The Meaning of Maggie

Personal Critique: I really enjoyed Maggie's narrator voice. She's spunky, witty, and a real go-getter. The footnotes at the bottom of each page where Maggie gives you a little more of her personal insight on a topic are hilarious. If you want a fun summer/"beach" read, this is the PERFECT realistic-fiction book.

The Meaning of Maggie

by Megan Jean Sovern

Presentation by: Mrs. Enos

Sovern, M.J. The Meaning of Maggie. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. 2014

Figurative Language Example #2

Figurative Language Example #3

Figurative Language

Example #1

Onomatopoeia: "We oohed and aahed for an hour and then Mom said it was time to go to our next destination." (page 103)

Oxymoron: " I stirred my ice cream into a milkshake, drank it down, and let myself slip into a sugar coma trying to forget the fork, the weird, and the butterflies." (page 64)

Idiom: "He'd toppled over and Grandpa

didn't look pleased and Dad was all

kinds of embarrassed and his heart

was in his throat and he couldn't believe he thought walking on his hands was a good idea." (page 33)

Resolution & Theme

Resolution: Maggie's father is able to return home from the hospital. His spirits are up and it looks like his M.S. is not going to end his life anytime soon. The family is closer to each other than they've ever been.

Theme: Always find the positive in your life, even when there's a lot of negativity. Optimism will get you through the tough times.

Two Major Examples of Conflict

Character vs. Self: Maggie has a lot of internal struggles. She wants to grow up fast, but with that means she has to come to terms with the fact that sometimes the more you learn about a problem, the less you really want to know.

Character vs. Character: Maggie "marches to the tune of her own drum". She's very confident with who she is even though she is nothing like her teenage classmates. Sometimes that means that she struggles socially with her sisters and peers who have very different interests.

Setting

Main Characters

Climax

* 1980's or later based on when the parents were teenagers

*It doesn't come right out and say where, but I envisioned the West Coast (California) when reading the storyline based on descriptions of the climate, what they were wearing throughout the year, etc.

Maggie's dad has a couple health scares throughout the novel, but near the end of the story he has a seizure at home on Maggie's birthday. Maggie's sister, Tiffany, was the only one at home with dad at the time and it was an extremely scary emergency for the family.

Maggie (protagonist): teenage girl, over-achiever, loves school, youngest of three girls in her family

Mother: recently started working full-time, former hippie

Father: recently quit his job due to A.L.S. (muscle deterioration & the disease is the antagonist), loves all types of music, former hippie as well

Tiffany: second oldest daughter, roommate with Maggie, these two constantly fight as sisters typically do, obsessed with her looks

Layla: oldest sister, out of high school, somewhat rebellious, boy crazy