Muggie Maggie

Muggie Maggie is a 1990 early reader’s chapter book by renowned children’s book author Beverly Cleary. In the story, third grader Maggie Schultz is offended when her parents make light of her concerns about learning cursive writing. On a whim, Maggie decides to refuse to learn cursive and insists that it is useless since she can print and type. Maggie’s stubbornness about cursive exasperates her parents, teachers, classmates—and even herself. However, when Maggie becomes the “Message Monitor,” she realizes that she must learn cursive so that she can decode her teacher’s private messages to the principal. Through Maggie’s story, Cleary explores themes of Learning From Failure, The Influence of Peer Relationships on Children, and Children’s Expressions of Independence.

This guide refers to the HarperCollins e-book edition.

Plot Summary

Third grader Maggie Schultz arrives home from her first day of school, enthusiastically greeting her dog, Kisser, and her parents. When Maggie reveals that her class will soon learn cursive writing, her parents laugh at her dramatic attitude and assure her that she will like it. Maggie’s feelings are hurt, and she decides that she will not like cursive writing or even try to learn it at all.