Judy Blume, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
Featured Book
The proto-YA novel
Since it first appeared in 1970, Judy Blume’s third novel — technically classified as middle grade — has become the standard bearer for the confessional, first-person YA narrative. Margaret Simon is a sixth grader with a Jewish dad and Christian mom who is struggling to establish her own relationship with God — thus, the frequent direct addresses to the almighty. In the meantime, she’s also fretting about the development (or lack thereof) of her breasts, wondering when she’ll finally get her period and trying to find her voice among her group of friends. Though the novel was controversial in its day, it seems rather quiet by comparison to today’s stories of meth addiction, school shootings and the sexual escapades of Gossip Girl. Nevertheless, Margaret has inspired generations of writers for young readers to delve into the most personal, most excruciating aspects of adolescence, while simultaneously inspiring generations of readers to feel okay about their training bras.
