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When You Reach Me Review
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, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda’s mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then Miranda finds a mysterious note scrawled on a tiny slip of paper: I am coming to save your friend’s life, and my own. I must ask two favors. First, you must write me a letter. The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realizes that whoever is leaving them knows all about her, including things that have not even happened yet. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Until the final note makes her think she’s too late. User Submitted When You Reach Me ReviewsSeptember 2, 2010 When you reach me When You Reach Me By Rebecca Stead Book Review: "Wow, cool" is a likely response when all of the sidewalk characters in Miranda's Manhatton converge. There is a compulsiveness about an author who has the ability to write tightly and Stead used this technique very well. A lot of things go on in Miranda's home and to add to these her Mom is about to be a contestant in a TV game show. Mystery and tension emerges as they find a range of new things begin to happen in their lives. These are strange things - and unusual behaviours from those she knows - its all very different. And then she finds a mysterious note on a tiny piece of paper. She finds other notes left in strange places and she realizes that whoever is leaving them knows all about her, including things that hadn't even happened yet. Sal who is Miranda's boyfriend doesn't escape either,. He seems to have an integral role but this is unknown to the others. Our author has devised a plot which is revealed slowly and only in small pieces. There are changes which affect individuals and these are developed by the careful mixing of the ingredients in the plot. These changes are very well handled and brought to our attention by the great skill of the writer, the cleverness of the plot and the interesting characters built into the story. Of course there has to be a happy ending and like an old Western movie, the story concludes with Sal and Miranda walking off into the sunset to their homes. Sal gives Miranda his normal salute and she gives the evening sky a raised clenched fist. Good stuff indeed! Missing shoes, missing keys and the excitement of the game produce a strong tale and this ends happily for all My rating for the story is 4 out of 5 but there will be some who will rate it better than that. Reviewed by Tom Hampstead author of the soon to be published "The Kingdom of the Two Great Houses"> August 27, 2010 A gem I read this book to my 12 year old daughter and we both absolutely loved it. She recommended it to all her friends and they loved it too. This book has a very real feel to it, yet somehow the notion of time travel is beautifully woven into the story. That is the part that really hooked my daughter. As I mom I loved that the main character experiences her first kiss in such a matter of fact way. Her world did not revolve around having a boyfriend or being kissed. It was just a part of her very full life. A great model for young girls. August 14, 2010 BOOK HARBINGER: Sweet, profound It's 1979, and Miranda received her last "proof" today: Her mom will be on The 20,000 Pyramid in April. Between practicing for the speed round and the Winner's Circle with the egg timer, Miranda walks to her 6th grade class through her New York City neighborhood with her best friend, Sal. They know where to get donuts, what deli is best, and how to avoid the scary homeless man on the corner. But when Sal gets punched by the corner bully for no apparent reason, it sets off a string of events that turn Miranda's world upside down. Sal refuses to see her, her hidden apartment key is stolen, and she receives a series of cryptic notes, from which she learns someone is coming, and a friend's life is in danger. I'd heard some buzz about When You Reach Me before it won the Newbery Medal this year and have had it on my TBR list since. Although I don't read many books for junior readers, Miranda is a mature protagonist, and all her friends - adult and child alike - are so likable it's hard not to connect with them. They all had their flaws, strengths, and insecurities, and you're rooting for them. Hoping Miranda's mom will find a job she likes, that her mom's boyfriend Richard will get a house key, that Sal will talk to Miranda, that Annemarie and Julia will be friends again, that Jimmy will let them work at the deli, and that Marcus will learn to time travel someday. With the simplicity and beauty of the writing and the intriguing puzzle-centered plot, it turned out to be the perfect book to rescue me from my reading slump. I'm not sure how I missed that Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time features prominently in the book as Miranda's constant companion. Reading that classic for the first time in grade school will always be one of my most memorable reading experiences. I can still see the first image I constructed of the garden and Meg and her father as I read. A part of me expected more shocking twists or self-aware profound thoughts, but Rebecca Steed's metaphors are subtle and sparse. One of my favorite passages: "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. ... I've thought a lot about these veils. I wonder if, every once in awhile, someone is born without one. Someone who sees the big stuff all the time. Like maybe you." I devoured this book in a day. I was driven by a need to know which friend of Miranda's was in danger, and if she'd make friends, and who the note-writer was, and how the Fred Flintstone bank, the lost key, Richard's heeled shoe, and the crazy homeless man fit together. Overall a sweet, deeply meaningful coming-of-age story with a little bit of history, adventure, and layman science fiction, something I'd want my son to read when he grows up. August 6, 2010 My daughter loved it! My ten year old daughter loved this book! She couldn't put it down. I asked her what she liked about it and she said, "I love everything about it. It is exciting and mysterious! I read it eight times!" August 5, 2010 One of those rare PERFECT STORIES Read a review, bought the book, and shared reading it out-loud with my 10 year old daughter. We loved it. My 13 year old daughter loved it. I now buy it for birthday gifts for other children. A perfect story where every detail means something in the ultimate conclusion. We only wish it had been longer. Happy Reading! For more When You Reach Me reviews click here.
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