Book Review: WHEN YOU REACH ME by Rebecca Stead

1.     BIBLIOGRAPHY

Stead, Rebecca. When You Reach Me. New York: Wendy Lamb Books, 2009.

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

Miranda, the heroine of When You Reach Me, finds herself corresponding with someone she hasn’t met, but who knows way too much about her…including things that haven’t happened yet. The unknown correspondent asks her to describe certain events that have happened in her life with as much detail as possible, and Miranda finds herself compelled to do so. All the while she is puzzling over the notes she receives, Miranda is also trying to decide what happened between her and her best friend to alienate themselves from each other. As the book progresses, Miranda finds all the different threads in her life starting to become entwined.

3.     CRITICAL ANALYSIS

What do a streaker, a jar of two-dollar bills, and a homeless man who sleeps with his head under a mailbox have in common? When You Reach Me is so intriguing because the threads of the story at first seem unrelated. It takes a while for the reader to start to see how they are woven together, loosely at first, but in an ever-tighter pattern until they create a final, comprehensive, and understandable, AHA! moment. The rising action is masterfully done with all parts of the story coming together in a very satisfying way.

When you Reach Me is also a masterful coming-of-age story. Miranda learns important aspects of what friendship means when her lifelong friend seems to abandon her. She learns how to put others’ needs above her own when she becomes friends with Marcus and begins to understand her Mom’s need to find another job. She starts to understand that even crazy people are people with stories that are worth knowing. And she begins to understand herself. The climax of the story is worth waiting for as each event of the story is unfolded.

This is a fascinating book that is easy to read and nicely able to satiate the need for a good book.  

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

2010 JOHN NEWBERRY MEDAL WINNER

2011 Coretta Scott King Gold Award for Illustrations

 

Starred Review, SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “This unusual, thought-provoking mystery will appeal to several types of readers.

Starred Review, BOOKLIST: “[T]he mental gymnastics required of readers are invigorating; and the characters, children, and adults are honest bits of humanity no matter in what place or time their souls rest.”

Starred Review, THE HORN BOOK MAGAZINE: “Closing revelations are startling and satisfying but quietly made, their reverberations giving plenty of impetus for the reader to go back to the beginning and catch what was missed.”

5. CONNECTIONS

*This book would make an excellent introduction to science fiction. It has just enough of a science fiction element to it to be captivating, but not so much as to overwhelm a reader new to the genre.  

*Other books about time travel for children:

L’Engle, Madeline. A WRINKLE IN TIME. ISBN: 0374386161

Juster, Norton. THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH. ISBN: 0394815009