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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
First Judy Blume book ever! I’m not sure if I loved this so much because of the book itself but because of how much I loved the movie which was so true to the book. I feel like it really encompasses those preteen emotions and worries. My only complaint is I wish it was longer and I wish I would have read this as a preteen.
I reread this book for the first time since middle school as part of a banned books summer reading challenge. And it’s crazy to me that folks are so worked up about this. It’s a perfectly slice of life middle school age book.
Re-reading as an adult.
This is not a book I liked as a kid. At Margaret’s age, I didn’t want anything to do with either puberty or religion. I don’t remember actually throwing the book across the room, but I might have. That was very much my reaction to it at the time.
More than twenty-five years later, I wanted to see what the book looks like without such very fresh chips on my shoulder. And in some ways, I think Margaret’s attitude about puberty is healthier than mine was. (Perhaps I sensed that at the time and it just made me angrier.) She’s excited to grow up, curious about the changes she’s about to go through. I don’t love the way that excitement translates into pressure, from herself and from her friends, for her body to change sooner, and I still struggle to imagine seeing periods as anything other than a complete ducking nuisance. But it's ok, I guess.
It amuses me that recent editions of this have updated the language around sanitary pads - Margaret now refers to sticking it in her underwear instead of messing with a belt - when so many other details scream 1970. I don’t disagree with the choice - when I read it in the ‘90s, sanitary belts were long gone and I know that detail confused some readers! But knowing the change was made makes me chuckle.
What stood out most this time is how absolutely awful most of the kids are. I pin a lot of it on Margaret’s friend Nancy Wheeler, who is pushy and manipulative. Margaret eventually learns not to take her word for granted, but they stay friends, while I spent the whole book disliking Nancy. She’s not a full-on Regina George, but the hurtful rumor she spreads about Laura is bad. We finally hear from Laura near the end of the book, but we never see any kind of confrontation over Nancy's lies - realistic in a sad, mundane way. (I hope Laura has supportive friendships that Margaret just doesn't know about.) And the party at Norman’s house is still completely horrifying. Am I telling on myself as an anxious introvert who would have wanted to flee the scene at a party like that? Possibly.
The religion piece strikes me now as completely inoffensive - it just happened to hit the other large chip on my eleven-year-old shoulder. Margaret has one parent who was raised Jewish, the other Christian, but who have both chosen to leave those traditions behind. Their daughter is curious about this, too, and seems not to know much. In some ways, I think I was ahead of her here: I grew up Unitarian, which in my case meant atheist but with community, and our religious education included a fair amount of “you need to be literate in what other faith communities believe.” But like Margaret, I occasionally got flack from kids at school for not believing as most people in our (decidedly conservative) community did. At eleven, I couldn’t imagine why Margaret would want to bother with religion if she didn’t have to. At thirty-eight, I appreciate that Blume is providing an example of examining what you believe and why and what it means for you.
This is not a book I liked as a kid. At Margaret’s age, I didn’t want anything to do with either puberty or religion. I don’t remember actually throwing the book across the room, but I might have. That was very much my reaction to it at the time.
More than twenty-five years later, I wanted to see what the book looks like without such very fresh chips on my shoulder. And in some ways, I think Margaret’s attitude about puberty is healthier than mine was. (Perhaps I sensed that at the time and it just made me angrier.) She’s excited to grow up, curious about the changes she’s about to go through. I don’t love the way that excitement translates into pressure, from herself and from her friends, for her body to change sooner, and I still struggle to imagine seeing periods as anything other than a complete ducking nuisance. But it's ok, I guess.
It amuses me that recent editions of this have updated the language around sanitary pads - Margaret now refers to sticking it in her underwear instead of messing with a belt - when so many other details scream 1970. I don’t disagree with the choice - when I read it in the ‘90s, sanitary belts were long gone and I know that detail confused some readers! But knowing the change was made makes me chuckle.
What stood out most this time is how absolutely awful most of the kids are. I pin a lot of it on Margaret’s friend Nancy Wheeler, who is pushy and manipulative. Margaret eventually learns not to take her word for granted, but they stay friends, while I spent the whole book disliking Nancy. She’s not a full-on Regina George, but the hurtful rumor she spreads about Laura is bad. We finally hear from Laura near the end of the book, but we never see any kind of confrontation over Nancy's lies - realistic in a sad, mundane way. (I hope Laura has supportive friendships that Margaret just doesn't know about.) And the party at Norman’s house is still completely horrifying. Am I telling on myself as an anxious introvert who would have wanted to flee the scene at a party like that? Possibly.
The religion piece strikes me now as completely inoffensive - it just happened to hit the other large chip on my eleven-year-old shoulder. Margaret has one parent who was raised Jewish, the other Christian, but who have both chosen to leave those traditions behind. Their daughter is curious about this, too, and seems not to know much. In some ways, I think I was ahead of her here: I grew up Unitarian, which in my case meant atheist but with community, and our religious education included a fair amount of “you need to be literate in what other faith communities believe.” But like Margaret, I occasionally got flack from kids at school for not believing as most people in our (decidedly conservative) community did. At eleven, I couldn’t imagine why Margaret would want to bother with religion if she didn’t have to. At thirty-eight, I appreciate that Blume is providing an example of examining what you believe and why and what it means for you.
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Perfectly captures the life of a 6th Grade girl in the 1970s. A walk down memory lane!
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
lighthearted
medium-paced
I never read this classic but I see it on a lot of “must read” lists. It was published well after I was considered a young adult. LOL So, now I’m curious about what I missed out on.
I would consider this more of a middle grade novel rather than YA. I thought it was a wonderful story and I wish I had read it when I was a young teen or a pre-teen.
I would consider this more of a middle grade novel rather than YA. I thought it was a wonderful story and I wish I had read it when I was a young teen or a pre-teen.
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Aprecio lo sincero y explícito que es al relatar la vida de Margaret pero 1) ya no soy la demográfica de este libro y 2) mi preadolescencia fue radicalmente distinta así que tampoco encontré una apreciación nostálgica.