A review by thecriticalreader
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I decided to read Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret because I saw that the movie is scheduled to come out in April 2023.
 
Blurb: 
Margaret is a fourth grader who settles into life in suburban New Jersey after moving from New York City. She is not religious because her parents did not raise her with one religion, but she feels pressure to declare herself as Jewish or Christian because everyone else knows what religion they follow. Despite her lack of religion, she has a close relationship with God, who she prays to regularly. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret follows Margaret as she navigates friendships, puberty, and school all while exploring her spiritual identity. 
 
Review:
Despite being over fifty years old, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret mostly holds up as a funny, relatable coming-of-age story. The main character, Margaret, is a likable main character with a good heart and a good head on her shoulders. She balances relatability with a unique and bold personality. Although she makes mistakes, she is shown to be intelligent and capable. 
 
The book’s frank discussion of puberty and menstruation important and sensitively handled. The book is not a substitute for period education, but it does normalize the experience and shows how someone’s first time getting their period can be both exciting and a little scary. The other main theme of the book is religion, which is also explored in a thoughtful and child-appropriate manner. Margaret feels torn between the expectations of various people in her life about what religion (or lack of religion) she should follow, and she approaches the issue with an open mind. She attends various religious services and reads book on the subject, and she refuses to let anyone tell her what religion to follow, all the while maintaining her own relationship with God. The book also showcases how religion can cause conflict in adult relationships. 
 
Besides the major themes of puberty and religion, the book also follows Margaret as she goes about daily life as a preteen girl. We watch Margaret make friends, enjoy quality time with her grandmother (another fun character), develop crushes, gossip, complete schoolwork, and settle into life in New Jersey. These less dramatic parts of the story serve to help Margaret feel like a real person and heighten the story’s relatability. 
 
My main critique of the book is that it is about fifty pages too short. Blume takes her time building up Margaret’s character and problems, but the climax and falling action are handled way too quickly. I would have liked to see more time spent unpacking the main conflict and the lessons learned from it.  
 
The only critique of the content I have is the handling of an issue regarding Margaret’s male fourth-grade teacher, Mr. Benedict, and another girl in her class, Laura.
Margaret hears rumors that Mr. Benedict treats Laura differently because she is the only girl in the class with fully developed breasts. Margaret assumes that this is true and observes some behaviors that might indicate this to be the case. However, the whole situation is rather ambiguous because we later learn that the source of these rumors is highly unreliable. I would have liked to have seen more in the book that a) clearly indicates that a teacher treating a child differently because of how their body has developed is NOT OKAY and/or b) indicates that Mr. Benedict is not, in fact, a creep. As it stands, the book treats it as an unfortunate but “to be expected” sort of thing. If your child is reading this book, I suggest having a conversation about what behaviors are not appropriate from teachers and other authority figures.
 
The Run-Down: 
You will probably like Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret if:
·      You are a fan of Judy Blume’s other works
·      You are interested in reading about themes of growing up and religion 
·      You are a preteen navigating puberty
 
You might not like Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret if:
·      You want to read a book that tackles puberty from a more modern perspective (this book mostly holds up, but it does show its age at points)
·      You dislike rushed endings
 
A Similar Book: 
Twelve by Lauren Myracle (the second book in the “Winnie Years” series). I recommend this book if you loved Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret and want something similar or if you are looking for a more modern story that deals with similar issues. Similarities between these books include:
·      A twelve-year-old girl as the protagonist
·      Explorations of friendship and growing up
·      “Slice of life” style
·      Frank discussions of puberty and menstruation
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