Anastasia Krupnik

Lowry, Lois. Anastasia Krupnik. Houghton Mifflin, 1979. Tr. $13.95, ISBN 0-395-28629-8.

What’s it about?

Meet Anastasia Krupnik, a smart, quirky aspiring poet who documents the important things that happen during her tenth year, which is destined to be momentous.  

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Sensitive, quirky ten-year-old Anastasia Krupnik, daughter of a published poet and college professor and an artist, both slightly eccentric as well, keeps a list of the most important things that happened the year she was ten, and an ever-changing list of things she loves and things she hates. She is determined that the arrival of her baby brother will be terrible, and places babies in the “Things I Hate” column. Some things she goes back and forth on—her crush Washburn Cummings and her parents for instance—and she decides she has a mercurial temperament.  One thing she has always hated was her name. When she find out that Catholics get to choose a Saint’s name at confirmation, she decides she will become a Catholic—until she finds out that Catholics must confess their sins (even secret bad thoughts).  When she discovers that her mother is pregnant, she feels betrayed and decides to give her new brother the worst name ever.

Anastasia is a very well-drawn, flawed and engaging character. The humor of this book is subtle and intelligent. Anastasia crafts a magnificent, modernist poem that conveys the sounds and look of creatures that live in tidepools after dark. Instead of being stunned by her gift and precociousness, Mrs. Westvessel gives her an F because the poem doesn’t rhyme or contain standard punctuation and capitalization.  In her class, directions must be followed, and she’d explained what she was expecting from the class. After Anastasia’s conversation with her father, the reader draws the conclusion that Mrs. Westvessel doesn’t understand everything she teaches. Although this book is largely light-hearted, Anastasia’s relationship and sadness about her frail and senile 92-year-old grandmother is very poignant and painful.  Anastasia also learns to recognize that she has misjudged some people in her life, including Mrs. Westvessel, who actually turns out to be very kind (albeit not the best teacher of poetry!). This is not one of Lowry’s best known works, but like everything she has written, it is a gem.  

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction, Humor

Reading level: 5^th grade

Interest level: Grades 4-6

Subjects: Family relationships, Siblings

Read-alikes:

Fitzhugh’s Harriet the Spy

Series information:

Anastasia Again (1981)

Anastasia at Your Service (1982)

Anastasia, Ask Your Analyst (1984)

Anastasia on Her Own (1985)

Anastasia Has the Answers (1986)

Anastasia’s Chosen Career (1987)

Anastasia at this Address (1991)

Anastasia Absolutely (1995)

Related series (features Anastasia’s younger brother Sam):

All About Sam (1988)

Attaboy, Sam! (1992)

See You Around, Sam! (1996)

Zooman Sam (1999)

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

Blume, J. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret. Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2010, c1970. Paperback $8.99 ISBN 978-0-3857-3986-3

What’s it about? Eleven year old Margaret has lots of worries about growing up, boys, and faith--even though her parents aren’t religious. She has always talked to God, but now she wants to find out where she hears him best--in a synagogue, a Protestant church or a Catholic parish.

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Eleven year old Margaret Simon’s family has just moved to a New Jersey suburb, where everything is new—her friends, her school, the neighborhood boys, and the distance from her beloved grandmother, Sylvia Simon. She feels out of the loop about a lot of things, including kissing experience, puberty, and religion. Margaret shares her worries with God, including concerns about her crush, Philip Leroy.  She begins to resent the fact that her parents don’t practice religion, because other kids don’t have to choose—they are born into their faith.  Religion has driven a wedge between her maternal grandparents and the rest of her family, and when her trip to visit Grandma Sylvie is cancelled because her mother’s parents--who have never even met Margaret-- are visiting, Margaret’s faith is tested.

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret is one of the prolific Judy Blume’s best known novels. Blume has an uncanny knack for giving her young characters authentic voices, and Margaret is no exception.  She is an observant narrator, with refreshing and humorous candor. Margaret’s dilemma is frankly discussed; she is afraid of being the last girl in her class to develop and get her first period. She is eager for this to happen, and this is the topic of many of her prayers. It is touching that her relationship with God is so authentic, and sad that she doesn’t feel that she belongs in any particular faith. She concludes that she won’t make up her mind one way or another for a long while. Her conversations with God don’t end, though, as the book closes with Margaret relaying some exciting news to him. This is a book primarily for girls entering or about to enter puberty. This is not an easy topic for some girls to address, and it is refreshing to see a sympathetic portrayal of physical maturity that is neither crude nor saccharine sweet. 

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction, Friendship fiction, Humor

Reading level: 4^th grade

Interest level: Grades 4-8

Subjects: Family Relationships, Puberty, Friendship, Religion

Read-alikes:

Naylor’s Alice series

Naylor’s Faith, Hope and Ivy June

Goldschmidt’s The Secret Blog of Raisin Rodriguez

Awards/Recognition:

Time Magazine named Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret as one of the

top 100 books written in English since 1923 

Characters:

Philip Leroy—the best looking boy in the class, but not the boy with the best character

Laura Danker—the tallest and most developed girl in the 6^th grade, victim of baseless rumors

Margaret—the protagonist, a frank girl with an interest in finding God—and puberty

Nancy—the leader of Margaret’s clique

Gretchen—another clique member

Janie—Margaret’s closest friend, also a late bloomer