When You Reach Me

by Rebecca Stead

“Einstein says common sense is just habit of thought. It’s how we’re used to thinking about things, but a lot of the time it just gets in the way.” “In the way of what?” “In the way of what’s true. I mean, it used to be common sense that the world was flat and the sun revolved around it. But at some point, someone had to reject that assumption, or at least question it.”

“And he won’t let me get dressed. He says pajamas are good for the soul. Isn’t that so dumb?”

No. It's not dumb at all.

“Well, it’s simple to love someone,” she said. “But it’s hard to know when you need to say it out loud.”