Stead, Rebecca. WHEN YOU REACH ME. New York: Wendy Lamb Books, 2009. ISBN 978-0-385-73742-5
Twelve-year-old Miranda
constantly rereads one book over and over again, the story of a young girl
traveling through time. Yet Miranda
doesn’t think time travel is real – it is just too complicated for her to
understand or believe. That is, until
she starts to receive a series of mysterious notes from someone who seems to
know about things before they happen.
The notes warn that her best friend is in trouble and Miranda worries
she won’t be able to figure them out before it is too late.
Rebecca Stead’s
Newbery-winning novel, WHEN YOU REACH ME, opens up the mysterious world of
traveling through time for children, in a plot that is thrilling and
believable. Readers will become
captivated with the cryptic notes Miranda starts to discover, and will feel her
suspense as she tries to piece together who is sending them to her. Stead’s cast of young characters are
relatable and likeable, as even Marcus, the apparent bully, becomes someone
they root for and want to protect, and the crazy “laughing man” on the street
corner becomes a character they pity and feel sorrow for. Stead creates suspense throughout the novel,
which grows all the way until the very end, where a surprising twist will leave readers believing in the impossible.
Stead’s young-adult novel
is so beautifully and truthfully written that you will forget it contains
elements of fantasy. The idea of
traveling back into time is real and genuine, so much so that readers will
believe in an ending that has a character reappearing years older to save the
life of a young friend. Stead’s message
is subtle yet clear: good will prevail and characters should not be judged
based on their outward appearances or actions.
The most outlandish and wacky character, the Laughing Man, in fact
becomes the true hero of the story. And
even the seemingly spoiled rich girl who no one likes turns out to be a caring
and faithful friend. Miranda evolves as
the book progresses, learning to see past stereotypes and misconceptions in
those around her. Stead’s writing is
simple and straightforward, with dialogue that is true-to-life for an easy read
for students and young adults. The
chapters are short and quick, and are cleverly titled with categories such as,
“Things You Hold On To,” which mirrors Miranda’s mother’s incessant practicing
for her turn on the 70’s game show, THE $20,000 PYRAMID. Stead’s novel is clever and touching and will
create a willing suspension of disbelief in even the most serious of young
readers.
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Praise for WHEN YOU REACH ME:
"In this taut novel, every word, every sentence, has meaning and substance. A hybrid of genres, it is a complex mystery, a work of historical fiction, a school story and one of friendship, with a leitmotif of time travel running through it. Most of all the novel is a thrilling puzzle." - THE NEW YORK TIMES
"This unusual, thought-provoking mystery will appeal to several types of readers." - SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
Middle grade students can become detectives as they read WHEN YOU REACH ME, searching the book, chapter titles, and even its cover illustration for clues as to who is sending the mysterious notes to Miranda.
An interview with author Rebecca Stead about her experience writing WHEN YOU REACH ME can be found on Amazon here.
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