Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

By: Judy Blume

Narrated by: Laura Hamilton

Length: 3 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's Summary

The beloved coming-of-age novel from the author whose “name has long been synonymous with young adult fiction” (Los Angeles Times).    

“Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret is very special.” (Amy Poehler, quoted on Vulture.com)   

“Generations of teenage girls have grown up reading the tales of teenage angst told by beloved author Judy Blume.” (Mashable.com)   

Margaret Simon, almost 12, has just moved from New York City to the suburbs, and she’s anxious to fit in with her new friends. When she’s asked to join a secret club, she jumps at the chance. But when the girls start talking about boys, bras, and getting their first periods, Margaret starts to wonder if she’s normal. There are some things about growing up that are hard for her to talk about, even with her friends. 

Lucky for Margaret, she’s got someone else to confide in...someone who always listens.   

“The first Judy Blume books I read...served as a kind of introduction to myself.” (John Green quoted in The New York Times)

“Mention Judy Blume to almost any woman under a certain age and you're likely to get this reaction: Her face lights up, and she's transported back to her childhood self - curled up with a book she knows will speak directly to her anxieties about relationships, self-image and measuring up.” (NPR.org)   

“Fans, readers, booksellers - even other authors and celebrities - often dissolve into tears upon meeting [Judy Blume], confessing that books like “Forever...” and “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret” got them through adolescence; taught them about sex, love and friendship; and provided their first glimpse of adulthood.” (The New York Times)    

“Blume wasn’t the first writer to legitimize and celebrate the interior life of young girls.... But Blume’s work feels significantly more influential than that of her predecessors and peers.” (The New Yorker)   

“These stories belong to young women. Real young women.” (Diablo Cody, Entertainment Weekly) 

©1970 Judy Blume (P)2009 Listening Library

Critic Reviews

"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." (Amazon.com review)

Hilarious and charming

Would you listen to Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret again? Why?

Definitely! This was one of my favorite books when I was an adolescent. I am now 40 and listened to it for a class I'm taking - it was so much funnier than I remember. I thoroughly enjoyed re-experiencing this story from my current perspective.

What about Laura Hamilton’s performance did you like?

I thought the performance was great. I almost felt like I was listening to Margaret, not an audiobook.

5 people found this helpful

I love it!!!😂😂😂😃😄😃😅😅😃😅😅😅😳😝😋😜😛

😂😂😂😂 I love IT!!!!!!!! I love Judy blum I Love all her books So MUTCH!!!!!!!

3 people found this helpful

You can really relate!

I feel like this is a book that I could really relate to. It's about normal people just like me facing real difficulties,and I like that!

2 people found this helpful

love it! the narrator was awesome,and it was great

the storry was awewome , I think you guys should read it,and I bet you guys will really love it. The overall was good with good details.

2 people found this helpful

Shared a childhood favorite with my daughter

I loved sharing one of my favorite childhood books with my daughter. At first, I was a little nervous about the content since she's only in 4th grade, but it was actually really good for her to hear the kinds of questions and interests that she's starting to have herself.

2 people found this helpful

First heard it when I was 10 and still love it!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely. It's a great book and Laura Hamilton does an amazing job narrating. She's great at changing her voice to fit each character and even the tone of her voice changes.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret?

I love the entire book but my favorite part is when Margaret realizes Nancy is a fake and lied about her period. It shows Margaret has matured and had come to realize that Nancy isn't all she's cracked up to be.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I first heard this book on tape when I was about 10 years old. I loved it then (even though I wasn't entirely sure what was going on the whole story) and I still love it now. I've heard it over 100 times and still could listen to the story every night. It doesn't make me cry but I do laugh when I realize I was the same way at that age.

Any additional comments?

Great job Audible.com!

1 person found this helpful

A great read for 12 yr old girls!!

I remember reading this story as a child and oh how I related to it!! My daughter has dyslexia so I bought this audible version for her, She loved it and has listened to it countless times.

1 person found this helpful

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret

I love this book it had so much funny parts and realistic parts. I enjoyed this book because this book relates to so many girls and women out in the world right now and every day!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💗💗💗💗💗💗LOVE IT!!!!

I love this book

This is the best book ever.

I don’t dislike anything about the book, I love it all. I love coming of age books/movies/tv shows.
I would recommend this book to all my friends and kids who are my age. I recommend this for everyone.
I gave this book 5 stars because...

1. I love this book
2. It is a great story and has a good meaning
3. The performance is really good

Get this book

Reader was ok, LOVED THE STORY!!

For those who don't know, and without giving too much away, this book is about a young 11 year old girl (she turns 12 in the book) and her adolescent life experiences. It touches on things many of us have gone through--the secret crush, feeling inadequate, wanting to fit in, finding our place with God and within church,etc.

I wanted this book as a grown woman (yes, I'm 26) because of nostalgia. I remembered when I was younger I enjoyed this book immensely but I only remembered the story vaguely. This story was everything I remembered it to be--relatable, entertaining, and well-written--plus a little bit more.

It was MUCH funnier than I remembered it to be! I found myself laughing so much at the characters and the things they said. I also found myself comparing my younger years to Margaret's.

My only gripe has nothing to do with the book itself. The lady who reads the book changes pitch so often. I listened to this while driving and I kept having to turn the volume up and down. One minute she'd be talking as if she was sitting right next to you in the library (shhh!) and the next, it'd be akin to a piercing scream that hurt my ears. But she is a good reader with many voices for the different characters. She just needs a little improvement.