Children's Literature. The Controversy in Judy Blume's "Are You There God? It's Me Margaret"

Literature Review , 2015 , 11 Pages , Grade: 99.0

Sociology - Children and Youth

This paper sets out to examine the controversial issues of the book “Are You there God? It’s me Margaret”, and the level suitable for reading. The book by Judy Blume (1970), takes on a humorous and insightful journey through the pubescent stage of twelve year old Margaret Simon’s life. We hear all her private thoughts about what goes on in her life and what she would rather happen in her life. While Blume’s book, is an profound and comical read for pre-teen girls, I believe that students in fifth grade and higher should be able to read the book.

While the language of the book is simple for the reading level of a third grader (Titlewave), the content is too mature for them and should be selected for older, preteen students who understand and are in the midst of going through those stages in life.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Evaluation
• Controversial Issues
  • Issue one
  • Issue two
• Final Decision
• Conclusion

Objectives and Key Themes

This book review explores the appropriateness of Judy Blume's "Are You There God? It's Me Margaret" for fifth-grade and higher students. It analyzes the book's content, particularly the portrayal of pre-teen experiences and controversial themes, against the backdrop of contemporary realistic fiction criteria.

• The challenges of navigating puberty and the complexities of adolescence
• The search for religious identity and the exploration of faith
• The importance of realistic and relatable characters in young adult literature
• The impact of social and cultural pressures on pre-teen girls
• The role of literature in providing comfort and understanding during difficult life transitions

Chapter Summaries

The introduction examines the book's humorous and insightful portrayal of twelve-year-old Margaret Simon's life, highlighting the themes of puberty, faith, and social pressures. The evaluation section discusses the book's alignment with contemporary realistic fiction, emphasizing the relatable characters and situations. The controversial issues section delves into the book's exploration of religion, sexuality, and body image, which may be considered inappropriate for some readers. The final decision section presents the author's conclusion on the book's suitability for different age groups.

Keywords

This review focuses on the key concepts of contemporary realistic fiction, pre-teen development, religious exploration, puberty, body image, and relatable characters. The book's exploration of controversial issues and its potential impact on young readers are also central to the discussion.

• College: Winthrop University
• Course: Children's Literature
• Grade: 99.0
• Author: Phyllis Economy (Author)
• Publication Year: 2015
• Pages: 11
• Catalog Number: V367240
• ISBN (eBook): 9783668458642
• ISBN (Book): 9783668458659
• Language: English
• Tags: children, literature, controversy, judy, blume, there, margaret