Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

Margaret shares her secrets and her spirituality in this iconic Judy Blume novel, beloved by millions, that now has a fresh new look.

Margaret Simon, almost twelve, likes long hair, tuna fish, the smell of rain, and things that are pink. She's just moved from New York City to Farbook, New Jersey, and is anxious to fit in with her new friends--Nancy, Gretchen, and Janie. When they form a secret club to talk about private subjects like boys, bras, and getting their first periods, Margaret is happy to belong.

But none of them can believe Margaret doesn't have religion, and that she isn't going to the Y or the Jewish Community Center. What they don't know is Margaret has her own very special relationship with God. She can talk to God about everything--family, friends, even Moose Freed, her secret crush.

Margaret is funny and real, and her thoughts and feelings are oh-so-relatable--you'll feel like she's talking right to you, sharing her secrets with a friend.

Hardcover, 192 pages

Published April 29, 2014

 by Turtleback Books

3.5/5 stars

This book was a quick and easy read, clocking in just under 200 pages. It was also my first time reading a Judy Blume book. The winner of several mini awards, this book was published in 1970 and is a unique blend of middle grade and young adult coming-of-age story.

The protagonist, Margaret Simon, is almost 12 years old and has recently moved from bustling New York City to a smaller town in New Jersey. As she navigates her new school and surroundings, she finds solace in a secret club where she can discuss all things girlish with her new friends.

Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret is a heartwarming tale of friendship, self-discovery, and family. As the title suggests, Margaret is not religious and is curious about the concept of faith, thus exploring different churches.

While I personally found the book to be just okay, I can see how it would be a fun and engaging read for younger readers. 

This book is part of my 2023 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge, #23.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg

When Claudia decided to run away, she planned very carefully. She would be gone just long enough to teach her parents a lesson in Claudia appreciation. And she would go in comfort - she would live at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She saved her money, and she invited her brother Jamie to go, mostly because he was a miser and would have money.

Claudia was a good organizer and Jamie had some ideas, too; so the two took up residence at the museum right on schedule. But once the fun of settling in was over, Claudia had two unexpected problems: She felt just the same, and she wanted to feel different; and she found a statue at the Museum so beautiful she could not go home until she had discovered its maker, a question that baffled the experts, too.

The former owner of the statue was Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Without her - well, without her, Claudia might never have found a way to go home.

Hardcover, 162 pages

Published March 1, 1967 

by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Several years ago, I embarked on a mission to read all of the John Newbery Honour winners. This prestigious award has been bestowed upon exceptional children's books since 1922. While I still have a long way to go with these middle-grade novels, I manage to read a handful each year. In 1968, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler was the recipient of this esteemed award.

The story follows the escapades of siblings Claudia and Jamie, who run away from home to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The tale is narrated from the perspective of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, leaving this reader to ponder her connection to the two children.

Claudia masterminds the runaway plan, enlisting her younger brother Jamie to join her. Jamie's frugality and savings make him the perfect partner for this adventure.  The reason for this adventure is made clear with an unexpected quest added along the way.

From the Mixed Up Files is a story of siblings, adventure and mayhem. Unlike many of the honour winners, this book is a fun and entertaining read, filled with words of wisdom, lessons in frugality, and adventure.

This book was part of my 2023 reading off myself challenge. #26

New Kid by Jerry Craft

 A graphic novel about starting over at a new school where diversity is low and the struggle to fit in is real.

Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade.

As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds—and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?

Hardcover, 256 pages

Published February 5, 2019 

by Quill Tree Books

4/5 stars

I don't read graphic novels often but the ones that I have tend to pack a punch.  New Kid is the 2020 John Newbery Medal Winner, amongst other awards. 

This middle grade novel is one year in the life of Jordan Banks. Sent to a posh private school where he really doesn't want to go.  It is a witty and authentic look at the struggles Jordan faces as he adapts and tries to fit in.  There are a small number of minorities also attending RADS (Riverdale Academy Day School) where prejudices are showcased, both classmates and faculty.

New Kid is a well written novel, with great illustrations. With its targeted younger audience this is a poignant story opening the door for discussion and awareness.

This book is part of my 2022 Reading Off My Shelf challenge (#3) and also my reading John Newbery Medal Winners Challenge.

Review: Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz,

Step back to an English village in 1255, where life plays out in dramatic vignettes illuminating twenty-two unforgettable characters.

Maidens, monks, and millers’ sons — in these pages, readers will meet them all. 

There’s Hugo, the lord’s nephew, forced to prove his manhood by hunting a wild boar; sharp-tongued Nelly, who supports her family by selling live eels; and the peasant’s daughter, Mogg, who gets a clever lesson in how to save a cow from a greedy landlord. 

There’s also mud-slinging Barbary (and her noble victim); Jack, the compassionate half-wit; Alice, the singing shepherdess; and many more. 

With a deep appreciation for the period and a grand affection for both characters and audience, Laura Amy Schlitz creates twenty-two riveting portraits and linguistic gems equally suited to silent reading or performance.

 Illustrated with pen-and-ink drawings by Robert Byrd — inspired by the Munich-Nuremberg manuscript, an illuminated poem from thirteenth-century Germany — this witty, historically accurate, and utterly human collection forms an exquisite bridge to the people and places of medieval England.

Hardcover, 96 pages

Published July 24th 2007

by Candlewick

3/5 stars

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! is the 2008 John Newbery Medal Winner.  I am not totally sure what the criteria is to win this honour but Good Masters is a different format to other medal winners that I have read. 

Told is a series of plays/skits geared for a younger audience its pretty much a history lesson with different members of society from different classes.  It's educational, told in verse mostly and illustrated nicely. It was a fun read, I even learned a few things about medieval England. It was well researched and would make a nice addition to class rooms.

My copy was from my bookshelf and not just part of my 2021 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge

 but also reading the John Newbery Medal Winners.

Review: Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse

When Billie Jo is just fourteen she must endure heart-wrenching ordeals that no child should have to face. The quiet strength she displays while dealing with unspeakable loss is as surprising as it is inspiring.

Written in free verse, this award-winning story is set in the heart of the Great Depression. It chronicles Oklahoma's staggering dust storms, and the environmental--and emotional--turmoil they leave in their path. An unforgettable tribute to hope and inner strength.

Hardcover, 227 pages

Published January 1st 1997

 by Scholastic Inc

3.5/5 stars

I'm jumping back on the bandwagon in 2021 to continue on my quest to read the John Newbery Medal winners.  Next year 2022 will mark the 100th anniversary of this award and I've got some catching up to do.  So far I have managed 18 reads with Out of the Dust being #19 and was the winner in 1998.

This book was written in diary format by 14 year old Billie Jo and geared for the middle grade reader.  I loved the writing style, it drew me right into the setting, it wasn't hard to visualise the dust, the dryness and the despair. Definitely gave a clear picture of life in the dust bowl and it wasn't pretty.  I actually found the book to be rather depressing and felt so sorry for this young girl.

Coming in at 227 pages it was a quick read (thankfully), especially with the verse format.  It spans 2 years of heartache, loneliness and dust. But here is the thing, it was beautifully written.  

“The way I see it, hard times aren't only about money,
or drought,
or dust.
Hard times are about losing spirit,
and hope,
and what happens when dreams dry up.”



 

Review: Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly

Winner of the 2018 Newbery Medal

In one day, four lives weave together in unexpected ways.

Virgil Salinas is shy and kindhearted and feels out of place in his loud and boisterous family.

Valencia Somerset, who is deaf, is smart, brave, and secretly lonely, and loves everything about nature.

Kaori Tanaka is a self-proclaimed psychic, whose little sister Gen is always following her around.

And Chet Bullens wishes the weird kids would just act normal so that he can concentrate on basketball.

They aren’t friends -- at least not until Chet pulls a prank that traps Virgil and his pet guinea pig at the bottom of a well. This disaster leads Kaori, Gen, and Valencia on an epic quest to find the missing Virgil. Through luck, smarts, bravery, and a little help from the universe, a rescue is performed, a bully is put in his place, and friendship blooms.

 Hardcover, 320 pages

 Published March 14th 2017 

by Greenwillow Books

**** 1/2

"It's not being brave if you aren't scared."

Winner of the 2018 John Newbery Medal Hello, Universe was a fun read, it's also a book easily polished off in a day  - for an adult, maybe longer for a younger reader.  The story itself takes place over one afternoon.

The characters are quirky, each with social issues, some confident others not so much, one pretending to be.  Each has dreams and obstacles in the way. All of them very likable though Chet not so much.

I loved the writing, the witty one-liners, conversations that make no sense but that I totally got.  It was so easy to be walking along in the woods with this group of kids. Smile at their way of thinking and antics.

Hello, Universe is a story of friendship, bullying, standing up and searching.  It is part of my '2019 reading off my shelf' challenge.  As well as reading the Newbery Medal Winners.

Review: A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-1832 by Joan W. Blos

The journal of a 14-year-old girl, kept the last year she lived on the family farm, records daily events in her small New Hampshire town, her father's remarriage, and the death of her best friend.

 Hardcover, 144 pages

Published September 1st 1979

by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

**

This is the 1980 John Newbery Medal Winner. It’s a short little book coming in at 144 pages written in diary/journal style.  It spans about 15 months in the life of Catherine Hall.   There are many changes and heartbreak that she goes through and while some of the entries are short other ones are longer at times I got a sense of her frame of mind as she deals with everything.

This wasn’t a book that kept me glued to the pages, for a Medal Winner my expectations might have been elevated but this one fell flat for me. I didn’t connect with Catharine and a month after finishing it I struggle to remember all but a few pieces. The time period of 1830-1832 sees much happening in that area and I would have loved to see more.

My copy from personal library and part of my 2019 reading my shelf challenge as well as Project Newbery (reading all the John Newbery Medal winners )

The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman

From the author of Catherine, Called Birdy comes another spellbinding novel set in medieval England. 

The girl known only as Brat has no family, no home, and no future until she meets Jane the Midwife and becomes her apprentice. As she helps the sharp-tempered Jane deliver babies, Brat--who renames herself Alyce--gains knowledge, confidence, and the courage to want something from life: "A full belly, a contented heart, and a place in this world." 

Medieval village life makes a lively backdrop for the funny, poignant story of how Alyce gets what she wants. 

Hardcover, 122 pages

Published March 27th 1995 by Clarion Books

source - personal library

****

Newbery Medal (1996)

As I continue with my quest to read the John Newbery Medal winners this review takes me to the 1996 winner.  I had the honor of meeting and chatting with Karen Cushman in Denver last weekend.  To be perfectly honest I searched this book out and read it just because she was going to be one of the hosts at HNS2015 (Historical Novel Society Conference) and am very thankful that I did that.

The Midwife's Apprentice is a wonderful coming of age story, taking place in the 1300's I think it's a perfect addition to the HF genre for middle grade/young adult readers.  Written with a prose that was addicting it was an authentic reflection of the time period.  One can't help feeling for this young girl left to her own devices.  Taken in by Jane the midwife it was wonderful to see the progression of Brat/Alyce, it wasn't an easy road, there was lots she had to learn about herself, which made for an interesting story. 

Karen Cushman has a wonderful writing style, there is wit when needed as well as emotion.  I highly recommend this book to those who want to introduce young readers to this genre.

Review: Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo

Holy unanticipated occurrences! A cynic meets an unlikely superhero in a genre-breaking new novel by master storyteller Kate DiCamillo.

 It begins, as the best superhero stories do, with a tragic accident that has unexpected consequences. The squirrel never saw the vacuum cleaner coming, but self-described cynic Flora Belle Buckman, who has read every issue of the comic book Terrible Things Can Happen to You!, is just the right person to step in and save him. What neither can predict is that Ulysses (the squirrel) has been born anew, with powers of strength, flight, and misspelled poetry—and that Flora will be changed too, as she discovers the possibility of hope and the promise of a capacious heart. 

From #1 New York Times best-selling author Kate DiCamillo comes a laugh-out-loud story filled with eccentric, endearing characters and featuring an exciting new format—a novel interspersed with comic-style graphic sequences and full-page illustrations, all rendered in black-and-white by up-and-coming artist K.G. Campbell.

Hardcover, 233 pages

Published September 24th 2013 by Candlewick Press

Winner of the 2014 John Newbery Medal.

Within the first couple pages of this book, I knew I was in for a real treat.  What a wonderful book, it felt rather whimsical and a pleasure to read.  I think I was smiling the whole way through this book.

There were a number of subplots here and they came together triumphantly in the end.  What an adventure it was, you take a reborn squirrel, a girl named Flora (who is a self-professed cynic), a romance writing mother, the boy next door, a weird lamp (and much more), put them all together to create a phenomenal tale. 

The illustrations were enjoyable and added to the story, not too many but just the right amount.

This is definitely a book that I will be purchasing for the grandkids, what a wonderful time for parents and kids to cuddle and read together.

This book is part of my personal library.