Is That You, Miss Blue? by Marijane Meaker
**Overview of "Is That You, Miss Blue?" by Marijane Meaker**
"Is That You, Miss Blue?" is a poignant coming-of-age novel that explores the complexities of adolescence, family dynamics, and the search for identity within a challenging school environment. The story follows Flanders Brown, who arrives at Charles School amid personal turmoil stemming from her parents' tumultuous relationship and their unconventional choices. At the school, she navigates friendships and conflicts with peers, particularly with Carolyn Cardmaker, who grapples with her faith and the disillusionment of religious belief.
Central to the narrative is Miss Blue, a devout and misunderstood teacher whose faith and loneliness render her an outcast among the students. As Flanders develops a complex relationship with Miss Blue, she begins to empathize with the teacher’s struggles, highlighting themes of kindness and the human need for connection. The novel delves into the characters' evolving perceptions of faith, friendship, and personal growth, ultimately illustrating the impact of their experiences on their lives.
With its distinctive portrayal of relationships and the emotional landscapes of its characters, "Is That You, Miss Blue?" resonates with readers as it addresses universal themes of love, acceptance, and the quest for understanding amidst life’s challenges.
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Subject Terms
Is That You, Miss Blue? by Marijane Meaker
First published: 1975
Type of work: Moral tale
Themes: Coming-of-age, family, friendship, and religion
Time of work: The 1970’s
Recommended Ages: 13-15
Locale: Charles School, Virginia
Principal Characters:
Flanders Brown , the daughter of divorced parents, ashamed of her father’s work and her mother’s behaviorCarolyn Cardmaker , the poor but intelligent daughter of a minister, friend of Flanders, and founder of the Atheist ClubAgnes Thatcher , the beautiful but deaf daughter of wealthy parents and Flanders’ companion in Little Dorrit HallErnestine Blue , a science teacher and devoutly religious woman, who also shares Little Dorrit HallAnnie P. Ettinger , headmistress of the school, a large, no-nonsense womanBilly Ettinger , her husband, a small, gentle manSumner Thomas , a Wales Military Academy cadet, who serves as Flanders’ escort at dances at Charles and who is mourning his mother’s suicide
The Story
Is That You, Miss Blue? opens with Flanders Brown on the train on her way to Charles School. She meets Carolyn Cardmaker, who will be her first friend and who explains the types of girls who are sent to Charles. Flanders is a Type 3: In the Way—as she is indeed. Her mother has just left home with a man much younger than she, and her father is relocating to pursue his latest self-improvement program. At the school, where all rooms are named for Charles Dickens’ stories, Flanders is placed in Little Dorrit Hall, where her only companion is Agnes Thatcher, beautiful and deaf although often unfriendly. There is a faculty chum as well, Miss Blue, who is a loner and devoutly religious. Miss Blue places a picture of Jesus crowned with thorns in the bathroom that all three must share. Flanders at first ridicules this devotion but regrets having done so. She feels sorry for Miss Blue, who, in Flanders’ opinion, is one of the best teachers at Charles.
On one occasion, Miss Blue reports to students at her supper table that she has had a visit from Jesus in her room. Later, when Flanders knocks at Miss Blue’s door, it is clear that she is expecting someone else—Jesus, no doubt. Miss Blue then becomes an object of ridicule throughout the school. In the meantime, Flanders learns from a television interview of her father that her parents had been involved in a sex surrogate program as one of their courses. This disclosure makes her feel even more alienated from both her parents.
In addition, Carolyn Cardmaker gets in trouble at a dance, in spite of the fact that she is totally innocent. God is not about to help her, she concludes; there really is no God. She starts an Atheist Club and invites Flanders to join, but Flanders says that she is not ready to stop believing in God. Agnes joins, however, as does another student, and they engage in acts of unbelief, such as saying all the words of the hymns in chapel in reverse order.
Events come to a head when Miss Blue is dismissed because of her supposed visitations of Christ. Flanders enlists the three atheists to help her give a good-bye gift to Miss Blue: the picture of Mary, Queen of Scots, of which Miss Blue is so fond and before which she has spent so much time sitting. Discovered, the four girls are required to pay $250 each to pay for the picture. Carolyn cannot ask her impoverished father to pay, so she acts in such a way that she will be dismissed.
When Christmastime arrives, Flanders visits her mother, whom she begins to understand. Then she spends Christmas with Carolyn, whose father does not pressure her to attend church services on Christmas. Yet the call of the bells is strong, and so is Carolyn’s latent faith. None of the girls sees Miss Blue again. Life goes on, each of the girls develops a life of her own, and new events crowd out old ones. Miss Blue and the experiences at Charles School, however, are never forgotten.
Context
Is That You, Miss Blue? is somewhat typical of M. E. Kerr’s books. It is one of her earlier books in a series that deals mostly with relationships among teenagers and with adults, particularly their parents. It is similar to other books by Kerr in that personalities of unusual characters, played larger than life, are vividly portrayed. In addition, Is That You, Miss Blue? is one of a large group of books by myriad authors that are concerned with families that are separated and in which individuals must learn to cope with new life-styles. The anger toward her parents, especially her mother, that Flanders demonstrates is, however, a step beyond the usual pain and guilt that are portrayed in children’s books in which parents are divorced.
In terms of its religious theme, Is That You, Miss Blue? makes a unique contribution. Miss Blue is not portrayed as an especially likable character. Yet the reader is drawn into the same sort of response that Flanders shows: One feels sorry for Miss Blue and wants to protect her. The reader regrets that Miss Blue’s good qualities are overlooked; in contrast to the other teachers and the privileged students of Charles School, she is totally honest and without pretension. The story conveys a feeling that the world is too cold and unsympathetic for such a sincere person.
Although the characters in Kerr’s books are unusual and drawn to extremes, they all tend, as do the characters in Is That You, Miss Blue?, to be searching for love, friendship, caring, and an end to the loneliness that they all, teenagers and adults alike, experience. All Kerr’s novels are concerned primarily with relationships and secondarily with self-actualization, that is, the ability to make one’s own decisions, to be one’s own person. In terms of these themes, Is That You, Miss Blue? is a prime example of M. E. Kerr’s works.
Bibliography
Kerr, M. E. Blood on the Forehead: What I Know About Writing. New York: HarperCollins, 1998.
Kerr, M. E. Me, Me, Me, Me, Me: Not a Novel. New York: Harper & Row, 1983.
The M. E. Kerr and Mary James Web site. http://www.mekerr.com.
Meaker, Marijane. Highsmith: A Romance of the Fifties. San Francisco: Cleis Press, 2003.
Meaker, Marijane. “Marijane Meaker.” In Something About the Author. Vol. 20, edited by Anne Commire. Detroit: Gale, 1980.
Nilsen, Alleen Pace. Presenting M. E. Kerr. Updated ed. New York: Twayne, 1997.
Sutton, Roger. “A Conversation with M. E. Kerr.” School Library Journal 39, no. 6 (June, 1993): 24-29.