Maggie Come Lately

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. 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.

Maggie Come Lately, by Michelle Buckman, is a poignant story about a young girl searching for herself. All her life Maggie has taken care of her father, two younger brothers, the housework, and the cooking. She isn't popular at school, has a crush on a boy who barely knows she's alive, and her father has a new girlfriend. Maggie flees to her forest sanctuary to get away from it all and stumbles onto a girl who's been attacked. She calls 911 and does her best to help the girl. When she goes to school, she's become an overnight celebrity hero. Maggie loves the attention she's getting, but not the reason. Why are people so obsessed with someone else's tragedy? Her dad's new girlfriend starts spending more and more time at their house, rearranging the furniture and painting the walls. Maggie feels like she's losing her place, her brothers don't care, and she's got no one she can go to for help. A Christy Award finalist, this novel draws the reader into a compelling story with real-life issues. I was amazed how wonderfully Michelle Buckman wove characters and plot to write about such a serious topic without being preachy. Maggie is a real girl with real problems. Readers will identify with her struggles and hopefully admire the way Maggie pulls it all together to discover who she really is. Highly recommended. Check out the second book int he series, My Beautiful Disaster (The Pathway Collection #2).

Maggie is not the most popular in school. Since her mother committed suicide when Maggie was four, she's been the female head of her household. For years she's been in charge of most of the family affairs, leaving very little time for her to enjoy being a teenager. Then her father brings home another woman, who threatens to usurp Maggie's position in the house. There is also other things happening in her life: she discovers a girl from school in the woods who was raped, a dog is gruesomely killed near their house, and one of the youth group leaders is making her feel extremely uncomfortable. This is not what beeing 16 is supposed to be like.... 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.

For most of Maggie's life she has taken care of her father and her two brothers, not that they seem to appreciate it all that much. She's been so busy cooking and cleaning, and trying to keep up in school, she's never really been a regular teenager. She's not popular at school, doesn't fit in, all she has is her role at home. Then her father brings home a woman who seems determined to take over. Maggie is furious. The boys don't seem to care, and her father appears to be fascinated. Maggie feels left out. Even the neighbors seem strange. Suddenly danger stalks the woods, coming ever closer. Maggie who has been used to doing everything herself, finds there are some things she can't do on her own. She needs help, the problem is, she doesn't know who to trust. A moving story about a young girl struggling to fit in and make a place for herself. A strong, emotional tale, that will appeal to teens everywhere.

Maggie's 16th birthday turns out to be very different from what she expected. As the stand-in housekeeper/mother of the family since her mom's suicide when she was four, Maggie is the one who diligently cares for her dad and two brothers. Aggravating and thankless though it is, Maggie's identity has always been wrapped up in her role as the family caretaker. Cooking, cleaning, doing laundry and even shopping for the best deal when they need a new washer all falls under her domain. Considering how inattentive the guys in the family have always been, Maggie isn't expecting much on her special day. For once she misjudges them. Maggie's dad gives her a prized Claddagh necklace and her mother's ring, along with tender expressions of his love and appreciation for her. Even her little brother Billy remembers her with a handmade card. Receiving another card from her grandmother, a neighbor's birthday cookie and a brand new shirt from her best friend makes Maggie feels like she's won the jackpot. She makes a bold wish, more like a pleading prayer, that God will help her become popular and pretty and that a special boy will notice her. She doesn't want to be invisible any longer. Before she knows it, Maggie is almost wishing she could take back her prayer for popularity and become "invisible" again. She gets attention --- the creepy kind --- from the father of one of Billy's close friends. She finds herself in constant angst and conflict when her dad brings home a girlfriend who attempts to take over her position in the family as the female caretaker. And then Maggie is thrust into the limelight after she rescues a classmate who has been stabbed and raped. Suddenly, Maggie is front and center of everyone as she takes on the role of guardian to the victim. All at once, the popular kids befriend her, the cute boys ask her out and she feels overwhelmed as her entire life shifts and then resettles into a new kind of normal. Meanwhile, an investigation is underway to locate the assailant, and Maggie discovers her own troubling evidence of sexual abuse of another kind in her midst. Every day Maggie is pushed to redefine her beliefs and values under the microscope of chaotic circumstances and changes, but she stands firm despite inner and outer pressure to conform and comes into her own stronger and more grounded than ever before. --- Reviewed by Michele Howe