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.”