When You Reach Me/Rebecca Stead: Reflections

I have been reading, this week, the books of right now—lauded prizewinners from across multiple categories.  I know bestsellerdom is many a writer's ambition.  I like to read, and I often learn from, books that win a jury's favor. 

Today I read Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me, the recent Newberry Medal winner.  It's a book that never once loses its footing in terms of tone—our narrator, Miranda, sounds precisely like the circa-1970s New York City sixth grader that she is.  Steadfast, observa...