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Muggie Maggie Audiobook
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(3.01) - 1,175 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
In this humorous and relatable novel from Newbery Medal-winning author Beverly Cleary, a girl must overcome her rebellious attitude toward learning cursive.
At first, Maggie is just feeling stubborn when she declares she won't learn cursive. What's wrong with print, anyway? And she can easily type on a computer, so why would she need to know how to read those squiggly lines? But soon all her classmates are buzzing about Maggie's decision, especially after her teacher, Mrs. Leeper, says Maggie's cursive is so sloppy that her name looks like "Muggie."
With "Muggie Maggie" ringing in her ears, Maggie absolutely, positively won't back down...until she's appointed class mail messenger. All the letters that Mrs. Leeper sends to the office are in cursive, and Maggie thinks they are written about her. But there's only way to know for sure...so what's Maggie going to do?
For generations, Beverly Cleary has captivated readers of all ages with beloved characters such as Ramona Quimby, Henry Huggins, Ribsy, and Ralph S. Mouse. Muggie Maggie follows suit with what School Library Journal calls "a likable, funny heroine whom readers will want to know."
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"Muggie Maggie is about a girl that is starting third grade and the teacher informs the class that they will be starting cursive. Maggie thinks this is a horrible idea and doensn't want to do it. She puts off writing cursive while all her classmates are writing it. Maggie gets in trouble by her teacher. The teacher, Mrs. Leeper, has a conference with Maggie's mother about her not writing cursive. Maggie still refuses to write cursive after her parents are mad at her and take the computer away from her. Maggie gets the school teacher, principal, the school psychologist, her classmates, and her parents involved in the whole scheme. After awhile of Maggie not writing cursive, Mrs. Leeper gives the Message Monitor job to Maggie. Maggie has to take messages to several places in the school. She eventually peeks are looks at the messages Mrs. Leeper is writing. Maggie see's her name on one of the letters and realizes that they are talking about her. Maggie can't read cursive and she wanted to figure out what the notes were saying. Eventually maggie gives in and starts to practice cursive on her own. This was Mrs. Leeper's plan all along is to get Maggie to read the messages that she was sending.Activities:1. Students can do a reader's theater. Put a student at the front of the room and give them a character's name. Have students ask that student (Character) questions that they would have to answer.2. Have students create a character poster of a character in the book. The students would put different traits of that character on the poster."
— Erica (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Cleary again gives young readers a real person with whom they can identify and empathize…Everything in this book rings true, and Cleary has created a likable, funny heroine about whom readers will want to know more.”
— School Library Journal
Muggie Maggie Listener Reviews
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" Very little to date this fable for third-graders, except the illustrations in the edition I read. However, Maggie's point that between printing and computers we don't need cursive is valid. I've been a teacher and I don't use cursive. Is it still taught? Why? "
— Cheryl, 2/18/2014 -
" Gotta love reading 2nd grade novels with the kiddos! "
— Jen, 2/13/2014 -
" I re-read Muggie Maggie this week and still enjoyed it very much. It is written for a young age level-- about third grade or so. I think Beverly Cleary has a definite talent of portraying life through the eyes of a child. She adds just the right amount of humor and understanding in her books. Reading Muggie Maggie made me feel like a third-grader all over again. It's definitely a book I want to read with my children someday. "
— Kimberly, 2/4/2014 -
" In plain English, I didn't like this book. AT ALL. "
— Sam, 2/3/2014 -
" it was allright i guess "
— Brooke, 2/1/2014 -
" Cute story, though do would this generation of non-cursive writers get it? Sad, but true. It reminded me of an Andrew Clements book. "
— Amanda, 1/30/2014 -
" Muggie Maggie is just starting third grade, and that means learning how to do cursive writing. And she decides she won't! This book focuses on how hard the life of a third grader can be, and how Maggie overcomes her troubles and enjoys this new skill in her life. "
— Anja, 1/13/2014 -
" Not as much fun as the Ramona books; but, a nice story about learning to write cursive. "
— Christi, 1/9/2014 -
" I recommend this book for any parent who wants their children to know, they are not alone when it comes to school. Very fun and entertaining (albeit) full-of-good-self-esteem book. "
— Season, 1/8/2014 -
" I read this when I was about Maggie's age. I was able to indentify with her character; I was also learning cursive, and I also dotted my I's with circles. (I still do!) This wasn't Ms. Cleary's best novel, but it was still a cute story. "
— Shayla, 12/26/2013 -
" "Muggie Maggie" is a great choice of literature! It tells Maggie's life in such detail. The book is one I would recomend! "
— Christine, 12/5/2013 -
" I think this is such a great book to read at the beginning of 3rd grade when the students are just learning cursive. It's great for those that are reluctant cursive writers. "
— Jami, 11/28/2013 -
" Nifty 3rd grade level book; she's learning cursive at school... or at least Maggie is supposed to learn cursive. But she refuses! The tension builds as Maggie continues to refuse to learn cursive and she gets deeper and deeper into trouble. "
— Sarah, 11/22/2013 -
" A quote from Melanie: "Mr. P, hurry up and finish, this book is boring". "
— Keith, 11/11/2013 -
" k, this was pretty pointless... read it when i was 8? 9? who cares? i don't think anyone would exactly like it. "
— Lauren, 11/6/2013 -
" A great book about a girl struggling to learn cursive and the struggle within "
— Brenda, 10/8/2013 -
" A cute story. It would have been fun reading this out loud to my 3rd graders I tutored last year. "
— Stacie, 7/7/2013 -
" We read this in 3rd grade. "
— Clara, 3/28/2013 -
" This is not my reading level but I think it is a very cute book and Beverly Cleary is one of my favorite writers. "
— Mariana, 3/9/2013 -
" Finshed this in a day. Great book "
— Francesca, 2/2/2013 -
" One of those must reads when you are little(: "
— Haillee, 12/17/2012 -
" I loved this book as a kid, and I read it while I was learning cursive, too! Ms. Cleary is awesome!! "
— Beccabug33, 10/14/2012 -
" Will children of today even understand this book, what with not teaching handwriting in school anymore, texting and keyboarding? Would it now be Mu&&i3 Ma&&i3? About a child who is teased because she refuses to use leetspeak, textspeak or any other internet slang? "
— Arlene, 5/7/2012 -
" I think it's a ood book if your looking for a short one. "
— Alexa, 11/27/2011 -
" So cataloging books has taught me that I was grossly judgmental when I was wee. For example, I thought this book was stupid because I couldn't get how Maggie just couldn't understand cursive writing. I did like that one page in the book was written in red and blue ink. "
— Shannon, 10/30/2011 -
" Great story of a stubborn girl. Good to read with Allie ;) "
— Sarah, 9/26/2011 -
" Clearly Beverly Cleary 2012, Book 4. "
— Flannery, 8/16/2011 -
" Eh this book was ok, the girl just really annoyed me. "
— Carly, 7/28/2011 -
" This one was nice because it explored the feelings of a 3rd grader and how she dealt with the feelings of being wrong and having to admit it. "
— Allyson, 7/17/2011 -
" I thought it was a good book but more detail. But other than that i thought it was great. I really liked it though. "
— Emily, 5/15/2011 -
" Pretty good little book about a third grader learning to write cursive, which she considers useless. "
— Caren, 4/4/2011 -
" One of those must reads when you are little(: "
— Haillee, 1/9/2011 -
" This one was nice because it explored the feelings of a 3rd grader and how she dealt with the feelings of being wrong and having to admit it. "
— Allyson, 9/23/2010 -
" I think this is such a great book to read at the beginning of 3rd grade when the students are just learning cursive. It's great for those that are reluctant cursive writers. "
— Jami, 8/31/2010 -
" So cataloging books has taught me that I was grossly judgmental when I was wee. For example, I thought this book was stupid because I couldn't get how Maggie just couldn't understand cursive writing. I did like that one page in the book was written in red and blue ink. "
— Shannon, 8/10/2010 -
" This is another one of my favorites, and this one I still love. "
— Elise, 7/30/2010 -
" I think this book is ment for kids who are learning to write cursive... And I think my aunt gave it to me.... And it's been on my shelf for forever... So I read it... 2 stars for it being creative. "
— Melanie, 3/29/2010 -
" Very little to date this fable for third-graders, except the illustrations in the edition I read. However, Maggie's point that between printing and computers we don't need cursive is valid. I've been a teacher and I don't use cursive. Is it still taught? Why? "
— Cheryl, 3/26/2010 -
" Great for using with kids who are learning cursive, and don't really want to learn cursive or understand why it's important to know how to read and write cursive. "
— Mary, 2/23/2010 -
" Read for a Guided reading group in my 3rd grade class. "
— Nancy, 2/23/2010 -
" Finshed this in a day. Great book "
— Francesca, 2/20/2010 -
" If cursive handwriting is a mystery to you, this is a good place to start! Maggie has the same issue, but she is determined to get to the bottom of cursive handwriting. Maggie is a girl who doesn't like to be told can't! "
— Mrs., 1/15/2010 -
" Not as much fun as the Ramona books; but, a nice story about learning to write cursive. "
— Christi, 1/8/2010 -
" I read this when I was about Maggie's age. I was able to indentify with her character; I was also learning cursive, and I also dotted my I's with circles. (I still do!) This wasn't Ms. Cleary's best novel, but it was still a cute story. "
— Shayla, 8/26/2009 -
" I recommend this book for any parent who wants their children to know, they are not alone when it comes to school. Very fun and entertaining (albeit) full-of-good-self-esteem book. "
— Season, 7/23/2009
About Beverly Cleary
Beverly Cleary (1916–2021) was an American author of highly acclaimed fiction for children and young adults, including the Henry Huggins series, Ramon Quimby series, stand-alone novels, picture books, and two memoirs. Some of her many awards include the Newbery Medal, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, and the National Medal of Arts. She was born in McMinnville, Oregon, and lived on a farm in Yamhill, a town so small it had no library. Her mother arranged to have books sent to their tiny town from the state library and acted as a librarian in a room over a bank. It was there that she learned to love books. Generations of children have grown up with Ramona Quimby, Henry Huggins, Ralph Mouse, and all of their friends, families, and assorted pets. Her books continue to capture the hearts and imaginations of children of all ages throughout the world.
About Kathleen McInerney
Kathleen McInerney won the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration in 2011 and was a finalist for the Audie in 2010 and 2015. Her narrations have also earned several AudioFile Earphones Awards. She has performed in New York and around the United States in both classical and contemporary theater. Her credits also include television commercials, daytime drama, radio plays, and a broad range of animation voice-overs.