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ANNOTATED READING LIST

1. What Is God?
(Etan Boritzer)
This work addresses a younger demographic, but a young girl like Margaret Simon would have
consulted it. It not only addresses the traditions of various religions, such as Christianity, Judaism,
Hinduism, and Buddhism, but it also addresses the misunderstandings that arose from these. Questioning
the figure of God is important, as Bortizer describes with many perspectives. As a way to address this
large question, Boritzer reaches a young audience but also an audience that seeks to rethink these
unanswered questions.
2. Number the Stars
(Lois Lowry)
This novel really addresses the issue of prejudice within religion, on a deeper level than
Are You
There God?
A young Jewish girl living in Denmark must face prejudice while trying to escape into
neutral territory during World War II. The threat that religion presents goes far beyond the privilege of
wondering what religion one belongs to, so it is a good tool to decipher the roots of religion and how far
people go to preserve theirs. Its main characters are Margarets age, which presents an interesting
dichotomy for comparing personal narratives.
3. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
(Marjane Satrapi)
In this graphic novel, autobiographer Marjane Satrapi discusses the tumultuous state of living in
Iran during the Islamic Revolution, where rules were enforced and extremism was rampant. Margarets
simple adolescence shows readers the more carefree side of life, while Satrapi discusses the more
difficult parts of established religion. Though at a more advanced level than
Are You There God?
, this
text allows for a reflection of disruption in religion represented by young adults, both internally and
externally.

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4. Does My Head Look Big in This?
(Randa Abdel-Fattah)
This text is a perfect pick for a modern-day mirror of
Are You There God?
Main character
Amals problem is figuring out her identity as she stands out with her hijab; like Amal, Margaret
struggled with physically developing and went through a time of questioning her lifestyle. Though Amal
exhibits more passion towards her situation, this novel remains one that addresses
seemingly-unimportant choices that women make and how that affects their spot in society.
5. The Member of the Wedding
(Carson McCullers)
An overarching theme in
Are You There God?
centers around coming-of-age.
The Member of
the Wedding
does justice to this theme, detailing the lonely life of a motherless tomboy, Frankie, in the
Southern U.S. Margarets feelings of sadness were aided by talking to God; Frankies overactive
imagination was her refuge. Though this does not exactly address religion, this novel is key to mentioning
the struggles of young females while growing up.

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Sources
Abdel-Fattah, Randa.
Does My Head Look Big in This?
New York: Orchard Books, 2007. Print.
Bortizer, Etan.
What is God?
Willowdale: Firefly Books, 1990. Print.
Childrens Literature Comprehensive Database Company.
www.CLCD.com.
Web. 30 April 2015.
Lowry, Lois.
Number the Stars.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1989. Print.
McCullers, Carson.
The Member of the Wedding.
New York: Bantam Books, 1946. Print.
Satrapi, Marjane.
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood.
New York: Random House Pantheon,
2003. Print.