Maggie Come Lately by Michelle Buckman

More like 4.5 starsby MichelleSutton

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April 13, 2009: Whenever I read a book that contains any form of abuse--without meaning to--I remove my reader hat and slip on my professional one. I love it when an author gets the facts right. On the other hand, it irritates me to no end when the author gets something clearly wrong. In Maggie Come Lately, Michelle Buckman got all of her facts right. The tension is very well done and the conflict develops at just the right pace. The title even fits the story. It's hard to say why it fits without giving any spoilers so I will dance around the facts a bit and say this-- more than once I wanted to shake Maggie and say, "It's right under your nose." But on the other hand, she was well-portrayed because most people don't see abuse that is right under their noses either.

The character, Maggie, was a likeable character with realistic issues. I know, because my childhood was a lot like Maggie's. I had to do a lot of things in our home that my mother couldn't because she was bedridden with MS. I remember feeling like Maggie did, like I was responsible for so much stuff that I missed most of my childhood. So that struck a real chord in me. The author also did an amazing job at showing how boy/girl relationships should be based on mutual interests, and not just related to kissing, attraction, popularity, etc.

There could have been some scenes where issues related to her abandonment by her mother were played out more, but Maggie had enough going on in other areas so I could see that the author might not want to overwhelm the reader. It would have been nice to see Maggie really grieve the loss (as a teen) of her mom's presence in her life. Maybe that will happen in the next book. One last point--I loved how the author showed how that sometimes when you get what you "think" you want, whenever it's at the expense of someone else's pain, then it loses it's attractivness quickly. Maggie Come Lately was a great read and I'd highly recommend it.

I Also Recommend: On the Loose, The Big Picture.

A reviewerby Deborah_K

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February 25, 2008: This was an extremely powerful and moving story. The whole book you can completely relate to Maggie and feel for her. The opening scene is shocking with Maggie as a young child witnessing her mother's suicide and the effect it has on her for the rest of her life. I think a lot of girls will be able to relate to Maggie about not being popular and being on the outside looking in. And there will be also many who have to deal with parents dating and remarrying and the adjustments that come with that. The scenes where Maggie deals with having a taste of the in crowd, drinking and being with the popular guys are scenes that are all too familiar in high schools. The author obviously knows the way teens think and act. There are serious topics discussed in the book. The scenes of the rape are harsh and graphic but teens need to read about this to know how to protect themselves. You feel the pain and the fear for both Maggie and the girl who was raped. The same goes for the idea of a sexual predator in the church. It's sad and scary that this happens even in a Christian community and it shows that you have to be careful of who you trust. I would definitely recommend this for older teens. Due to the mature content younger teens might not be ready for this but older teens should read this book. This book is comparable to Melody Carlson's books as a way to get teens to read. HIGHLY recommended.