Customer Reviews

When You Reach Me (Stead, Rebecca)

5 star:		(148)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

"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!

I have wanted to read this book ever since I heard librarian Nancy Pearl talk about it on NPR. She said the magic words: she said it was an homage to Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, one of my very favorite novels when I was a child a million years ago.

A Wrinkle in Time is also the favorite novel of 12-year-old Miranda, a sixth grader living in Manhattan in 1978. Miranda is rehearsing a story in her head. She needs to tell the story to a somewhat scary unknown person who's been leaving her hidden notes and appears to know the future. The first note says, "I am coming to save your friend's life and my own." It asks Miranda to write a letter relating the story of the events of the novel, and it asks that she deliver the letter by hand.

This is a bizarre and meaningless request when Miranda first reads it. But as the story unfolds, slowly, slowly, everything becomes clear. By the time you get to the end, you will understand everything that Miranda did.

Nancy Pearl and her librarian friends are predicting that When You Reach Me will win the Newberry Medal for "the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children." Let's see... The writing is excellent. The character's breathe life. The plotting is superlative. And one more thing--by the time I reached the end, I was truly moved. I don't know if it was the story's poignancy or if I was just feeling nostalgic or if it was something in between, but for a few hours this 41-year-old was 12 again. And if that's not time travel, I don't know what is.

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.

I'm a 55-year-old mom who loved this book. I want to read it again to relish all the layers of the story, the mystery and the wonderful characters. Each chapter invited me into a different aspect of Miranda's life over several months like the dabs of paint in a Suerat painting--when I stand back I am amazed by the big picture. Never boring though very detailed, it moved me forward to a frightening yet beautifully encouraging resolution. The Amazon description suggests this is for the 9- to 12-year old bracket, though much of the story may only have meaning for an older audience. Definitely recommended!

I'm not a very fast reader. The time I have to devote to reading for pleasure, is very limited. In between checking papers for school and planning lessons, working on various projects around the house, and planning for the arrival of our first baby, I'm lucky if I can squeeze in 20 minutes of reading a night. Or every other night! Suffice it to say, the phrases "page turner" and "couldn't put it down" when describing books, don't really apply to me, because whether I like it or not, I have to eventually put books down. It takes a rare, special book, to steal my attention and force me to set aside certain responsibilities in order to return to it frequently. I could tell from the opening pages of WHEN YOU REACH ME, that it was one special book.

The setting is New York City. The time is 1979. Miranda, our narrator, is helping her mother prepare to be a contestant on the game show The $20,000 Pyramid. One day while walking home from school, Miranda's best friend Sal is punched by a stranger, once in the stomach and then once across the face, for no apparent reason. Sal hurries home without uttering a word to Miranda and their friendship, as she knows it, is suddenly over. Shortly after the incident, Miranda begins receiving mysterious notes from someone who seems to know more about Miranda's life than they ought to. Who is sending the notes? How do they know these things? And why Miranda?

It's been a long time since I've read anything quite as enthralling as this book. I simply couldn't put it down. And I can't afford to use that phrase lightly. I would read a few pages or so, put it down to check papers, or plan lessons, or do some household chores, only to return to it minutes later to continue reading. Before I knew it, the day was getting shorter and I was past the point of no return. I finished the book that same day. From the opening page when Miranda's first person narrative breaks away to cryptically state "Just like you said", I was hooked. This was not just a story for us readers, this was a story being told to a certain someone. And the mystery of who that someone is sucks you in and pulls you along through the book.

The story she's telling wouldn't be worth a thing to the reader if Miranda wasn't such a richly drawn character. She's endearing (there's times you want to let her cry on your shoulder) and she's imperfect (there's times you want to slap her across the face and shake some sense into her). She misses her best friend Sal and is trying her hardest to make new friends and fill the void. She befriends Annemarie and Colin, but is jealous of the budding romance between the two of them. She hates Julia but is forced to tolerate her because she's Annemarie's best friend. And she wants to hate Marcus because he's the boy who punched Sal for no apparent reason, but she can't help falling into conversations with him. All these conflicting dynamics add a certain level of authenticity to these characters and this setting, which only further strengthens the plot. These characters are all very real, and adults and kids alike will be able to connect with them.

In order to keep up on my ever growing To-Read list, I don't often have the liberty of re-reading a text. Unless of course, it's something I find suitable for my 5th grade class at school, in which case, I use it as a classroom read aloud. WHEN YOU REACH ME is a book that just begs for multiple readings, so while my motives may have been a tad selfish, I just had to read it to my students. And I have to say, the book only gets better with a second reading! Having read it once and knowing what I now know, things stand out that went completely unnoticed the first time. Clever pieces of the puzzle are scattered throughout the text and I'm sure a third reading would reveal even more! Not a single sentence is wasted by author Rebecca Stead.

This is a genre-busting book that defies classification. Is it realistic fiction? Is it historical fiction? Is it fantasy? Is it science fiction? It may be all of the above . . . with a little jealousy and romance and humor sprinkled in between. It's heartwarming, it's maddening, it's suspenseful, and it's a brilliant contribution to the world of children's literature. Hopefully, a book that will be loved and talked about for many years to come.

This is an excellent little novel. Miranda is a 12 year old girl growing up with her single mom in 1978 New York City. She is going through the normal issues most 12 year old girls go through; insecurities, doubts, etc. Her mom is going to be a contestant on the iconic Dick Clark game show, the[..]Pyramid, and they spend a lot of time practicing for her appearance. On top of this, Miranda has recently become estranged for reasons unknown to her, from her life long friend and neighbor, Sal.

Miranda starts to receive mysterious tiny notes. Their content is mysterious and somewhat disturbing, but they promise to lead up to some important future event. Miranda loves the new Madleine L'Engle novel, A Wrinkle in Time, and even discusses it with her new found friend Marcus and rival, Julia.

What a wonderful book. The setting is so appealing to me, since I was about the same age as a Miranda in 1978 and grew up on Long Island, right outside of NYC. The characters were so well drawn and perfectly believable--their pain is palpable, and their joy made me joyful too. I loved this novel and of course, my 12 year old daughter is reading it next! One of the best books I've read this year. Clever, funny, engaging and so touching.

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.

This book will probably rightfully win liteary awards, but it is not the type of book that I think my 10 and 11 year old boys would enjoy (i.e. literary accolades, but not necessarily universal intended audience kid appeal). I would compare this book to a lovely hike, where you notice beautiful things to admire and enjoy. On such a hike, my boys would be yelling, "Are we there yet?" Now, honestly, not all kids are alike. Some kids like hikes, and see the beauty in nature. Others want a different experience. I would recommend this book to thoughtful kids who like quiet books with insights gained from the character's growth... such as Sharon Creech's Walk Two Moons, or Paterson's The Bridge to Terabithia. And, admittedly, I have met quite a few kids who really do like those type of books. My boys, instead, are currently reading on their own Kinney's Wimpy Kid series, Erin Hunter's Warrior series, and Chris D' Lacey's dragon trilogy. So, there you go; I'm obviously biased toward "fast" moving books.

UPDATE: I wrote my original review Fall 2009. On January 18, 2010, the book did win the Newbery.

Fabulous and compelling narrator. Page turner and thought provoking at the same time. Great story.

Be aware that the narrator's mother is not married and never has been. Sometimes the mother's boyfriend stays overnight.

Foul Language - None, that I remember.
Sex - None.
Violence - An accident that is dealt with appropriately. (Trying not to spoil anything. Let me know if you want more detail.)

Miranda and Sal have been best friends practically since birth. They did everything together--from daycare naptime to walking to school--until sixth grade when Sal is suddenly punched by the new kid. Sal shuts Miranda out of his life, and that's when Miranda's life starts to spin out of control. The spare key to Miranda's apartment is stolen, the crazy guy on the corner's behavior becomes even stranger, and Miranda starts receiving mysterious notes from an undisclosed person. These notes are what freak her out the most because they reveal things no one should know, things that haven't even happened yet. But even though Miranda would like to forget all the crazy new things in her life, especially the notes, she can't, because as unbelievable as the messages seem, the impending tragic death they warn of doesn't feel like a lie. And Miranda might be the only one who can prevent it, if she can only truly understand the notes before it's too late.

When You Reach Me is a truly delightful and remarkably unique story that incorporates themes as simple as friendship and love to concepts as complex as the scientific possibility of time travel. Readers will be drawn into Miranda's story from the first page with the exciting air of mystery Stead creates. The mystery of the notes is probably the most thrilling aspect of this novel, with their seemingly unexplainable appearances and threat of real danger, but all the other sections of the story are also similarly well developed. Stead does a fantastic job of making When You Reach Me believable, even with farfetched theories such as time travel. Miranda, somewhat precocious, and the rest of the cast are three-dimensional characters easy to understand. Stead also portrays the tween years well, when peers' opinions start to make an impact and guy-girl interaction is more about tentative crushes. It's a rare gem when you find a novel that successfully and wonderfully combines a realistic version of everyday life with complicated scientific mystery as much as Stead has in When You Reach Me. In fact, Stead's storytelling skills are so advanced, I'm surprised this novel is classified as middle grade; the only things middle grade about it are Miranda and her friends' ages and the air of innocence to the story. I think the middle grade audience may even have some difficulty understanding the discussion of time travel; I know I did at times. But as well as that slight confusion, this novel also provokes deep thought of the complexities of modern science, and faith and hope in the future.

When You Reach Me will be enjoyed by readers of all ages, from middle grade up. This novel, one of the sweetest and most genius I've ever read, will be enjoyed by those who liked A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, a novel much referenced in this story.