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.