Reviews with content warning for Bullying - Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

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Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. by Judy Blume

23 reviews

ricksilva's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Margaret, a few months short of twelve years old, moves to the Jersey suburbs from New York City, and tries to figure out what religion she belongs to. She talks to God on a regular basis, but her parents, one raised Christian and one raised Jewish and both decidedly agnostic at this point, have decided to let Margaret make any religious decisions on her own.

Margaret converses with God through a succession of pre-teen experiences, and eventually finds herself back in the middle of her parents' original fight with their own parents over religion.

This has good character work, and great details. The book is notable for its time because it doesn't shy away from the realities of puberty, but it handles these issues with grace, a touch of humor, and compassion. It also does a great job with the upper-middle-class New York/New Jersey setting and culture.

Although some of the bigger issues are left unresolved, the story feels very real, and the growth and sincerity of Margaret's character are delightful.

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wipeout's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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lay_kone's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

4.5

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another_dahlia's review against another edition

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lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated

1.5

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booksandbabble's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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eggfartz's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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james1star's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

First read of the year and thankfully it was one I enjoyed. I initially picked this up because I wanted to read this before watching the film but am glad I did so. In it we follow our MC, eleven year old Margaret Simon, who moves to suburb New Jersey ready to start sixth grade in 1970 (I’m guessing). She befriends Nancy, Gretchen and Janie who later become known as the PTS’s (Pre-Teen Sensations) as they discuss things like puberty, getting your first period, bras, ‘growing’ and boys among others. They get on well but are confused as to why Margaret doesn’t have any religious affiliation so sets out to research and decide which she’ll choose. Her solitary musings with god at night are where she feels totally free to be herself and these were great to read. I also loved the grandma and their bond was super cute.

Blume perfectly captures the essence of growing up and coming of age, with a journey of self discovery and finding her true identity. Despite being written twenty four years ago, I feel what our MC goes through stands the test of time, being applicable to girls growing up today. I liked Margaret, she wasn’t like amazing (nor any of the characters) but she was fleshed out and I could totally emphasise with her throughout the book. The religious focus was a bit too much then I’d have preferred but it’s doesn’t really take anything away from the messages and lessons Blume is putting forward to the reader. The main one being the way others try to infiltrate her mind and how Margaret just wants to be herself. It’s written very simply with a clear middle grade audience but there’s still quite a lot to unpack and I read this in basically two sittings.

Overall, a fun quick read that I’d definitely recommend. It wasn’t really applicable to me personally but I still enjoyed this book placing it solidly in the 4 star category. Bring on the movie!

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