Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

3.86 of 5 stars 3.86  ·  rating details  ·  90,337 ratings  ·  3,064 reviews
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret



No one ever told Margaret Simon that eleven-going-on- twelve would be such a hard age.When her family moves to New Jersey, she has to adjust to life in the suburbs, a different school, and a whole new group of friends.Margaret knows she needs someone to talk to about growing up-and it's not long before she's found a solution.



Are you the...more
Paperback, 149 pages
Published June 1st 1986 by Yearling (first published 1970)
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Erin
I first read this book in kindergarten. After getting into an argument with the PTA lady running the school book fair about whether or not I could buy the book (I thought she was trying to imply that I couldn't read it, which I found insulting) - an argument that was ultimately settled by a call home to my mom - I brought the book home and read it all on a Friday night. Up past my bedtime, I snuck downstairs, where my parents were entertaining friends, and announced that I had a question about w...more
K.D. Oliveros
Oct 12, 2011 K.D. Oliveros rated it 3 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition
Recommended to K.D. by: Time 100
Shelves: chick-lit, time-100, ya
During the final round in the 2011 Miss Universe pageant, Miss Philippines Shamcey Supsup was asked this question:
”Would you change your religious beliefs to marry the person you love? Why or why not?”
Supsup answered:
”If I had to change my religious beliefs, I will not marry the person that I love. Because the first person that I love is GOD who created me. And I have my faith and my principles. And these what make makes me who I am. And if that person loves me, he should love my God too. Th
...more
Tiphany
Jan 31, 2008 Tiphany rated it 4 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: People who use the word "menses".
Oh, how I do miss the 1970 edition of this book. Somehow the cute little cover girl of the new edition, what with the sparkling eyes and her head in the clouds, doesn't express the loneliness and contemplative nature of Miss M. in the same way the little girl with lank brown hair and brown knee socks did. And how else can one completely alarm and overwhelm a modern 10-year-old about the mysteries of the pubescent female body without the mention of the belt?

When I first read the book, not only wa...more
John
I read this book again very recently as part of a program in which volunteers help teach childen and adults who have difficulty with reading and comprehension to read for understanding and ulimately enjoyment.

The girl I was reading with was very moved by the book. I guess, I had taken it for granted. Blume clearly knows her audience and speaks to them. As a young, fat boy, I read Blubber and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (along with 1001 Arabian Nights) over and over under the covers by the y...more
Snarky's
I read this book while living in Greece and listening to Kasey Casem's top forty. I remember that "Total Eclipse of the Heart" was the number one song and I also remember Casey telling the story of Bonnie Tyler's vocal dramedy and comeback. What does it have to do with this book? Um, not much.

I was about ten, aleady had boobs and a period (both of which I wanted to jettison). I found the book amusing because I could relate to the religious power struggle that plagued our protag. Also I was the...more
Stina
Isn't it pathetic that as a girl, once you learn about periods, you just can't wait to get one, and then for the rest of your life, you just wish the effers would go away? Except of course, the periods that show up JUST when you need them to- like when one is perhaps a few days late and not super confident in her decision-making skills during the last month. Those periods are probably even better than the satisfaction of that very first one.

anique Halliday
Every Saturday growing up, my mother would drop me off at the public library and wouldn't come back for several hours. Instead of dwelling on the problem of abandonment, I got lost in the stacks and one day found this book. I remember loving it and rooting for and identifying with the main character--a girl trying to reach out, needing only someone to listen to her as she tries to figure out what the hell is going on.
Bethany
May 31, 2007 Bethany rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: preteen girls
It's difficult for me to assign ratings to books like this. It's a solid book for pre-teen girls. I must've read it a long time ago, because I totally remember the "I must, I must, I must increase my bust!" business, but I read it again recently, in the interest of being well-informed about the "classics" in children's literature.

Margaret's family is Jewish, she hasn't yet decided, and she's just, you know. She's just trying to grow up, in a new town, with new friends. Blah blah blah periods.
Judy
Nov 05, 2012 Judy rated it 3 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: 6th grade girls and their moms

THE SUNDAY FAMILY READ


Judy Blume is nine years older than I am. I did not read her books growing up because they weren't published yet. They would have helped me a great deal but by the time this one was published in 1970, I was married and having my first baby.

I decided to read this now because I have come to the part of my memoir where I need to write about my early awareness of sex and all that goes along with changing from a child to a teen to a young woman. I found myself very blocked and f...more
Crystal
Jul 26, 2007 Crystal rated it 5 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: any female, woman or girl
This is the ultimate book that every female, whatever her age, should read AT LEAST once! It's the charming story of 12 year old Margaret who learns what entering into womanhood is about. It's everything, we as females, go through from a young girl through the awkwardness of puberty. IT will make you smile and giggle. I've read this book no less than 200 times...really. My copy is so worn the pages are falling out and the binding is completely shot. Judy Blume knows how to write them!!!
melissa
I was prohibited from reading Judy Blume books. My parents said so. So, beginning in the seventh grade, I secretly checked them out from the school library and hid in my room and read them instead of doing homework. Ahhh, clandestine reading. This was the first that I read and, though not my favorite Judy Blume, definitely something I wouldn't mind taking a crack at now. I wonder if it would be as good reading it now that my parents don't care?
Bethany
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
lita
Margareth kebingungan. Guru baru di sekolahnya memberi tugas untuk menuliskan rencana apa yang akan ia lakukan di hari raya nanti. Margareth bingung, karena sejak kecil ia tidak pernah merasakan perayaan hari besar agama di rumah. Ayahnya Yahudi, sementara ibunya penganut Kristen. Margareth tidak tahu agama apa yang ia anut...

Cerita dalam buku ini telah mengajarkanku bagaimana memaknai agama yang ada di dunia, dan bagaimana aku menghargai para penganutnya. Kurang lebih, aku punya pengalaman yang...more
Sondang
I bought this book when I was in my elementary school. I remembered asking my dad to give me the money to buy this, after I saw the review in Bobo.
I loooove the story back then, and I guess I still do –but I couldn’t find the book at Gramedia these days, since I lost mine to a friend-
The story is about nine (or ten? Or twelve?) years old Margareth, who had three best friends and a big brother who has a cute friend.
The story is about Margareth’s days and all her wishes as an ackward young girl, w...more
meg
so i re-read this a couple of years ago, and i still loved it just as much. but they revised little bits in the text to update it! so weird. all that stuff about her getting her period? all the references to the BELT etc. are now gone. i remember that confusing me even back in the day (aka the 80s), but it's still odd to me to edit stuff like that. but they also slapped a new hideous live action preteen girl cover treatment on it too, so why stop there?!
Jodie
Oct 05, 2008 Jodie rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: young adults, teenagers
Shelves: young-adult
I remember LOVING this book when I first read it as a younger teen. I want to read it again, since the only part of it I can truly remember is "I must, I must, I must increase my bust!" haha... - I remember thinking why would any girl want to increase the size of her bust? I hated my boobs, they were bigger than all my friends & I was a tomboy! oh, the agony!

I definitely need to get this from the library & read it again.
Carolyn Heinze
Re-read this recently for the hell of it and was once again swept away by Blume's talent for capturing the adolescent spirit (god, how awful puberty was). Unfortunately, the newer addition featured some technical updates (women will know what I mean), and I see why they did this, however I think girls today would be well served to learn how clunky feminine hygiene products were back when Margaret first hit the shelves.
Camille
This book is often considered a "rite of passage" book for young girls -- a must read, both for those who are about to go through puberty and for those who have been. The story itself dives through a lot of serious topics that kids are often left out of in the discussion process. Parts of the story were so silly I found myself giggling. Overall, though, Blume captures the confusion and complexity of growing older.
Victoria Karalun
Another period-fest from Judy Blume. This time centered around Margaret, an 11-year old who is questioning her relationship with God. She wants to believe in him, but doesn't know where to find him. I love the religious open-mindedness of this book, which probably was quite rare when the book was written in 1970. It could stand to be a little longer to explore some of the themes more, but I loved the general angst and simplicity. The unrealistic part for me is how excited the girls seem to be to...more
Hope
I recently unearthed a copy of one of my childhood favorites. I like books with the cover they had on them when *I* read them. Mine was purple with a drawn Margaret in an ugly orange dress. I wonder if updated versions of this book forego the sanitary napkin belts business? I'll have to check at a bookstore.
Mery
waktu lagi ngobrol-ngobrol sama Kak Lita, beliau menceritakan masa kecilnya dengan buku-buku yang beliau baca :D

Lalu Kak Lita menyebutkan judul Tuhan, Ini Aku, Margaret karya Judy Blume.

Yang tebersit di kepalaku adalah Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. Dengan cover Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. Agak ragu juga sih, sama ga yah maksudnya. Karena cover yang kulihat itu kayaknya baru...

Pas kemarin siaran sama Kak Lita, beliau membawakan buku edisi Gramedia ini... :D

Dan baru pas masukkin entry ini aku ngeh ternyata buku ya...more
Paige
I've read all of this series several times, each, and also count myself lucky to have experienced the Beverly Cleary Ramona Quimby books, and countless others. I read so many books as a kid that my mother had to donate many large garbage bags full of books several times a year to the local hospital and other organizations. Best part of childhood, really. What I like especially about the Judy Blume books is that it deals with feelings, which are not easy things to manage in the vulnerable pre-tee...more
Lizzie S.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Jennifer
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret is a story about a young girl who is experiencing all the trials and tribulations of becoming a young woman.

Margaret Simon is almost 12 years old when her family moves from New York City to a house in Farbrook, New Jersey. Margaret's father works in an insurance office and commutes back and forth. Her mother likes to paint pictures of food and her Grandmother is always knitting sweaters for Margaret. Margaret's father is Jewish and her mother is Christian, th...more
Tina
Original post at One More Page

I think my mom bought this book because God is in the title. If I were only getting this now, I'd buy it for the same reasons, which goes to show how I am such my mother's daughter. :)

I read this just as I was about to turn thirteen, I think. From the very start of the book, I liked Margaret. It's so easy to relate to her. She's a very normal kid with a normal family who has typical questions about growing up. She's feeling changes in her body, and she's learning ab...more
Jessica
Nov 17, 2007 Jessica rated it 2 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: don't jump the gun, wait until you're Margaret's age, and totally crazy
This book made no sense to me (no, I didn't read it en español, that was just the best cover). I thought the characters were totally crazy, and couldn't relate at all to their bizarre obsessions and behavior. I could not for the life of me figure out why anyone in her right mind would look forward to bleeding out of her private parts, let alone what was so desirable about wearing a bra, or growing breasts in the first place, let along pubic hair (ew!). Later on, sadly, I would become all too fam...more
Jessica
This was the coming of age touchstone for my generation of girls growing up in the 70s (with that iconic purple cover showing Margaret and her hair), and coming across it in the library recently, I was thrilled and a little amazed to see how well it holds up. The highly-publicized tweaks to make self-adhesive the menstrual pads with belts didn't bother me at all, and no doubt makes it more immediate for a contemporary audience, where they might have viewed it as a relic. Blume captures perfectly...more
Hope
Its 1 of the best BOOKS i ever read in class with my friend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!









to:everybody

from:hope











Jessica
I was not allowed to read Judy Blume as a kid, so of course I read any one of them I could find and hide from my mom. This is a fun one, one of the quintessential girl-growing-up books, and yet I had a bit of a hard time with it. You see, unlike just about every other girl (according to a number of books I read in the 1980's with young girl protagonists), I wasn't waiting with bated breath to get my period. Nope. Not interested. So books that revolved around finding out what that was like, or we...more
Jennifer
Sep 21, 2007 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: Girls, age 8-13
I honestly believe in my heart that every American woman from about age 25-35 read this book around the same age I did. Either one of her friends told her about it, the school nurse gave it to her, or her mom bought it and said it would explain things.

This book is occassionally banned by school districts due to its discussion of female puberty and religion. I don't remember it being especially new when I was the age of the characters (Blume sets many of her novels in Princeton, and we ALL read...more
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.:.Book Bodega.:.: Comment As You Read | Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret 13 10 Nov 15, 2012 02:43pm  
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret (Hardcover)
Are You There God?  It's Me, Margaret (Mass Market Paperback)
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret (Paperback)
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret (Hardcover)
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (Paperback)

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Judy Blume spent her childhood in Elizabeth, New Jersey, making up stories inside her head. She has spent her adult years in many places doing the same thing, only now she writes her stories down on paper. Adults as well as children will recognize such Blume titles as: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret; Blubber; Just as Long as We're Together; and the five book series about the irrepressible Fu...more
More about Judy Blume...
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (Fudge, #1) Summer Sisters Superfudge (Fudge, #3) Forever Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great (Fudge #2)

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“We must, we must, we must increase our bust.” 37 people liked it
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