Possibly the best young adult novel ever. More than any teen magazine, helpful pamphlet or warm talk with Mom, this book got me through middle school in one piece. Margaret is not brilliant, beautiful or even always a nice person, but she is curious, honest with herself, and willing to admit when she's wrong. The casual junior high cruelty is all the more devastating when related by a member of the clique, yet Margaret eventually learns to do better, her emotional maturity matching her physical maturity.A must read for every 13 year old girl!

this book was the best

I thought it was an okay book, but it just wasn't much my type. It sort of lacked the adventure that I typically like in books. It wasn't my favorite, but it was alright.

This was a great book, about growing up. It really helped me:)

My dad gave me this book oh so many years ago. It was special to me because of that but also because I could relate to Margaret and everything she was feeling. Although the kids today face much larger problems than folks my age did as teens, the subjects are still relevent to them.

Love this book! I read it about 6 times. :)

I remember this book from my Elementary! It was a huge relief to read about a girl that was my age and her thoughts and experiences as she was also coming of age. This is actually one of the only books I remember from my childhood and it is a great memory!

Margaret and her parents moved to New Jersey from New York the summer before she began the sixth grade. She has always been short for her age, and is ready to grow up! She wants to make friends and fit in, but it seems that everyone around her is growing breasts and getting their periods, except for her! What’s more, in her new town everyone either goes to the Y or to the Jewish community centre. In order to fit in with her new friends, Margaret must decide which religion she will be. What her parents and friends don’t know, however, is that while she doesn’t worship in an organized religion, Margaret already has a deep and personal relationship with God. This is a great read for girls ages 9-12 - Margaret experiences all of life's worst and greatest situations during that time in life, and she is a great character to relate to.

Story about a girl growing up in an interfaith family

A lot of the books I read as a kid were slightly strange for a child to be reading. I was ahead of the people in my grade, and was reading Sidney Sheldon while everyone else was reading this book. I went back to it later, because I had enjoyed a lot of Judy Blume books, and read it. As much as I appreciate Sidney Sheldon, it is a huge regret for me that this book was not part of my childhood. It describes everything so well, and it's so relatable. The book does take place a while ago, so it doesn't deal with some of the problems we're facing today, but that's okay, I needed a break from that. It deals with the core problems of preteen-hood which are applicable to any time, any country, anywhere. Make this book part of your childhood, or your adulthood. I wish it had been part of mine earlier.