Stead, Rebecca. When You Reach Me. New York: Wendy Lamb, 2009. Print.
Summary
It's 1978, and twelve year old Miranda is dealing with a few issues. Her best friend Sal has been totally avoiding her since he was mysteriously punched, there's a mysterious "laughing man" hanging around, and to top it off, she starts receiving mysterious notes that seem to be written from the future. As the note-writer implores her to tell him/her everything about her sixth grade year, Miranda talks about her family (her mother's getting ready to go on the $20,000 Pyramid), her friends (her issues with Sal as well as her new friends Annemarie and Colin), and her school life.
My Impressions
This is a book that definitely requires multiple readings. The first time I read it, I was so caught up in the central mystery that I missed the greater theme of a girl growing up and learning that people aren't always what they seem. Stead puts in lots of great detail of the era, such as the $20,000 Pyramid as well as Miranda's favorite book (and fellow Newbery winner!) A Wrinkle in Time.
What Other Reviewers Said
Gr 5-8-Sixth-grader Miranda lives in 1978 New York City with her mother, and her life compass is Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time. When she receives a series of enigmatic notes that claim to want to save her life, she comes to believe that they are from someone who knows the future. Miranda spends considerable time observing a raving vagrant who her mother calls "the laughing man" and trying to find the connection between the notes and her everyday life. Discerning readers will realize the ties between Miranda's mystery and L'Engle's plot, but will enjoy hints of fantasy and descriptions of middle school dynamics. Stead's novel is as much about character as story. Miranda's voice rings true with its faltering attempts at maturity and observation. The story builds slowly, emerging naturally from a sturdy premise. As Miranda reminisces, the time sequencing is somewhat challenging, but in an intriguing way. The setting is consistently strong. The stores and even the streets-in Miranda's neighborhood act as physical entities and impact the plot in tangible ways. This unusual, thought-provoking mystery will appeal to several types of readers. (1)
A science-fiction tale firmly rooted in reality, When You Reach Me is the written correspondence between Miranda, a latchkey kid growing up in New York City during the 1970s, and the time traveler she has yet to meet. In order to prevent a tragedy Miranda must tell the truth about her sixth-grade year. "You won't be yourself when you reach me," Miranda writes to the mysterious stranger, "but you will get the job done." Rebecca Stead successfully reveals two important portals to the future--time travel and preadolescence. "It's kind of a special time," says Stead, when kids realize, "life is so much more complicated than I thought--and it's not all about me." Like the heroine of her favorite book, A Wrinkle in Time, Miranda struggles just as much with immaturity as she does with the laws of physics. With issues ranging from her mom's embarrassing wardrobe to her sudden estrangement from her friend Sal, Miranda learns that growing apart is part of growing up. "A lot of my strongest memories about friendship come from the making and the breaking and the discovering," says Stead. Like all preadolescents, she said, Miranda discovers the "ability to look at people from a slightly wiser point of view." (Ages 10-14) (2)
Suggested Activities
Have kids discuss other favorite books, movies, and TV shows that feature time travel. How are they alike? How are they different?
Other Citations
(1) Augusta, Caitlin. "When You Reach Me." School Library Journal 55.7 (2009): 93. MAS Ultra - School Edition. EBSCO. Web. 26 Sept. 2010.
(2) "When You Reach Me." Kirkus Reviews 77.22 (2009): 16. MAS Ultra - School Edition. EBSCO. Web. 26 Sept. 2010.
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