It’s Monday! What are you reading?

“Are you there God it’s me Margaret” by Judy Blume.

Originally this book was published in 1970 and was placed on the challenged book list for mentioning of matters issues like menstruation, breast development and religion.  None this could be known at first glance at the front cover of the book.  The cover has a picture of Margaret a young girl with a mischievous smile, crystal clear eyes and unmanaged hair.

The main character in this book in Margret Ann Simons who tells the story in first person. Margaret has new friends now that she has moved from New York to New Jersey and they are Nancy, Gretchen, and Janie.  Margaret throughout her 6th grade year with these new friends learns a few lessons and tells us her story of maturing.  A secret club is formed by the 4 girls where they discuss boys, periods and bras. They are required to make a list of the boys they are interested in from 1-3 each week. Margaret is secretly interested in an older boy named Moose but will not reveal that to the club members. Margaret is also forming a relationship with God. Her parents have allowed Margaret to find her own religion when she grows up but she has started searching now on her own accord and as school project.

Margaret spends her 6th grade year waiting for her body to develop and this is painful for Margaret because she begins think her body will never develop.  Equally pressing on her is the desire to have a relationship with God.  As she is waiting for God to reveal himself to her she becomes angry and distances herself from God. Though is impatient for Gods revelation of himself to her she continues to search secretly in a variety of churches as well as each night during her prayers. Each day is closed with a prayer that begins the same way, “Are you there God?  It’s me Margaret…”. In the end Margaret’s body matures and her personal relationship with God continues as it has though her anger has subsided.  She also learns that not everyone can be trusted including her best friend Nancy.

Not only are her friends maturing but Margaret is forced to stay home and miss a trip to Florida where she desperately wants to spend Spring break with her beloved Grandma.  She is not able to go because her mother’s parents are coming for a visit.  Margaret nor her parents are excited to welcome the estranged grandparents back into their lives after a dispute over religion.  During this time Margaret also is witness to her parent’s conflicts with each other and their own parents.  Action begins to fall when Margaret gets her period, and her grandmother leaves Florida to visit Margaret.  Most of Margaret’s problems are resolved naturally and with patience even the tension within her family.

The setting of this story is primarily in neighborhood where her new school and new friends live.  Her bedroom is her safe haven a place of solitude and the place where a “Playboy” magazine was viewed by the 4 club members.  The setting is important because it shows how narrow a child’s world can be even when New York City is short bus ride away. I don’t think the setting would have changed what the characters did even if it was outside of the United States or in a rural area since what we are reading about is the struggles of puberty.

The theme of this story is seeking knowledge one’s body, establishing friendships and the misery felt when we have little control of our lives.  The mood of this book is serious, Margaret in this book is edgy and easily erupts in fits of anger.  She is not aware of her hormones surging but it is clear because of  her moods shifting frequently.  Tension exists between her friend Nancy and herself from the beginning.  There is also tension between her and her mother that is typical in adolescence,  tension is also present in her relationships at school.

This book despite the frustration in Margaret’s heart made me laugh out loud several times.  I would recommend this book to young readers as well as to mother’s who may need an ice breaker when talking to their young daughter about the facts of life.

Here is my story on what I encountered during Banned and Challenged Book Week 2016, in Central Nebraska.

At my local library when I went a very noticeable highly decorated small book shelf was place near a large sitting area.  The display was completely out of place next to Victorian style lighting and the fireplace were anyone can pour themselves a  fresh coffee to sip on while reading in one of the plush sofa’s.  The bright yellow caution tape wrapped all around the book shelf was impossible not to notice.  Along with that there were signs taped to the case that read “banned and challenged” or “read at your own risk” of course the signs were in neon colors that went well with the yellow tape.  I also noticed that on the small book shelf there weren’t any children’s books.  When I asked the librarian why she was not able to give me an answer.  She did however take me to the children’s section where we located several books on this list.