Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret is a 1970 middle-grade novel by bestselling American author Judy Blume. The story focuses on 11-year-old Margaret Ann Simon and her family’s move to New Jersey at the beginning of her sixth-grade year. As Margaret navigates her new public school and new friend dynamics, she struggles to form a positive self-image about her changing body and starts exploring her religious beliefs. Although it was not Blume’s first novel, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret is often considered the novel that launched Blume’s career as a bestselling author, and the novel has been adapted into a feature film of the same name that premiered in April 2023 to critical acclaim. The novel has been praised for its unflinching exploration of the topics of change, growing up, puberty, friendship, family, bullying, religious identity, womanhood, and finding a place to belong. The novel was awarded the Outstanding Book of the Year Award by the New York Times in 1970, the Young Hoosier Book Award in 1976, the Nene Award in 1975, and the Golden Archer Award in 1974. The version used for this guide is the eBook of the Delacorte Press imprint of Random House Children’s Books.

Plot Summary

When 11-year-old Margaret Ann Simon returns home from summer camp, she is surprised to learn that her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Simon, have bought a house in New Jersey. The Simons leave behind their old life (and Margaret’s overbearing but affectionate paternal grandmother) in New York City and settle into the suburban town of Farbrook. Margaret quickly befriends one of the girls in her neighborhood, Nancy Wheeler, who is determined to grow up and dive into the world of makeup, boys, and bras. Margaret starts to hang out with Nancy and her friends Gretchen and Janie, and the girls decide that they should all start wearing bras and let the other group members know as soon as they get their periods.

On the first day of sixth grade, Margaret attends her new public school and notices one of the girls, Laura Danker, who is very tall and has noticeable breasts. Nancy tells Margaret that Laura is promiscuous and has a bad reputation, and Margaret finds herself becoming increasingly jealous of Laura’s grown-up appearance. Margaret’s jealousy starts to extend to her new friends, especially when Nancy brags about having a larger bra size, and Gretchen is the first in their group to get her period. Margaret starts to pray to God every night to give her breasts and let her get her period, but as months go by and nothing changes, Margaret becomes desperate and worries that she will never be normal like the other girls. Margaret’s sixth-grade year presents new social situations that she has never faced before. Margaret goes to her first real party and has her first kiss with the most handsome boy in her class, Philip Leroy. She develops a crush on Nancy’s brother’s friend Moose and realizes how unkind she and her friends have been to Laura Danker.

Margaret’s parents are from different religious backgrounds, and because of past trauma with Margaret’s mother’s parents, the Simons have decided to raise their daughter with no religion and allow Margaret to choose for herself when she is older. As the school year continues, however, Margaret decides that the time has come to choose her religion so she can learn where she belongs in Farbrook. She goes to temple with her Jewish grandmother and church with her Christian friends, but Margaret doesn’t feel God’s presence anywhere she goes. In fact, Margaret only feels God’s presence when she privately prays to him.

One day, Margaret learns that her maternal grandparents are coming to New Jersey on an unexpected visit. Margaret is upset when she learns that she will have to cancel her plans to spend her spring break in Florida with Grandma, and when her mother’s parents arrive, the family quickly gets wrapped up in a heated argument about religion. Margaret’s maternal grandparents insist that because Margaret’s mother was born into a Christian family, Margaret must be Christian. Meanwhile, Margaret’s paternal grandmother insists that because Margaret’s father is Jewish, Margaret must be Jewish. As the old arguments take over her mind, Margaret declares that she isn’t any religion and is done with trying to figure out what she is supposed to be. She stops praying altogether and realizes that choosing one’s religion is harder than expected.

As school winds down and summer vacation approaches, Margaret realizes how much she has changed over the past year. She knows that she allowed Nancy’s influence to take over her life, and she lost sight of who she was and became obsessed with bras and periods. As Margaret prepares to leave for summer camp, she finally gets her period and is overjoyed. Although Margaret has been giving God the cold shoulder, she breaks down and thanks him for letting her finally feel normal like everyone else.