Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

Blume, J. (1986). Are you there god? It’s me, Margaret. Yearling. (Original work published 1970). 160 pages. ISBN 9780440404194

Primary genre: coming of age

Other elements: friends, family, religion

Intended reader age: 8 and up

Synopsis:

Margaret Simon is almost 12 and has just moved from New York to the suburbs. Her wish to fit in and find friends is granted when she is accepted into a secret club that shares their experiences from crush-worthy boys to getting their periods. The fact that Margaret does not have a religion is the one thing that sets her apart from her peers and friends.  

Review:

One of the things we have been discussing this week in my course is the idea of books for a specific gender. If there is a book that is more likely to appeal to girls than boys it would be this book. I think at this stage in a tween’s life, when the physical experiences and changes are so different, that makes this especially true. The book is definitely well known for covering the topic of periods. It is not all about that topic, but there is a focus because this is an issue that girls at that stage in their life are thinking about.

Blume has created more than just a preteen character explaining what becoming a teen entails. Margaret is a completely relatable character because she experiences the insecurities that many other girls are facing. She is mocked by a boy on her birthday for needing to ‘grow an inch’ you know where and is plagued by the fear that she will be last one to get her period. The fear of being different, developing slower, being perceived as a baby while all your friends grow into adults, and even parents telling you they understand and experienced it too. All of these issues are experienced by tweens, both boys and girls, and are made completely relatable through Margaret.
Blume has written a great number of tween titles (as I am sure everyone is well aware of) and one that I know is more along those 'controversial' lines is Deenie.