Are You There, God?

It’s Me, Margaret.

A novel written by Jude Blume; published 1970

 Chapter 1

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret begins as

Margaret Simon talks to God. She tells God that
they were moving to New Jersey and she’s scared
and worried that she might hate her new school or
her new classmates will hate her because they never
lived anywhere but in their apartment with her
family in New York City. However, her family is
moving to the New York in the suburb of Farbrook,
New Jersey, where Margaret's father can commute
to Manhattan for work and where Margaret's mother
can have all the "grass, trees, and flowers she ever
wanted." Margaret feels that her parents left the city
because of her grandma, Sylvia Simon, has had a lot
of impact on her life. As an only child, Margaret has
been consistently spoiled by her grandma. Since
Sylvia hate buses and she thinks all trains are dirty
and also she doesn't have a car to drive, Margaret
think that she will not be seeing a lot of her
grandparent.
 Chapter 2

Not long after the Simons move in, a neighbor

seems like have the same age of Margaret, Nancy
Wheeler, cometo their new house and welcomes
Margaret to play in the sprinklers. Margaret can't
find her swimming outfit and borrow one of
Nancy's, yet she's embarrassed to change before
Nancy since her chest hasn't started to develop yet.
She feels self conscious and undeveloped, until
Nancy ask whether she ever kissed a boy and she
tell that she hasn't. Nancy is obsessed to grow up,
and keeps a drawerfilled with cosmetics that she
means to wear in public later on. Margaret at that
point meets Nancy's mom, who trusts that
Margaret's mom will be active in playing bowl and
bridge including a carpool to Sunday School.
Margaret, doesn't go to Sunday schoolsince her
mom is Christian and her dad is Jewish, Margaret
has not been raised with a specific religion, and is
rather expected to pick her own once she's mature
enough. The two young ladies go outside to go
around in the sprinklers, however Nancy's older
brother Evan turns the water full, soaking Margaret
and Nancy. Margaret also meets Evan's who is
friend of Moose, who offers to cut the Simons' yard.
At night, Margaret talkto God about their new home.
Despite the fact that she isn't religious, she has a
personal relationship with God and regularly talkto
God when she's alone from everyone else.
 Chapter 3

The next day Simons went to the hardware store

where her father bought a deluxe power lawn
mower. Margaret’s father to do his own yard work
that at first turns down Moose’s offeryet after an
awful accident with their new lawnmower, he
chooses to give the work to Moose after all. It turns
out that the doctor who treats the harmed Mr. Simon
has a daughter that also the same age as Margaret.
The day before school begins, Margaret's
grandmother unexpectedly shows up at the house in
New Jersey, loaded down with food for laborday.
Margaret's parents aren't particularly excited with
this as far as concerns her, Sylvia toldMargaret that
they'll actually be as close as could be expected,
despite the fact that Margaret has moved away from
the city.
 Chapter 4

Margaret is anxious as she prepare for her first day

of school. Since Nancy told to her that nobody can
wears socks with loafers, Margaret chooses not to
wear socks. Unfortunately, her feet are hurting and
blistered when the time she finishe walking to the
school building. At the point when she gets to
school, she sees that some of the young ladies are
wearing socks anyway. The teacher for Margaret's
6th grade class is new, since the past teacher had
left the prior year. He comes in and quickly write
his name, "Miles J. Benedict Jr." on the board. He is
young and this is his first teaching position. He
requests all of his students to fill out "about me"
surveys. Margaret does such, writing her name,
nickname, likes, dislikes, expectation on that year
and what he think about male teachers. However
Margaret has a social issues to consider. During the
day, Nancy slips Margaret a note telling to her that
the secret club will meet that day after their school.
 Chapter 5

The other girls in the secret club, which meets at

Nancy's home, are Janie Loomis and Gretchen
Potter. Nancy and the other Farbrook girls quickly
start gossiping about a young lady named Laura
Danker, who is more developed than the other
young ladies and has gained reputation for "going
behind the A&P" with young men. Janie is likewise
convinced that Laura had already her period, and it
is exposed that none of other young ladies have had
it yet, which causes Margaret to feel calmed about
her own absence of development. The young ladies
at that point start thinking about a club name, after
attempting a couple of various choices, they settle
on the Four PTSes which means Pre-Teen
Sensations and give each other code names. Nancy
is Alexandra, and Margaret is Mavis. After making
a solemn vow of secrecy, each of four young ladies
is needed to think a rule for the new club. Nancy's
rule is that all members should wear bras, which
makes both Margaret and Janie uncomfortable of
the fact that they haven't began wearing bras at this
point. Gretchen announces that the first to get her
period needs to tell the others all about it. Nancy
says they all need to keep a Boy Book, which is a
notebook with a list of boys’names in order of how
they liked them. Incapable to think about a better
rule, Margaret concludes that the PTSes should
meet on a specific day every week. At the point
when Gretchen announces she can't do Tuesdays or
Thursdays due to Hebrew School, the conversation
goes to Margaret's lack of religion. After some
provoking, Margaret recounts the story behind her
unordinary status, her grandparents in Ohio would
not accept a Jewish son in-law. On her end, Sylvia
wasn't glad about having a Christian daughter in-
law, yet she accepted the situation. Other girls
appear to be intrigued by the social side of this, they
wonder how Margaret's family will settle between
the Y and the Jewish Community Centre. In the
long run, the PTSes conclude that they will meet on
Mondays, and Margaret returns home and inform
her mom that she would like to start wearing a bra.
 Chapter 6

At school the following day, Mr. Benedict asks

Margaret for what good reason she write on her
getting to know you paperthat she hatesreligious
holidays. She do not like to tell him at first, yet at
last she admits that her parents don't stick to a
specific religion and neither does she, however she
should pick one when she grows up. Afterward,
Sylvia call and tell to Margaret that she has a plan
to get them tickets for Lincoln Center shows one
Saturday every month. Fortunately, the Lincoln
Center excursions will not begin immediately,
because insaturday Margaret and her mom are
going bra shopping. During the shopping trip,
Margaret picks a special bra called a Gro-Bra,
which will develop with her as her bust expands.
While paying, Margaret saw Janie and run through
her, who is looking for her own bra too.
 Chapter 7

Margaret tried her new bra when she returns to their

home, and her father humiliates her during dinner
that evening by congratulating her on growing up.
That Monday in school, Margaret rapidly looks at
the boys in her class to figure out which ones she
needs to add to her Boy Book for the PTS meeting
later in the day. At that point, Mr. Benedict
announce that every student should start dealing
with a yearlong project about a personal topic
between Mr. Benedict and her students that is
something meaningful. He is clearly frustrated
when the students don't appear to be excited for this
project. Margaret notice that no one in the class is
afraidto Mr. Benedict, despite the fact that students
should typically be somewhat frightened of their
teacher. At the club meeting, it is admit that every
one of the members aside from Nancy have bought
Gro-Bras instead of regular bras. The young ladies
at that point analyze their Kid Books, and it is
shows that each and every girls in the club has
named Philip Leroy as the main most attractive boy.
At the point when the meeting end, the four young
ladies notice that Nancy's sibling Evan and Evan's
friend Moose have been eavesdropping. The
following day at school, the students mess up Mr.
Benedict by making peep commotions again and
again, yet spread all through the classroom so Mr.
Benedict can't pinpoint the doer. The next morning,
Mr. Benedict rearrange the students deskin a U
shape, and Margaret sits close to Laura Danker.
This deals with the peeping issue, yet when the
students takes the social studies examinations test,
everybody in the class decide that no one will put
their names on the test, so Mr. Benedict can't review
the papers.
 Chapter 8

The following morning every paper was marked

and had the proper name on it, Margaret had done
very well. Mr. Benedict has been successful in this
second conflict with his class.During class, Mr.
Benedict brings up the class about the year long
project. Margaret stresses over how to pick a
meaningful topic. A lot of things are meaningful to
her, however it is awkward to share them to Mr.
Benedict. She doesn't want to tell him regarding
Moose, about bras and what goes in them,or about
God. After Margaret thinking. She would not tell
Mr. Benedict that she talk to God, yet she could
study religion and disclose to her reconsider about
that. While in class, she has a quiet conversation
with God to find out if He would mindher doing a
project about him.On Saturday, it is the day for
Margaret's first trip to the Lincoln Center with her
grandmother. Margaret will take the ride to New
York alone, which never done. Her mom instruct
her about where to sit on the transport, and whom to
inquire as to whether she needs assistance like a
lady, ideally with kids. Margaret made a face to her
mother when her mom stops for a moment to talk
with the bus driver in which she refers to Margaret
as this littlegirl.After the performance , Margaret
ask as to whether she can go to templesomeday.
This question energizes her grandmother almost to
tears, and she declare that Margaret is real genuine
Jewish girl. Margaret says without a doubt that she
isn't Jewish, she simply needs to learnabout religion.
This doesn't lessenher grandmother happiness, and
she says she will make arrangementsfor Margaret to
go to temple on the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah.
At the point when Margaret ask her mom about
temple, her mom says, That is ridiculous!Margaret
fights that she has consistently been advised she
would be permitted to pick a religion when she
grew up, yet her mom says Margaret isn't almost
grown up enough yet. Aftera moment, she chooses
not to keep Margaret from going. Afterward,
Margaret tells God regarding going to temple. I'll
search for you God,she says.
 Chapter 9

Margaret's parents get her another set of fancy

garments to wear to temple. This approves with
Margaret, in spite of the fact that they demand that
she wear white gloves, which cause her hands to
feel sweat-soaked. She gets the gloves dirty on the
bus, so she takes them off and hides them in her
purse. At temple, Margaret watches the process of
religion cautiously. She takes note of that an usher
takes people to their seats, and that people smile at
her when her grandmaintroduced her. She
appreciates the organ music, and she thinks the
rabbi's garments look very like garments she has
seen on priesttime to time. Margaret doesn't
understand the words the rabbi expresses. A
significant part of the assistance is led in Hebrew,
which she doesn't understand. In any event, when
the rabbi communicates in English, she can't sort
out what he implies. She puts effort, in reading
along from a prayer book when every other person
does. However, the message is long, and in the end
she quits of attempting to sort it out. Instead, she
counts the caps on the people around her. On way
out of the temple, grandma takes Margaret to meet
the rabbi. He shakes her hand and wishes her Happy
New Year in Hebrew, laughing when she doesn't
understand. She says she loved the service, and he
welcomes her back at whatever point she prefers.
Get to know us and God," he says. At home,
Margaret's parents give her the third degree. This
time, she says the service was okay. Her dad ask
out if she learnedf anything, and she is confused.
She reveals to him the number of caps she tallied,
and this makes him giggle. He admits that when he
was a kid, he killed time during sermons by
countingcap with feathers. Margaret's discussion
with God that evening is upbeat.By one year from
now, Margaret desires to know which religion to
hoose. At the point when she gets that sorted out,
she will realize whether to join the Y or the Jewish
Community Centre, and she won't stand apart so
much.
 Chapter 10

Margaret go to churchfor the first with Janie

Loomis, who is the closest friend of Margaret.
Margaret notice that church is actually similar to
temple, except for the service is in English instead
of in Hebrew,same in temple, she count again the
colorfulhays in the rows before her. Janie
introduced Margaret to the minister, and said that
Margaret has no religion, which Margaret felt
embarrassed. Afterward, Margaret apologize to God
for not having such a connection withHim in church,
and promised that she'll invest more effort next
time.Not long after this, the PTA reports that it will
have a thanksgiving square dance for the 6th grade,
and Nancy thoroughly knows this occasion since
her mom is on the organizing committee. For the
square dance, entire PTSes want to dance with
Philip Leroy, the boythat in the top of their Boy
Books. For the following not many weeks, the 6th
grade gym periods wasdevoted to square dancing
lessons, and when Mr. Benedict demonstratea steps,
he used Laura Danker as his partner, he said it was
because she was tall enough to reach his shoulder
properly. This choise makes the PTSes exchange a
looks to each other. At that point when the actual
dance shows up. The gymis decorated and it
supposed to look like a barn and their chaperones
were dress funny, life farmers, and the class has a
genuine square dance caller to lead the occasion
along. After some moves of dancing, Margaret
finally will hit the dance floor with Philip Leroy, yet
he continues to step on her feet.
 Chapter 11

By the first week of december, the PTSes quit using

their secret code names, which are excessively
confusing, and abandoned their Boy Books, since
the names won't ever change. Margaret wonders
whether they all write Philip Leroy of the fact that
he's attractive and because of the fact that PTSes are
hesitant to recognize which boys they truly like. For
one of the young ladies' meetings, Gretchen figures
out how to take her dad's medicalbook, and the
young ladies take a look at the pictures of bodies,
especially the male ones. Margaret additionally
sneaks in one of her dad's duplicates of Playboy
magazine because the young ladies have never seen
one, and as they take a look at it, they all wish they
could look likethe naked girl in the middle
 Chapter 12

On december 11th, Margaret's grandmother goes on

her yearly three-week Caribbean cruise, and the
family gives her a bon voyage party in her room on
the ship. Margaret's mom at that point starts
sendingholiday cards. Obviously, the Simons don't
actually celebrate Christmas, they give presents,
since it's an American custom, yet they never
celebrate it the way peoples do. However Margaret
finds out that her mom is sending Christmas cards
to Margaret's maternal grandparents, who don’t
support their daughter’s marriage and never talk to
Margaret or her parents. In school, Mr. Benedict's
class prepareto serve in as the choir in the yearly
Christmas-Hanukkah pageant. They work on
singing five Christmas carol and three Hanukkah
songs, as they marched in two lines, boys and girls
and naturally in soze places, a boy named Norman
Fishbein ends up at Margaret's, and Margaret isn't at
all excited by the present situation. Seven days
before the pageant, there's a touch of dramatization,
a Jewish boycan’t sing the Christmas songsbecause
that doing is against to his religion, and a Christian
young lady refuses to sing the Hanukkah songs
because that doing is against hers. Beside these
complaints, the pageant goes smoothly.