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When You Reach Me

4.07 of 5 stars 4.07 · rating details · 26,177 ratings · 5,735 reviews

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,...more

Hardcover, 199 pages

Published July 14th 2009 by Wendy Lamb Books (first published 2009)

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2nd out of 104 books — 455 voters

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May 19, 2012 Cara rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Cara by: Ginny

Shelves: recommended-to-me, 2012, whoa-that-s-heavy

One of the most impressive things to me about middle grade literature is how much power their books can punch with so little pages. It still astounds me. As older people I guess we tend to over explain and overanalyze. Thank goodness there are authors that can still capture the feel of being a kid growing up and how simultaneously painful and wonderful it can be.

Miranda is a sixth grader who lives in New York City. Her life seems pretty normal. She has a best friend named Sal but that all change...more One of the most impressive things to me about middle grade literature is how much power their books can punch with so little pages. It still astounds me. As older people I guess we tend to over explain and overanalyze. Thank goodness there are authors that can still capture the feel of being a kid growing up and how simultaneously painful and wonderful it can be.

Miranda is a sixth grader who lives in New York City. Her life seems pretty normal. She has a best friend named Sal but that all changes one day. Miranda is feeling all muddled and confused, but what she does know is that she lost her best friend and can't seem to piece together why. This was not the best time to lose a friend because Miranda's keeps on receiving these mystery notes. The person writing the notes seems to know what is happening before it actually does. But how can that be? And why the urgency and why her?

The story's timeline (at least for me) was confusing at first. It's told through flashbacks but the reader periodically comes back to the present where Miranda's mom has been selected to be on The $20,000 Pyramid. I loved how the parent figures were an important part to the story as a whole. Miranda's mother and her boyfriend play vital roles in her life and though they might not know everything that is going on you can tell through the pages that they love her dearly. Then there is the atmosphere of the school and Miranda's classmates. I didn't grow up in 1978 or in New York but I felt the atmosphere and the tone of the relationships so well that I got caught up in Miranda's plight easily. Throughout the story Miranda is reading her favorite book, A Wrinkle in Time. This book is a kind of homage to A Wrinkle in Time. By the way if you haven't read that book yet you should, it's excellent too.

What makes the story so great is the little things. Seeing Miranda help her mom prepare for the game show, the description of Sal playing basketball every day, Miranda talking about time travel with Marcus, the boys who taunt people across the street, the weird shapes on Miranda's bathroom floor, Colin hiding the bread and I could go on and on. It reflects real life right? A lot of times the little things add up to be something big and meaningful.

I commend the author for not talking down to the reader. I don't ever think authors do this on purpose, but I can tell she respects the reader and knows that kids can surprise us with how much they can process and understand. Most importantly even though I don't necessarily have Miranda's personality or history this book reminded me of how it felt like to be in sixth grade again.(less)

21 likes · like · see review

Apr 06, 2010 Lisa Vegan rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: A Wrinkle in Time fans; 9 to adult; those who enjoy time travel, NYC, 1979, 12 yr old girls

Shelves: childrens, fiction, novel, speculative-fiction, reviewed, time-travel, young-adult, historical-fiction, favorites, altta, nyc

First I have to say that A Wrinkle in Time has been my favorite or among my very favorite books since I was nine years old, and I’ve never been able to write a true or worthy review for it; I can’t even try.

There are dozens, maybe hundreds, of books I wish I’d written. Occasionally, I come across a book I should have written. This is a book I definitely should have written. It touched me to the core in that incredibly familiar way that seems to come from within, not the outside. Some details are...more

45 likes · like · see review

May 01, 2009 Monica Edinger rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: award-worthy

My New York Times review.

A blog post about reading it aloud to my fourth graders with links to their own blog posts.

13 likes · like · see review

Mar 29, 2011 Cassy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, fiction-children, physical-own, region-america-canada, event-met-author, lawyers-turned-authors

I almost did not read this book. I knew it was targeted for a younger audience, but I didn’t realize just how young. I kept vainly searching for it in the teenagers’ section (where I was already a bit embarrassed to be spotted). When I realized I would have to go inside the children’s section at B&N, I wavered. The little chairs. The colored foam titles on the floor. The stuffed animals. It’s all cute, but could one of those books satisfy me?

It probably deserves more than three stars. But it...more I almost did not read this book. I knew it was targeted for a younger audience, but I didn’t realize just how young. I kept vainly searching for it in the teenagers’ section (where I was already a bit embarrassed to be spotted). When I realized I would have to go inside the children’s section at B&N, I wavered. The little chairs. The colored foam titles on the floor. The stuffed animals. It’s all cute, but could one of those books satisfy me?

It probably deserves more than three stars. But it is hard for me to judge at twenty five years old. I am not an elementary school teacher, a children’s librarian, or a mother. My days of baby-sitting for $6 an hour are long gone. I don’t know how kids would react. At eight, I might have given it five stars and then complained to my mom that the rating system needed to be changed because this book deserved at least sixteen stars.

As an adult, I am not jumping up and down, but I enjoyed it. It is charming. The solution to the puzzle was satisfying and only modestly predictable. And I was surprised to glimpse some deeper and gritty topics: rehabilitation in prisons, homeless people, racism, single mothers, dead-end jobs. I didn’t expect to encounter these in a children’s book and they were artfully applied. Indeed, during the event, Rebecca spoke about how she didn’t think kids needed to be so protected.

Rebecca also spoke about the inspiration for the book. You’d think A Wrinkle in Time was the starting point. Wrong! The idea began as she read a New York Times article about a guy walking around Denver, Colorado with amnesia. When he asked for help, everyone avoided the “crazy” man. After reaching a hospital and being put under hypnosis, he remembered exactly two things about himself: (1) he was married to Penny and (2) they had two daughters who had both died in a car accident. When they finally identified this man, he had a fiancé named Penny and no children. Creepy!

She did address the allusions to A Wrinkle in Time. She included these for two reasons. She wanted to describe how books can feel so personal. How they can make a reader feel territorial. I am guilty of this. I like to pretend such-and-such book was written for my eyes only. I will only reluctantly loan or even mention some books to others. She also wanted to warn readers that there would be difficult and potentially technical topics coming ahead. (The third reason I discern must have been too obvious for her to mention or considered part of the second reason: it served as a necessary device for explaining time-travel.)

Rebecca started out as a criminal defense attorney, because it was a clearer path than writing. She spoke about how she kept waiting for someone to send her a “Harry Potter letter”. You will remember when Harry receives notice that he is a wizard and has been accepted into Hogwarts. How do you decide you want to become a writer? It is impractical! Self-doubt and/or egotism are occupational hazards! She kept waiting for someone to tell her that she was talented enough and had “permission” to pursue writing. This spoke to me. I have been wondering lately about a letter to direct my life. Did it get lost in the mail? Am I going to have to take a risk without it? Ekk…
(less)

20 likes · like · see review

Feb 07, 2012 Clare Cannon rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: 13+ years

Shelves: 13-15yrs, young-adult, favorites

This intriguing modern day story draws inspiration from Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time.

When Miranda's mother unexpectedly fell pregnant during college, she put her studies on hold and took time out to care for her baby. Twelve years later mother and daughter are poor but happy together.

Miranda is a good girl, but like many her age her world is small and revolves mainly around herself. When strange notes appear which tell her about things that will happen in the future, she is intrigued....more

9 likes · like · see review

Apr 02, 2010 Samantha rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: b-n-top-ten-of-the-year, newbery-winners

Newbery Winner 2010
#2 on Barnes & Noble's Top Ten Children's Books of 2009
Maine Student Book Award Nominee 2010-2011

I feel like I'm missing something because every other review seems to be five stars. I liked the book. How could I not, when it references A Wrinkle in Time so often. I personally found the mystery to be easily solved. I like how the author weaved the clues in, but I found it to be very obvious and knew from the beginning from the book who it was and how it would work. I'm not...more

19 likes · like · see review

Dec 19, 2011 Watermelon Daisy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Is it wrong to love a book so much to bits?

That’s the first question I was asking myself when I finished reading this book. It has the most unique plotline in the whole entire world, but that’s the thing –I won’t tell you. It’s not until the end of the book do you realise what the whole plotline is. Which is why I truly love, love, love this book to pieces.
It has the most original plot I’ve ever read. No questions asked. Everything that the author puts in the story counts. Literally.

“Such a clev...more

4 likes · like · see review

Jan 01, 2010 Luann rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: ALL Madeleine L'Engle fans

Shelves: young-adult, science-fiction, time-travel, mystery, fiction, 2010, newbery-medal, ms-rec

Wow. Easily five stars. This is a MUST for all Madeleine L'Engle fans - and anyone who enjoyed watching The $20,000 Pyramid game show! Once I really got started, I didn't want to stop until I had finished. And even once I reached the end, I went back and reread some parts again.

I loved the writing style with short chapters, most with titles that could be categories on The $20,000 Pyramid game show and applied in some way to the events in the chapter. The short chapters also moved the story alon...more

7 likes · like · see review

Apr 06, 2011 The Holy Terror rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone!

Recommended to The Holy Terror by: Andy

Shelves: color-red, good-but-will-never-reread, award-winner, childrens, science-fiction, middle-grade, 2010

4.5 stars!

This is the newest Newbery Medal Award Winner and I had actually wanted to read it before it had been nominated. This is a cleverly written "slice of life" tale that transcends age, gender, and race and is a great story that anyone and everyone can enjoy.

This book twists and turns and meanders about in such a fascinating way that you're quickly pulled into Miranda's and her friends' lives and what it's like to grow up in New York in the late '70s. Some of the observations that the auth...more

4 likes · like · see review

Feb 12, 2012 Osho rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

4.5 stars for this very sweet and earnest middle reader. Though the plot is soft science fiction-ish (there are reasons that A Wrinkle in Time is invoked), this is a foil for the story of transitioning to adolescence. You might kiss someone, or have an insight about a friend, or experience a flash of satori when your brain becomes abstract enough to grasp the paradoxes inherent in time travel.

I enjoyed the chapter headings that alluded to The $20000 Pyramid, which suggested that Miranda is now...more

5 likes · like · see review

Aug 02, 2010 Bonnie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009-books, ya-fantasy-sci-fi, time-travel, ya-middle-grade

So much in such a little book and not what I expected at all. Miranda's (the main character's) favourite book is A Wrinkle in Time, which pretty much tells you everything you need to know about this novel if you really think about it. There are kind of two intertwined stories that are really one story. The first is the story of a preteen girl going through the pangs of growing up, losing her best friend and finding new ones, overcoming preconceived notions of others, coming to terms with racism,...more

4 likes · like · see review

May 21, 2010 Clarence :P rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People who want to think DEEP!

Recommended to Clarence :P by: myself.

This is a book that will intrigue people of all ages. It boggles your mind at times, makes you laugh at others, and turns the corners of your mouth down at others still! I enjoyed reading this, trying to figure out how the complex plot would unravel.
Miranda, the main charater in this story, lives with her mother in a shabby apartment. Her mother has just been selected to be in a game show involving money, and while they get ready for that, things tsart happening.
Sal, Miranda's best friend, gets...more

2 likes · like · see review

Feb 23, 2009 Waller rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, science-fiction

Mystery, fantasy, science fiction? Who has been dropping little notes for Miranda, and how does he or she know what is going to happen? Whose life is in danger? *When You Reach Me* weaves the mystery among the threads of Miranda's daily life, dealing with friendships, school, her mother's boyfriend, and her own first kiss; L'Engle's *A Wrinkle in Time* provides a leitmotif throughout that is connected to the mysterious new boy, Marcus, and his peculiar theories about time travel.

2 likes · like · see review

Feb 25, 2009 Karlan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

Set on the upper West side of Manhattan in the 80s, this realistic novel about a girl and boy who are best friends until they become self conscious is a winner. The plot takes a turn into fantasy and science fiction in a moving and believable way to make this an unusual novel. The fantasy is very cleverly slipped into the story.

1 like · like · see review

Mar 05, 2012 Phoebe rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: intergalactic-academy-reviews, sci-fi, childrens, middle-grade, loved-it

Full review at the Intergalactic Academy.

I’m late to the party with Rebecca Stead’s When You Reach Me, winner of a Newbery in 2010 and recipient of widespread acclaim. It certainly deserves its praise; this is an engaging, fascinating middle grade novel, which takes stylistic risks all while celebrating a work of classic children’s science fiction, namely Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time.

A Wrinkle in Time is twelve-year-old Miranda’s favorite book. She retreats into its pages when her best...more Full review at the Intergalactic Academy.

I’m late to the party with Rebecca Stead’s When You Reach Me, winner of a Newbery in 2010 and recipient of widespread acclaim. It certainly deserves its praise; this is an engaging, fascinating middle grade novel, which takes stylistic risks all while celebrating a work of classic children’s science fiction, namely Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time.

A Wrinkle in Time is twelve-year-old Miranda’s favorite book. She retreats into its pages when her best friend, Sal, decides he doesn’t want to be her friend anymore. So Miranda branches out, befriending a small gaggle of interesting classmates.

There’s the time-traveling obsessed nerd. The secret epileptic. The snooty rich girl. The cute thief. All of these characters are rendered vividly, with realism and with nuance.

When You Reach Me‘s realism is probably its greatest asset. This is a sci-fi novel, sure, but it’s an incredibly grounded sci-fi novel. The little details here make Miranda’s New York City as nuanced as any science fictional landscape. One description, of her mother’s response to their ratty apartment when they first moved in, struck me as particularly true and touching.

This is a novel very much of its time–the time in which it’s set, not the time in which it was written. Miranda’s New York isn’t the New York of today but rather New York in the ’70s. In some ways this is a necessity; the plot very much hinges on Miranda’s identity as a latch-key kid. The wide latitude she and her friends are given (they go out for lunch, and even work in a local deli) would not be believable in modern children, even tough inner city kids like Miranda and Sal.

But the setting also works on another level, self-consciously evoking nostalgia for ’70s children’s literature–not only L’Engle’s works, but also the works of realist children’s writers like Judy Blume, Emily Cheney Neville, and Louise Fitzhugh, among others. If you know anything about the history of children’s fiction, you might know that this was an era with a strong emphasis on emotional honesty. Writers had moved passed the cheerful, “safe” renditions of childhood presented by ’50s writers such as Carolyn Haywood, and instead endeavored to speak to children with a trademarked earnestness and honesty.

Stead’s Miranda successfully recalls the heroes of these books, though her ending was a bit more pat than what you typically find in ’70s kid-lit. It seemed to reflect a feeling of resolution and finality more in keeping with the sensibilities of modern kid readers. Still, it was true to its premises, expanding along fascinating and unexpected SFnal lines.

But I can’t shake the feeling that this is strongest as a nostalgia piece, invoking A Wrinkle in Time while not quite transcending it. Perhaps that’s a tall order, but one of the trademarks of L’Engle’s Kairos books was their timelessness. While, like other authors of her generation, L’Engle’s children (though precocious) were emotionally true, they also seemed to exist in a universe unfettered by linear time. As Miranda says, “The truth is that my book doesn’t say how old Meg is, but I am twelve, so she feels twelve to me. When I first got the book I was eleven, and she felt eleven” (8). Meg’s world was one without generational markers, which is, in part, what gave it such long legs.

Will When You Reach Me have the same staying power, the same potential to speak to middle schoolers fifty years from now? I’m not entirely sure. Don’t get me wrong–it’s a great middle grade novel, a fun beginner’s exploration of certain physical concepts, a stirring mystery, and a strangely beautiful commentary on the power of friendship. But it dates itself, quite self-consciously, by embracing a story of yesterday’s children . While I don’t doubt that this will be a comforting book, familiar but still fresh, for many adult readers, I do feel that L’Engle’s mantle still remains unclaimed.(less)

14 likes · like · see review

Jan 29, 2013 Dylan S rated it 5 of 5 stars

1/15/13

I am currently reading When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. This book is a Newbery award winning book and it definitely should be one! It's about a girl named Miranda who lives in New York city with her single mom. Her mom has been trying to get on a game show for years and finally she does. Guess what the prize is? $20,000! But Miranda has bigger problems to take care of. Her apartment was broken into! It started when her mom and her hid a key in the dirty fire hose outside their apartmen...more

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 15, 2012 Paul rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, science-fiction, four-star-plus-reads

Good YA science fiction is hard to find. Thanks to a Goodreads friend I found this little book, devoured it in a day, and felt satisfied all over. What an absolutely great story! Minus the science fiction element, When You Reach Me could probably stand on its own as a YA novel about turning 12 and starting to grow up in a big city in the 1970s. With the science fiction element, it is also a charming and thoughtful tribute to Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, a great favorite of young reader...more Good YA science fiction is hard to find. Thanks to a Goodreads friend I found this little book, devoured it in a day, and felt satisfied all over. What an absolutely great story! Minus the science fiction element, When You Reach Me could probably stand on its own as a YA novel about turning 12 and starting to grow up in a big city in the 1970s. With the science fiction element, it is also a charming and thoughtful tribute to Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, a great favorite of young readers (and many adults).

Good YA literature is so pure ... I don't mean sexually pure, though that is a characteristic trend ... I mean in terms of telling a pure story without a depressing load of "adult" distractions. Most of the protagonists in YA literature are old enough to have begun thinking about sex, and that is beginning to happen with the girls and boys in this story, but mostly their concerns are about friendship and trying to understand the world around them. I'm in my middle 60s, and I still spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about friendship and the world around me, so I don't mind reading good YA literature, not one bit. I'll happily put aside my alcoholic crooked cops and their cheating wives for a YA fiction break, and I emerge from those breaks feeling quite rejuvenated. Yes, that is the right word. Young again.

Rebecca Stead totally pulls it of with this great story. It seems almost too simple and pedestrian at first, but it builds quickly and I could not bear to stop reading, even for a minute. Parts of the story reminded me of Jonathan Safran Foer's Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, in that much of it deals with a precocious 12-year-old latchkey kid who pretty much has the run of New York City. And then the science fiction begins to make itself subtly known ... I so want to talk about that part, but if I did I'd spoil the book for you.

A wonderful, wonderful book. I'm glad I read it as an adult. I wish it had been around for me to read when I was much younger.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jan 18, 2011 Audrey Chow rated it 5 of 5 stars

Finished the Awesome and interesting book

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 11, 2012 Ruthie the Ultimate Geek rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Ruthie the Ultimate Geek by: Silver Prion Chemistry the Martian Blob

Shelves: children-s-contemporary

I liked this book. Recommended to me by the forever wonderful Silver Prion Chemistry (as usual!).

THE PLOT
I honestly had no idea where the plot was going for the first several chapters of the book. It was a little bit confusing at times, but I did like it. I LOVED how everything fell into place at the end. I didn't realize (view spoiler)

MIRANDA
Miranda was extremely relateable, although she acted a little bit younger t...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 28, 2013 Leila T. rated it 5 of 5 stars

I am currently reading When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. This book is about a girl named Miranda who keeps finding mysterious notes in random places that are written specifically to her. I think this book's theme so far is to look at your surroundings and know what surrounds you. I think this because Miranda's life is just totally normal and one day her friend just gets hurt and then stops talking to her and she starts getting these mysterious notes that because of what they say you can tell t...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 05, 2011 Michelle Hayworth rated it 4 of 5 stars

At first, I really didn't think I was going to like the book as much as I enjoyed the others. After the first note was recieved, things started to turn around. I wanted to know who the author was, I needed to know. While I knew the man on the corner was going to be an important part of the story, I was absolutely dumbfounded when I found out exactly how significant he was. This book was a welcomed change. Completely unlike the recent books I have been reading. While there were strong themes pres...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 12, 2013 Sunil rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Sunil by: Sophie

On the surface, When You Reach Me appears to be a throwback to the children's literature of yore. It's set in late-seventies NYC and features a young girl who learns about friendship and stuff. And as an added bit of quirk, her mother is going to appear on The $20,000 Pyramid, which provides the chapter titles with a cute theme. The book even wears this sense of nostalgia on its sleeve by heavily referencing A Wrinkle in Time, the main character's favorite book.

But there's something else going o...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 07, 2012 Isamlq rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: aaw-yeah

It’s 11:00 in the morning and I want to strangle whoever is on the other end of the phone. Who the hell calls a body at eleven in the morning not knowing if the one answering is a morning person? Though, 11 isn’t exactly the crack of dawn. Though how could they have known that I was just about to get some shut eye? But then, bits of the story trickle back and though I’m still grumpy (read raging mad pissed) at having been roused, I’m not as grumpy… because I’m grinning and grinning and maybe loo...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jun 27, 2012 Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult-lit

I liked this book, though I'm not sure I can jump on the bandwagon of rave reviews. The writing is well-done, and I love the language - it's quite poetic in places. The main character is an observant, thoughtful, intelligent young woman who is very likeable. The subject of the story - centered on the idea of time-travel - is pleasantly different from the popular YA literature that currently crowds bookstore and library shelves (zombies, vampires, etc). What I did not like about the novel is that...more

7 likes · like · see review

Sep 25, 2012 Courtney Johnston rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: extraordinary, fiction, own

A slim, perfect book about love, death, friendship, being 12, and time travel - and a love letter to Madeleine L'Engle's 'A Wrinkle in Time' to boot.

I ordered Stead's book through the public library after finding out it was the winner of last year's Newbery Medal. When I picked it up and saw the big print, I felt disappointed; I'd been excited, but thought that even with my growing passion for children's and YA novels, this was going to be too simple.

I took it home anyway, figuring I'd give it...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 10, 2010 Tatiana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, ala-ya-2010, newbery, children-s-middle-school

Actually, I surprised myself by thoroughly enjoying this book. This is why: 1) I rarely like any books whose target audience is middle-schoolers; 2) "When You Reach Me" is a sort of homage to Madeleine L'Engle's "A Wrinkle In Time," a novel which I couldn't get myself to finish.

It's a little hard to give a synopsis of the story. 12-year old Miranda's best friend Sal suddenly stops talking to her. The apartment key that Miranda’s mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then Miranda start...more

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Dec 20, 2012 NCPL Teenzone rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: newbery-award, juvenile-childrens, mystery, sci-fi, realistic, book-clubs, time-travel

The year is 1979 and Miranda is a sixth grader living in New York City. She absolutely loves the book A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. Her mother is going to be a contestant on the game show The $20,000 Pyramid and they practice together every night. Miranda's best friend Sal stopped speaking to her the day he got jumped on their walk home from school, and since then she's made a few new friends.

But when Miranda receives four mysterious notes, each showing up in a random place, the str...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 03, 2013 Shannon rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of A Wrinkle in Time

Shelves: youngadult, mother-daughter-book-club, anna

I re-read this book for a mother daughter book club and enjoyed it more the second time around. Sure, there's still a bit of a depth issue for me, but I think my expectations were high on the first reading. I would encourage you to give this book a try (especially alongside your own younger reader).

Original review:

"What's not to like about a book whose main character carries around a tattered, well-worn, much read copy of A Wrinkle in Time?" That was my thought mere pages into When You Reach Me...more I re-read this book for a mother daughter book club and enjoyed it more the second time around. Sure, there's still a bit of a depth issue for me, but I think my expectations were high on the first reading. I would encourage you to give this book a try (especially alongside your own younger reader).

Original review:

"What's not to like about a book whose main character carries around a tattered, well-worn, much read copy of A Wrinkle in Time?" That was my thought mere pages into When You Reach Me and I continued to enjoy this book and its narrator Mira for the entire book.

Like Mira's favorite book, this one has time travel discussion and characters who jump forward and backward in time. Mira's first-person narration of events allows the reader to ponder the clues she is given to her life's mysteries and try to sort them out alongside her. I thought the voice of twelve year old Mira was authentic and the details rang true. For example, when asked how old Meg is in A Wrinkle in Time, Mira replies 12 because Meg seems just like her and she is 12. She then goes on to think about how when she was 11, she thought Meg was 11. This is perfect 12 year old logic, especially for a girl who loves a book so much that she nearly lives in it.

Stylistically, I enjoyed Stead's use of short chapters. It worked for the narrator's age since adolescents are not known for their long attention spans and it was great for the reader (at least this reader) because it allowed me to navigate the interruptions posed by my life while I was reading the book.

Stead's handling of Mira's family life was handled well without being overdone. Her single parent mom didn't fall into stereotype and Mira's relationship with her was exactly the mix of push and pull you expect at this age. I loved the scene where Mira wants to hug her mom, but doesn't. That's exactly how I remember feeling at this age.

The one thing that brings this book down to three stars instead of four for me is its length and depth. Had Stead made the book another hundred pages, I still would have been interested in Mira and her friends Annemarie, Sal, Julia and Markus. I wanted to get to know these kids better and I think the story could easily have been stretched a bit to allow the reader more time with them.

If you're a fan of A Wrinkle in Time, I encourage you to re-read that classic and then read this book. This book is a good choice for young readers who enjoy science, but want some narrative action to go along with it. It's also a book that's free of violence, bad language or inappropriate boy-girl scenarios. I plan to encourage my 10 year old to re-read L'Engle and then read this. (Although we may do it in the reverse order since this book is a library book!)(less)

1 like · like · see review

Feb 19, 2010 Anna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, read-in-2010, young-adult, sci-fi-fantasy

I have to admit, this is a pretty awesome book. I was hesitant to read this at first because I heard that it was sci-fi and I am just starting to slllloooowwwwly get into that genre so I wasn't sure I'd like it. But it's really not very sci-fi at all, except for the concept of time travel, which really isn't driving the plot, at least directly. I really loved the writing, though. The story unfolds beautifully and the author pretty much sucks you in right away. The storytelling is so engaging and...more

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Mar 13, 2010 Jolie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-alouds-with-kids

If I had any power in the book-world at all, this book would be reprinted next year with a shiny sticker on the cover proclaiming it to be a Newberry Award Winner. Since I really have no power at all, I will satisfy myself by suggesting to all those that still happen to read my little reviews that you go out and find this book and read it. Immediately. Or at least, really soon. It really is that good.

Rebecca Stead's novel is set in the late 70's in New York City--a time when sixth-graders had th...more

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Science Fiction > Time Travel

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About Rebecca Stead

I love books but don't feel like stars capture what I want to say about them. Many of the books on my list are, in my opinion, amazing. Some I didn't like. But I give them all five stars, because stars make people - including me -- happy. Confused? Me too.

If you want to talk about any book I've read, I'm here.

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Books by Rebecca Stead

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Quotes from When You Reach Me

“Well, it's simple to love someone," she said. "But it's hard to know when you need to say it out loud.” — 126 people liked it

“Mom says each of us has a veil between ourselves and the rest of the world, like a bride wears on her wedding day, except this kind of veil is invisible. We walk around happily with these invisible veils hanging down over our faces. The world is kind of blurry, and we like it that way. But sometimes our veils are pushed away for a few moments, like there's a wind blowing it from our faces. And when the veil lifts, we can see the world as it really is, just for those few seconds before it settles down again. We see all the beauty, and cruelty, and sadness, and love. But mostly we are happy not to. Some people learn to lift the veil themselves. Then they don't have to depend on the wind anymore.” — 117 people liked it

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