Stead, Rebecca. When You Reach Me. New York: Wendy Lamb Books. ISBN 9780385797425
The Characters
The main character of When You Reach Me is normal, everyday, New York City sixth grader Miranda. The events that happen to and around Miranda are extraordinary, but she takes them in stride... more or less. When Miranda finally deciphers the notes left for her by a mysterious stranger, the audience does, too, and experiences the fantastic events of the story with her.
The Plot
While Miranda's mom is training to be on the hit 1970s game show, The $20,000 Pyramid, Miranda receives mysterious notes that seems to be from the future. The notes reveal that something life changing is going to happen, and Miranda is the only one who can do anything about it.
The Setting
The setting of this novel about time travel is in 1970s New York. This is what we now call Urban Fantasy, with fantastic events happening in a normal, nonfantastic (in the magical sense) city.
The Theme
The theme of When You Reach Me is the acceptance of life and what happens around you, despite how challenging or fantastic it may be.
The Style
When You Reach Me is written from Miranda's point of view. Time travel is integral to the outcome of the story, but it's discussed in a purely quizzical, sixth grade scientific sort of way. Nothing is overly complicated or difficult to understand, which makes the story seem more believable, like a friend from school really could come back from the future to save a life.
The Analysis
When You Reach Me was a really fun read. I actually read it in almost one sitting, just because I wanted to find out what these mysterious notes really meant and what was going to happen between Miranda and her friend Sal. I also wanted to find out if her mom won her gameshow. I always liked watching The $20000 Pyramid when I was younger, so seeing the game-themed chapter titles made me want to read them all the more.
The Review
Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, June 1, 2009 (Vol. 77, No. 11))
When Miranda's best friend Sal gets punched by a strange kid, he abruptly stops speaking to her; then oddly prescient letters start arriving. They ask for her help, saying, "I'm coming to save your friend's life, and my own." Readers will immediately connect with Miranda's fluid first-person narration, a mix of Manhattan street smarts and pre-teen innocence. She addresses the letter writer and recounts the weird events of her sixth-grade year, hoping to make sense of the crumpled notes. Miranda's crystalline picture of her urban landscape will resonate with city teens and intrigue suburban kids. As the letters keep coming, Miranda clings to her favorite book, A Wrinkle in Time, and discusses time travel with Marcus, the nice, nerdy boy who punched Sal. Keen readers will notice Stead toying with time from the start, as Miranda writes in the present about past events that will determine her future. Some might guess at the baffling, heart-pounding conclusion, but when all the sidewalk characters from Miranda's Manhattan world converge amid mind-blowing revelations and cunning details, teen readers will circle back to the beginning and say, "Wow...cool."
I think it would be really fun to share this book with kids, then make a time capsule! Since the book is all about time, I think that would be a cool activity to do. We could also watch the Back to the Future movies, maybe have a futuristic party, or a pastursitic (Yep, made that word up!) party! Or, we could always just read this, then read A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle like MIranda does, then discuss time travel and if we think it's really possible. Ooh! What a fun book!
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