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When You Reach Me
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Winner of the 2010 John Newbery Medal
Four mysterious letters change Miranda’s world forever.
By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it’s safe to go, like the local grocery store, and they know whom to avoid, like the crazy guy on the corner.
But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a new kid for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda’s mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then Miranda finds a mysterious note scrawled on a tiny slip of paper:
I am coming to save your friend’s life, and my own.
I must ask two favors. First, you must write me a letter.
The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realizes that whoever is leaving them knows all about her, including things that have not even happened yet. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Until the final note makes her think she’s too late.
- Amazon Sales Rank: #539 in Books
- Published on: 2009-07-14
- Released on: 2009-07-14
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Hardcover
- 208 pages
Features
- ISBN13: 9780385737425
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Realistic novel with a heart of fantasy
“When You Reach Me” is a rare gem of young adult fiction: an involving story whose subtle writing and characterization pull you in as much as the mystery that binds the story together. I liked the slice of life of 1979 New York as twelve-year old Miranda and her friends explore their neighborhood, giving us a bit of a Free-Range Kids perspective on days gone by.
Miranda gains and loses friends, and grapples with normal sixth-grade angst, but her worries take on a new twist when she discovers mysterious notes from someone who tries to convince her that he or she can see things that have not happened yet, adding fantasy and sci-fi into this realistic setting where you’d least expect it. Once the mystery has been solved, many readers will want to go back and read the story a second time to see how the pieces fit together in a new light.
In a thematic parallel, Miranda’s experiences reflect her own shifting ability to see situations through other people’s eyes. She also learns that giving or withholding small acts of kindness or meanness can have big consequences. What I love though is that the story is told in a way that does not feel at all preachy.
This is a great book for anyone ages 10 and up. It would be okay for younger kids, but those readers have so many choices that I would save “When You Reach Me” for age 10, because in my experience it’s harder to find good books for that age. Also, the point of view of the story is a bit tricky (skillful, but unconventional), as Miranda writes to her mystery correspondent, which could be confusing for younger readers but an interesting challenge for older kids.
As an adult reader and I thoroughly enjoyed “When You Reach Me.” (I am actually Miranda’s “age,” 11 in 1979, and I loved the part about her Mom’s obsession with the $20,000 Pyramid. Brought back memories.) In the story Miranda talks a lot about her favorite book, one that has captivated readers from the 1960’s to today, A Wrinkle in Time, and I would recommend reading that first!
Beautifully Written, Imaginative, Detail-Rich
This is as close to perfect as any recent book I’ve read for young readers. The prose is clean, almost elegant, but the author spares no detail, from the smells of copies back in 1979, to the way in which the bread is cut for sandwiches as Jimmy’s.
The book offers subtle, non-preachy lessons in how to treat people, how to get along, and how to maintain relationships as kids grow into tweens and teens, never obtrusively and always with as much respect for the fun parts of the tale as one finds in the book that inspires and informs this one: A Wrinkle in Time.
I’m planning to buy copies of this for each of the tween girls in my life. Most of them already have the L’Engle book, but for those who don’t, I’ll send a copy of that as well. When You Reach Me, unlike so many books available for girls that age, will not suffer by comparison.
things that are different
There seems to be an overabundance of books with vampires and magic these days so it is very refreshing to read something different. And different in a very good way. It’s a mystery who is leaving Miranda strange notes and how this person knows things about her that no one could know. But there are other things she needs to figure out too. Like why the new kid punches Sal, why Sal stops talking to her, and why she doesn’t like Julia.
Rebecca Stead deals with the usual angst of adolescence with a good hold on reality with characters that felt like they could be the kids next door. She seems to remember what it felt like to be twelve, except I don’t remember being so deep as to think that
“Sometimes you never feel meaner than the moment you stop being mean. it’s like how turning on a light makes you realize how dark the room had gotten.”
But I could relate to Miranda’s love of “A Wrinkle in Time” and her struggle to figure out where she fits in with friends and enemies and how things can change. I can’t say more without giving away more of the story, which I would hate to do because it was such a satisfying read. All I can say is, things are not always as they seem.
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