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

Blume, Judy (1970, 1991).  Are you there God?  It's me, Margaret.  New York: Laurel-Leaf Books.  

Summary: Margaret is eleven (and going on twelve) when her parents decide to move from Manhattan to the suburbs of New Jersey.  Despite her parents' shunning of religion, Margaret finds herself praying to God every night about the trials and tribulations of starting sixth grade in a new school, and especially asking for changes in her body--breasts and her period.  Her neighbor, Nancy, becomes her fast friend, who coaches her on everything from footwear, boys, kissing, bras, and menstruating.  Nancy invites Margaret into a secret club, and Margaret learns that her new community is divided socially by religion.  Margaret adopts a personal, year-long project to explore and choose a religion.  

Additional Comments: Female readers will laugh out loud and sigh  with empathy for Margaret's personal struggles and feelings, which are timeless and applicable even thirty-eight years after first publication.  Male readers will gain insight into the plight of being a young woman.