time was written in 1962, and even the first time that I read it more than 20 years later, the term "tween" didn't exist. So how can you tell that this title falls into the category that most would agree is distinguished by being appropriate for children 8-12? In this case, it centers around the issues being faced by the narrator, the awkward, approximately 12 year old sister, Meg. She is in the "inbetween" phase, thus the origin of the word "tween" (Maughan, S., 2002). She is neither child, nor teen, struggling with themes such as identity and fitting in, desiring desperately to  both be herself and be like the pretty "normal" girls, or even more so, like her brilliant and beautiful mother.

     Meg also struggles with other internal issues such as social competencies, such as peaceful conflict resolution, interpersonal competence, cultural compentence and decision making (40 Developmental Assets for Middle Childhood, 2007). She responds with physical reactions when frustrated or verbally provoked. She prefers the company of her misunderstood little brother than children her own age and is generally untrusting of her classmates and even adults, especially where their motives are concerned. She also constantly questions her own decisions, worried that an incorrect decison will cause or has caused some sort of catastropy and is conflicted about her academics as the she is unmotivated in school, whether due to disinterest or not being challenged enough, and teacher's preconceived notions about her intelligence and family.

     External issues include feeling alienated from all adults aside from her parents, completely unvalued and uninvolved in decisions in the immediate environment that affect her, as well as feeling unsafe or unappreciated anywhere but home. She has no positive peer influences until she meets the slightly older Calvin, who may be well liked at school, but has a difficult home life, which makes it easier for Meg to appreciate what she does have in her life, and leads to her feeling less alienated and alone as she realizes that even those who are well liked may have problems very similar to hers.
In direct comparison she does have a strong, if not complex, home life. Though her father is considered missing, and her mother is somewhat distracted, she is a loving and devoted mother, which leads to positive values and due to the emphasis on intellectual exploration in the household, some sort of committment to learning, though it might be less conventional (40 Developmental Assets for Middle Childhood, 2007). She provides boundaries and rules, understanding and unconditional love for all her children. She reassures them, defends them, and tries to help them see the best of the situation in which they find themselves. While the twin 10 year old brothers seem almost outsiders to the struggle, as they are well liked and considered "normal", the mother, Meg and her little brother, Charles Wallace, form a united front, supporting one another in hard times. Even the twins do try to help , to some extent, telling Meg that it is their responsibility to handle the physical alterations when one of the Murray's families integrity is called into question (L'Engle, M., 1962, p. 4-5) .

     On a personal note, I know this is a tween book as I read it myself as part of an advanced reader program in the 5th grade, at the age of 10. I was going through a lot of the same issues....living with a sibling and a single parent, not fitting in, having low self-esteem, feeling ugly and awkward, questioning my own intelligence and decisions constantly, having difficulty trusting and bonding with other children after a number of moves in a short period of time and some bad experiences after my parents' divorce. It was a difficult transitional period which really didn't end until I started high school 4 years later. But, during that time, it was books like A Wrinkle in Time that let me know that I wasn't alone and that it might just be possible to find the things I was looking for in my life. That you could go through that growing process and come out alright on the other side, and that there were some childish beliefs or dreams that were ok to hang on to while growing into a new metaphorical skin. Maybe that's why, after all those years, I still had my own copy to pull out and read for this post!