a new town in a new state is hard enough without adding the pressures of both puberty and finding, remains relevant half a century later. The novel focuses on sixth grader Margaret Ann Simon as she navigates teen life in Farbrook, New Jersey, after relocating from Manhattan for her parents’ desire to have a garden and more open space. Her new friends pepper her with questions about which boys she likes and if she’s gotten her period yet. They also want to know what religion she is. But Margaret isn’t any religion. Not really. Her father is nonpracticing Jewish and her mother is nonpracticing Christian, much to their own parents’ chagrin. As Margaret begins to figure herself out, she explores her relationship with God by experimenting with both Judaism and Christianity. You can find her staring out the window at her grassy green yard, pining after the boy who takes care of it, and talking to God in her own way throughout it all.
