Book ~ "Are You There God? It's Me Margaret" (1970) Judy Blume

From Amazon ~ If anyone tried to determine the most common rite of passage for preteen girls in North America, a girl's first reading of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret would rank near the top of the list. Judy Blume and her character Margaret Simon were the first to say out loud (and in a book even) that it is normal for girls to wonder when they are ever going to fill out their training bras. Puberty is a curious and annoying time. Girls' bodies begin to do freakish things - or, as in Margaret's case, they don't do freakish things nearly as fast as girls wish they would. Adolescents are often so relieved to discover that someone understands their body-angst that they miss one of the book's deeper explorations: a young person's relationship with God. Margaret has a very private relationship with God and it's only after she moves to New Jersey and hangs out with a new friend that she discovers that it might be weird to talk to God without a priest or a rabbi to mediate. Margaret just wants to fit in! Who is God, and where is He when she needs Him? She begins to look into the cups of her training bra for answers ...

I can remember reading this book when I was in grade six (1973/74).

I've always loved reading and this is one of the few books I can remember reading when I was young (the Nancy Drew series and Trixie Belden series also stand out).

I just reread it even though it's been a long long while since I've been 11.

It's a quick read and I didn't mind that it's dated in spots (it's pre-computers, they are still playing records, and boys and girls dress up to go to parties). It was still a good story and holds its own after all these years.

Did you read it when you were young? How long has it been since you read it?