Module 2: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

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Book Summary: Margaret Simon is almost twelve, and she has a lot to worry about as she starts to grow up! Will she fit in with the suburb kids after moving from New York? Does she like the cutest boy or the neighbor who mows her lawn? Will she EVER get her period and grow breasts? While these questions seem to plague most girls, Margaret feels that she is different. Every other girl feels so certain on their faith and their opinions, but Margaret is not so sure about what to believe in or what type of person she wants to be. It seems that the only person that she can confide in is God, but she must take a journey of self-reflection and discovery to connect with him.

APA Reference of Book: Blume, J. (c1970). Are you there God? It's me, Margaret. New York, NY: Dell Publishing Company.

Impressions: The book was great in its simplicity. It is important for a story about a young girl to actually feel like it was being narrated by an eleven-year-old and not an adult. It really does connect to the realities that any pre-teen girl faces, no matter the time period. However, the ending was way too abrupt for me. I feel like there is no solid conclusion on Margaret’s feelings about God, religion, and prejudices. The story ends right when Margaret begins to see that her perceptions of people shouldn’t be determined as truth, and her character growth isn’t elaborated due to the swift ending. I am disappointed in that fact. Also, her faith in God is restored based on the fact that she got the body maturation that she prayed for? I feel like this ending is weak and unsatisfying to me as a reader. The book was great for expressing a pre-teen’s journey of self-discovery, but I just wanted more of the story.

Professional Review: Elson, A. (2012). Are you there God? It’s me Margaret [Review of the book Are you there God? It’s me Margaret, by J. Blume]. Moment, 37(3), 68.

Are You There God? It's Me Margaret is an outstanding book about a girl with a very hard life. To start off, she just moved to a new town. Moving is challenging enough, but, in addition, her body is changing, and she has to choose a religion for herself.    

It definitely is not easy to move. I know much about this because I, being a member of a military family, have moved several times to new duty stations across the United States. When Margaret moves, she feels very alone until she bonds with a group of friends. I, too, have made some amazing new friends without forgetting my old ones.

This book made me think about what it would be like if I had no religion and had to choose one. How do you choose a religion? Though Margaret says she has no religion, I think that she has a Jewish perspective on life. I see this because Margaret always seems to have a personal relationship with God. Whenever she needs help dealing with the everyday problems of a tween, she always turns to God. For example, when Margaret needs confidence about her body changing, she asks God for advice.

Are You There God? It's Me Margaret is a timeless classic. The questions about tween life are still the same. I know this is true because even my mother, who read this book about 40 years ago, still remembers turning to the book for questions about her body changing. I have her original copy of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, which I hope to pass down to my children when they are ready.

This book has made me think about friendship, religion and how tweens live. Everybody should read this book because it is amazingly great.

Library Uses: This novel can be used to teach students about internal conflict. Margaret has many internal conflicts in this story, such as worrying about her growing body and debating her religion. Students can do a quick write on internal conflicts that they are personally facing and discuss how internal conflicts can influence the plot of a story.