When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead, is a beautiful combination of science fiction, coming-of-age, mystery, and young love.  It is the story of a 12-year-old girl from New York City, Miranda, who has many questions about her life and the world around her.  Why won’t her best friend, Sal, talk to her anymore?  Why was Sal randomly punched on the street?  Who is leaving her creepy notes?  Why doesn’t her mom wake-up early and make her breakfast like her friends’ parents and why does she never clean?  Is time travel possible or is it just a magical phenomenon that only occurs in her favorite book? In the beginning, the plot is confusing and it remains mysterious throughout, but as the story moves forward, the compelling plot keeps readers on the edge of their seats.  Although the ending was wrapped up neatly, I am still a little confused about some aspects of the story.  This is definitely one of those books that would be a great re- read to catch all the clues that point to the answer to the mystery.  The character development by Stead was phenomenon!  Some of her character descriptions could be used as models for how to “show” and not “tell.”  Although the plot is based on science fiction, which some students may not enjoy, the character development really makes this book accessible to everyone because the characters are easy to relate to.  I personally fell in love with Miranda’s mom; she is intelligent, eccentric, a game show buff, philanthropist, and an office supply thief!  The setting of the book is Miranda’s neighborhood and the specific venues she visits throughout the story, including her apartment, her school, Jimmy’s Sandwich Shop, Belle’s Market, and the route in-between these places, become very familiar to the reader.  It was so well done that by the end of the book I could visualize the neighborhood from a bird’s eye view and could maneuver it with my mind.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I feel it would be great to recommend to any student.  It definitely isn’t surprising to me that it won the Newbery Medal.      

            I could see a variety of learning opportunities with this book.  First, since this is a coming-of-age novel, students could plot Miranda’s growing maturity with scenes where she gained understanding or wisdom.  Second, the character development is phenomenal so activities involving writing or presenting from a specific character’s perspective would work really well with this book.  A couple of examples include journaling from a character’s perspective or a talk show interview from a character’s perspective.  Another activity option for this book is having students create a map of the neighborhood showing where the plot activity transpired.  This book also has many philosophical quotes and messages throughout that could be used for class discussions. For example, Miranda’s mother believes “each of us has a veil between ourselves and the rest of the world…and when the veil lifts, we can see the world as it really is” (Stead, 71).  Lastly, the hero of this story is a homeless man who everyone believes is “crazy.”  Thus, this book would be a great introduction to a discussion of the stereotypes and treatment of the mentally ill in society.
Year Published: 2009          Awards: Newbery Medal Winner (2010)