Muggie Maggie

by Beverly Cleary

Maggie resists learning cursive writing in the third grade, until she discovers that knowing how to read and write cursive promises to open up an entirely new world of knowledge for her

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Realistic Fiction, Chapter Books, Middle Grade, School, Audiobook

70 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Beverly Atlee Cleary was an American writer of children's and young adult fiction. One of America's most successful authors, 91 million copies of her books have been sold worldwide since her first book was published in 1950. Some of her best known characters are Ramona Quimby and Beezus Quimby, Henry Huggins and his dog Ribsy, and Ralph S. Mouse.
The majority of Cleary's books are set in the Grant Park neighborhood of northeast Portland, Oregon, where she was raised, and she has been credited as one of the first authors of children's literature to figure emotional realism in the narratives of her characters, often children in middle-class families. Her first children's book was Henry Huggins after a question from a kid when Cleary was a librarian. Cleary won the 1981 National Book Award for Ramona and Her Mother and the 1984 Newbery Medal for Dear Mr. Henshaw. For her lifetime contributions to American literature, she received the National Medal of Arts, recognition as a Library of Congress Living Legend, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal from the Association for Library Service to Children. The Beverly Cleary School, a public school in Portland, was named after her, and several statues of her most famous characters were erected in Grant Park in 1995. Cleary died on March 25, 2021, at the age of 104.

Reviews

[Catherine · Rating 1 out of 5]

While I think the subject matter of this book is a good topic, the adults in this story are just awful - from the parents to the teacher. As a teacher, this teacher does not inspire Maggie to learn in a positive way, nor do her parents, nor her father's secretary.

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

So yes indeed, I do emotionally totally understand why in Beverly Cleary’s 1990 chapter book Muggie Maggie, main protagonist Maggie Schultz does not want to learn cursive writing. For as a child in Germany, in 1973 and in grade one, learning how to write cursively was a real chore and very much painfully stressful for me. And while of course and in reality, I in grade one and without all that much obvious complaining just tried to do my best learning not only how to write cursively but to also write with a fountain pen (even with both my teachers and my parents constantly verbally berating me for my supposedly horrible penmanship), I very often did want to (like Muggie Maggie) tell in particular my teachers that cursive writing was definitely not for me, that I was not going to be physically doing this and practicing cursive writing anymore. And definitely, for that specific reason, Muggie Maggie has certainly felt both realistic and also a bit like a very much personal instance of wish-fulfillment (although I do find the ending of Muggie Maggie with Maggie deciding to finally embrace cursive writing a trifle of a let-down, realistic of course, but still on an internal and deeper level feeling more than a bit disappointing and like Maggie is caving in).

However and the above having been said, while the general thematic background for Muggie Maggie feels totally, utterly and also rather delightfully understandable and relatable (due to as mentioned above, my own childhood issues with having to learn cursive writing and how traumatic this really and truly was for me), well, regarding the specific and minute factual details of Muggie Maggie, I am not really feeling all that much reading pleasure and joy. For yes, while Muggie Maggie was penned in 1990 (which for example, the presence of home computers clearly indicates), still and a bit problematically, for the most part Beverly Cleary’s text feels and reads more like a 1960s or at the most 1970s school story, leaving Muggie Maggie with its contents specifics rather disjointed and as though I am reading a refurbished older tale painted with a thin veneer of the 1990s (not terrible, not inappropriate in any manner, but definitely giving me with Muggie Maggie the feeling of time based disjointedness, of me appreciating the background of Beverly Cleary’s narrative but having rather huge problems with how the actual nitty gritties of the story itself are being textually featured and presented by Beverly Cleary).

[Madeline · Rating 3 out of 5]

A silly, but amusing little book about a third-grade girl's battle to learn cursive. I'm reviewing it only because it really sticks out in my memory, because this book influenced my own handwriting. So, in the book, Maggie's mother is telling her how when she was in college, all the girls she knew dotted their i's with circles because they thought it was artistic. At the end of the book, Maggie starts doing this too. This idea stuck with me for some reason, and when i was thirteen I spent an entire school year training myself to dot my i's with circles. I still do it to this day, and have to force myself not to on applications or other super-important documents where I feel like I'll be judged for my silly handwriting.

[Tatevik · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how Beverly Cleary writes about educational things for children to understand what's wrong and what's right. This was a relatively new book compared to others - about the computer age. Didn't expect that from Miss Cleary, especially after a story about the 1920s. I am used to her 1960-1980 stories. This was the best from the The Beverly Cleary Audio Collection.

[Natalie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow. This book is so stupid. As a teacher I found it completely ridiculous. It was written in 1990 but felt like something from the 50s. The thought of a girl being sent to the principal for not writing in cursive is so dumb, even in the 90s. (At least where I grew up. If anyone did grow up in a school like that, I feel sad for you.)

Maggie decides (for no good reason) that she doesn't want to learn cursive. The teacher concocts this stupid plan to get her to want to read cursive. I can't imagine any teacher being that weird and manipulative.

Didn't like this book at all.

BOB 3/4

[Heather E. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a little tricky for my kids because they have to be able to read cursive to read the book, and by the time they can read cursive it's below their reading level.

[Holly Splawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great concept, but the characters are not as nearly endearing as those in the Ramona series.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I grew up reading Beverly Cleary's books both at home and school, and loved most of the characters in the Henry and Ramona series. The schools depicted were true to the time of publication and I could relate to the kids' thoughts and feelings.

Not so Muggie Maggie. For 1990, the school sounded a lot like the 1960s--we stopped "saluting the flag" way back about 1970, unless they've started again. The teacher's emphasis on being "good citizens" was old hat thirty years ago, and makes the book feel like a rehash. I couldn't identify with Maggie as a real 1990's kid at all--she seems to have no out-of-school friendships her own age, and her family, again, feels like a sixties family dressed up in 90s clothes. Computers were new-ish back then, but even so. Dad goes jogging every morning and mom teaches exercise classes to overweight women (nice!) so of course they're all about Maggie getting outside to play with Kisser (!!!) the dog. Shame she doesn't have any human kid-friends.

I was one of the worst students in "penmanship" (ie learning to write cursive) in my own class, except for one boy who I realise now would be diagnosed as dislexic, but I didn't like the business with the notes. As another reviewer mentions, by the time kids are reading cursive, this book is too babyish for them. It's also very condescending toward the child-protagonist, as if the adult writer is winking over Maggie's and the child-reader's head to the parents, saying, "Wasn't this clever!"

Not really. I felt no empathy with any of the characters. Did Teacher hatch this whole plot of the notes up for one student? Must be a small class. And I'm just sure the principal would want a kid zipping around the halls constantly instead of being in the classroom. Maggie goes around pointing out the adults' mistakes---in a matter she herself hasn't learned. Not believable.

[Jill Westerbur · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book, though it was not my favorite book. It is a great realistic fiction story. It's about a girl named Maggie. She does not want to learn cursive. Later in the school year she learns to read in cursive. Her teacher made her the letter-carrier. She carried letters to each teacher in the school. She is getting suspicious about her teacher because her teacher keeps leaving the letters open. She looks at them and notices they are in cursive. This is when she realizes that she knows how to read in cursive. I give this book a 4 star rating as I found it informational and very well written. The plot was interesting and intriguing. Another great Beverly Cleary book.

[Nevada Libert · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is a great book about cursive and how a girl did not like cursive but in the end reallised that cursive is important and fun.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a kid struggling with cursive around the same age, I hated the ending of this book. Maggie caved way too easily, and my 8 year old self was mad at her for not being stubborn enough. I also didn't feel like cursive was as easy as the book made it seem, so Maggie's sudden change of heart was annoying both because it was way too easy for her, and also she didn't stick to her guns hard enough.

Adult me just remembers being that kid who was so hard headed that a book about a hard headed girl wasn't hard headed enough to suit me. 🤣

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all things Beverly Cleary. I wish cursive was still more of a thing.

[Piper · Rating 5 out of 5]

50 50 LIKE AND NO LIKE

[Kiley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read aloud with my 6 yr old. Maggie was a fun, precocious character and her teacher was very clever. The book led to some good discussions about stubbornness and pride.

[Heather L · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love that this book defends the teaching of and writing in cursive.

[Kelsey Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a girl going into third grade named Maggie. Third grade is where students learn to write cursive. Maggie refuses to write cursive and does not see the point in writing cursive. Maggie's teacher sends her on many errands to other teacher's classrooms with notes. She writes very single one in cursive because Maggie can not read cursive and her teacher hopes this will motivate her to want to learn cursive. Maggie reads every single letter and becomes curious. Eventually is able to read and write cursive just like her teacher hoped.

I liked this book! I thought it was such a fun story and I loved how some cursive letters were written in the story. I also loved how the letters to different teachers were written in cursive.

I think this book could be used to teach cursive. I also think it could be fun to teach children who did not want to learn cursive and even those who loved to learn it. Overall, I think it is a very fun book!

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not the best of Beverly Cleary. The story is very slight and feels like it should be part of a larger book.

It is about a girl named Maggie who doesn't want to learn cursive writing. At first (way too quickly, I thought), she is sent to a psychologist, but isn't really helped with her "problem." Then her teacher starts sending Maggie as a messenger to other teachers with notes in cursive. Maggie peeks at the notes (which the teacher expects her to do.) She is finally motivated to learn cursive. The end.

Some things I found annoying: How Maggie often flipped her blonde hair and how she is (and we are often told this) Gifted and Talented. It is hard to feel much for this gifted and talented blonde hair flipping third grader who has all the teachers and the school bending over backwards to teach her cursive.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why oh why are we not teaching kids cursive writing in schools anymore? How will the next generations read or write beautiful letters or even sign documents without it? I love Beverly Cleary books and always think her characters are full of personality and spunk. Maggie is no exception and her teacher cleverly changes her mind about learning to write cursive. Another one I just finished with Ellie. Loved it!

[Toryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maggie Schultz was having a good first day of third grade. Her teacher, Mrs. Leeper, was nice, and most of her fellow students were too. But when Mrs. Leeper tells the class that third grade is when children learn to read and write cursive, Maggie was disappointed. Who needs cursive when you can print well AND you know how to use a computer? When Maggie gets home, she discovers that her parents are on Mrs. Leepers side. What will Maggie do?
Find out in this hilarious book. :)

[Siomara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. It was about a third grader who could just not understand script.

[Rochelle Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: This is a review I wrote and posted on Amazon in 2002.
After 22 years, my feelings have not changed.
This book, while well-written, does not quite come up to the quality of many of Beverly Cleary's other works, for example, the Henry Huggins books, the Ramona series, Ellen Tebbits, Otis Spofford, and Emily's Runaway Imagination.
The main character, Maggie, is a third-grade girl who rebels against learning to write cursive, partly because she doesn't like the way it looks.
Of course, her refusal causes great concern among the adults in Maggie's life. Maggie even has to see the principal and the school psychologist.
Things seem to be at an impasse, and then Maggie's teacher, Mrs. Leeper, comes up with a clever way of motivating Maggie to learn cursive...
she makes her the note monitor, and leaves the notes unsealed, knowing that Maggie will peek at them. These notes were, for the most part, amusing. One of them, however, brought back some very painful childhood memories.
"Maggie is now reading cursive. I saw her reading what I had written on the chalkboard. If she can read it, she can write it."
Now, while this was true in Maggie's case, and would be true for many others, there are also those who can read it, but, for some reason
or other, cannot write cursive, and sometimes have difficulty with printing as well.
I'm one of these people. I was reading several years above my grade level, but my handwriting was terrible, due, in my case, to a perceptual-motor disablity which wasn't diagnosed until just before I entered the sixth grade. I was often scolded and shamed in front of my classmates:
"There is no excuse for someone who reads as well as you do to have such poor handwriting. You're just not trying. Shame on you!"
Kudos to Mrs. Leeper for NOT shaming Maggie in front of her classmates. And kudos to Beverly Cleary for having some adults in the
book with less than perfect penmanship. Finally, kudos to Beverly Cleary for creating a new character for this book. I doubt that it would
have worked as part of the Ramona series.
I've given this book three stars, not because of my childhood memories, but because, as I said at the beginning of this review, while well-written, it does not quite come up to the quality of many of Beverly Cleary's other works

[Efox · Rating 4 out of 5]

We checked out the audio book for this story from the library and listened to it multiple times over a week where we had some at home sick kids. They both enjoyed listening to it and (being Montessori kids) could not believe that Maggie didn't learn cursive until 3rd grade. Wildly different world they are growing up in. (Do they even teach cursive in Non-Montessori schools anymore? the arguments about using a computer that weren't that compelling when this book was written seem pretty compelling now.) It was a great listen and I'm so glad that we got the book to enjoy together.

This is a Beverly Cleary book that I read when I was in elementary school. Listening to the copyright data it was probably a first edition, brand new hardback copy in 1990, and I loved it/hated it then. I was so like Maggie - wanting to do things my way - not wanting to learn things just because someone told me to - and especially getting the book when I was so struggling with memorizing multiplication tables didn't really make me love it, but boy I could relate to Maggie's school struggles. Honestly all grown up mom version of me still understands what that is like. But listening to it be read to me as an adult was also a great reminder about what it's like being a kid. Parents and teachers know everything and it's the total worst. It made me appreciate my kids desperate stares at me and their looks of how can you possibly not understand our perspective and reminds me that I used to be that way too.

Anyway, love this book. I hope my parents still have my copy at home somewhere so I can see if it really is a 1990 copy or if it's more like a 1992 copy.

[Nora · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book by Beverly Cleary that I have never read before! I was too old when this came out to have read it at the time.

I very strongly identified with Maggie because I also hated learning to write in script. Maggie flat out declares that she won't do it. She is punished by having to go to the principal's office and go to the school psychologist! I used passive resistance. I never said that I wouldn't do it, I just lost my cursive notebook, didn't do my homework, and in general dragged my feet as much as possible. I was a little shocked by how unsympathetic everyone was to Maggie.

I think children today will be completely baffled by this chapter book because as I understand it, American kids aren't taught to write in script anymore. I feel Maggie has been vindicated--writing in script is a total waste of time. My teachers leaned on me really hard to comply, telling me that I could not write in print in middle school, high school, or "in life," none of which turned out to be true. While this book was very cathartic for me and probably would be for a lot of other Generation X and older people, I'm not sure how appealing it is for actual contemporary children. Beverly Cleary has her usual wonderful voice and I felt she conveyed sympathy for everyone--Maggie, her parents, teachers, the principal, etc. I only wish Cleary could also have written a book about learning the the times tables which was the other most traumatic part of the elementary school curriculum.

[Darla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished reading this little book with my grands. We just had to fit it in with a Maggie in the family and our love for Beverly Cleary. The fictional Maggie is in the third grade and not at all thrilled about learning cursive. Her teacher, Mrs. Leeper, has to get creative to interest Maggie in writing this new way. Her dog Kisser is Maggie's biggest fan.

After finishing, J and I chose our favorite chapters. For J it was the chapter when the class is really working hard on practicing their new way of writing. Maggie's table of four feels a little too crowded when classmate Kirby keeps pushing it into her stomach with his enthusistic penmanship.

For me it was the chapter when Mrs. Leeper makes Maggie the Message Monitor. Maggie's job is to deliver messages to the principal and other teachers for Mrs. Leeper. The reusable envelope is not sealed so Maggie decides to take a peek.

A quiet, slice-of-life read and one that many kids will relate to if their school is still teaching cursive.

[Audrey Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

Muggie Maggie by Beverly Cleary is about a girl named Maggie who just doesn't want to learn cursive at school; she insists that print and her use of the computer work just fine for letter writing. When the teacher makes her the message monitor for the class, she realizes that her name shows up in some of the letters that were being passed back and forth. She learns cursive on her own so that she can read what the teachers are saying, and eventually learns to write cursive neatly as well.
This book is definitely around a late second to third grade level due to its lack of pictures and small print. This is a good book, but I definitely would recommend other books that mention school and its challenges. The teachers write about Maggie to other teachers and make her deliver them, which I feel is not something that we should put into our students' heads. Even though the plot includes a student not wanting to do a certain task in school (which is very common), putting their name into notes that they are delivering is not the way to motivate them to do said task.

[Kayleigh Muligan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Third grader Maggie Shultz is faced with having to learn how to read and write cursive. Maggie gets annoyed that her parents and teacher, Mrs. Leeper are always trying to get her to perfect the skill, but she doesn't know how. Mrs. Leeper tries to teach her by assigning her with the duty of messenger and bringing notes to different classrooms. Intrigued by the notes, Maggie tries to decipher the writing, as she feels that Mrs. Leeper may actually be writing about her, but struggles to decode the notes. At the end, she learns to write cursive and ends up doing more of it. The book uses similes, metaphors, and foreshadowing. I gave this book a 4 star rating because I enjoyed how it talked about over coming fear. There is a lesson taught that I found very beneficial to wanting to become a teacher. If a child struggles in a certain subject you can make a fun and creative way for them to want to learn.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Unpopular opinion from an English major/teacher: Beverly Cleary has never been my favorite

Read this for the 3-4th grade battle of the books list with my son. Its content in some ways is outdated (written in 1990). Parenting styles have changed and cursive is now selective to teach for most teachers. That being said I think it is still informative and has a good overall theme. Watching Maggie navigate and accomplish learning to read and write in cursive was a decent little story. Third graders can relate to her in some ways, and the way her mind is working. I also appreciated the teachers initiative/knowing how to motivate her student—which we as the audience get to see before Maggie does.

The adults said some dumb things though. Dismissive and impatient. Also, her seeing the school psychologist was too much.

The end.

[Gumby · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is pretty dumb.

Maggie, a 3rd grader, correctly asserts that cursive is stupid and not worth learning, but she's a brat and a baby about it and causes a huge fuss, which most of the adults around her patiently tolerate (except her dad, who quite reasonably revokes her computer privileges when she refuses to do her schoolwork).

Eventually, her teacher convinces Maggie to learn cursive by sending her around the school with notes to deliver to other teachers with lots of time on their hands--notes written in cursive, which Maggie can't resist trying to interpret.

Again, Maggie is correct: cursive is a stupid waste of time and a moronic way of writing, but sometimes you just have to shut up and do what's asked of you.

A genuine clunker from a legend of American kid-lit. Sorry, Mrs. Cleary, may you rest in peace.

[Elpida Cervantes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muggie Maggie by Beverly Cleary is a fun story about a stubborn girl named Maggie who refuses to learn cursive. Until one day, she is appointed the class mail messenger. Maggie thought the teacher was writing about her. She could not understand them because they were in cursive. However, that did not stop Maggie because she wanted to know what the notes said. She learned cursive and realized that the notes were about her but they were about how good she has become with cursive. Students can relate to this story because they too will encounter learning experiences as Maggie did. Students need someone to help encourage them to do something when they believe they cannot do it. This book is great to help encourage students to do anything and everything they set their minds to.

[Danielle H · Rating 3 out of 5]

The death of cursive writing has been amidst the chatter in schools and Millennial webposts lately. Everyone is talking about it. "How will Gen Z sign their names?" is a favorite. I am sad about the slow death of an art form, really, and remembered this children's book about a young "gifted and talented" girl, Maggie, who cannot read or write cursive. She argues what today's youth argue: I can print or type! Published when it was still the dawn of the household computer age, Cleary tackled a topic that she likely never realized would balloon into what it is today. Soon the whole plot will feel old-timey. A cute read and maybe a tool to convince a child to carry the torch of cursive through the 21st Century.
Bonus points for a brief shout out to the school psychologist!