BIBLIOGRAPHY
PLOT SUMMARY
Miranda’s formerly dependable world begins to unravel as her
best friend, Sal, deserts her. Even more terrifying, she must solve the mystery
wrapped up in letters appearing in most unusual spots before it is too late to
save a life. But who’s life is it?
CRITICAL ANAYSIS
Things You Least Expect: that is the category one would
expect to find When You Reach Me by
Rebecca Stead. Normal, low-key Miranda is just traveling through life when she
finds a mysterious note from a stranger asking her to do things that made no
sense: write a letter; note the location of the spare key. The story is a
letter written to this stranger looking back on events that lead to a
preventable tragedy…if only Miranda knew how to save a stranger’s life.
Sixth graders Miranda and Sal had been friends forever until
one day when Sal gets beat up. When Sal abandons Miranda, she befriends
longtime classmates Colin and Annemarie. The trio seems like typical friendly
kids who enjoy working at the neighborhood deli. Readers will relate to the
realness of these friends.
An additional cast of seemingly minor characters turn out to
be some of the most important elements of this book. Mysterious Marcus,
however, may turn readers off. After all, he is the one who assaulted Sal and
can’t seem to remember much--not names, not people, not violent acts. The
Laughing Man, a neighborhood bum, frightens Miranda with his oddities like random
laughing and kicking. Julia, the school snob, irritates Miranda with her
superior attitude and lavish travel experiences.
Miranda’s mom--single and hard working--shows an
understanding of her daughter many readers may covet. Mom’s boyfriend, Richard,
relaxes Mom’s serious demeanor and brings completeness to the home.
With three plots in one, readers have many events to juggle
and categorize: Mom’s attempt to win big money on a game show; salvaging a
friendship; solving the mystery of the notes. Stead uses a form of time travel
to introduce situations: flashbacks. Miranda throws out an incident then
rewinds to explain how events led up to it, all the while sprinkling clues to
help readers connect the dots. While this can be slightly confusing, once the
reader reaches the final chapters, everything falls into place, creating “AHA!”
moments.
Set in a New York suburb during the 1978-1979 school year,
Stead makes careful note of the neighborhood. The accurate description allows
readers to visualize locations noted as Miranda travels through each event.
The fantasy theme of time travel is accompanied with the
urgency of mystery solving in order to prevent tragedy. In the end, after a
sacrifice is made, Miranda herself puts together all the clues to realize whom
she needed to save. In a satisfying conclusion, Miranda completes the assigned
letter with hopes that she can prevent the death of the time traveler before it
is too late.
Miranda’s first-person viewpoint tells the story as a
letter. Only Miranda could have told the story with this much detail; a
narrator would not suffice. Miranda’s telling of the story allows readers to
follow her thought processes and to question what she questions.
The chapter titles that double as game show categories are a
clever way to pique readers’ curiosity and tie together the trio of plots. Once the reader has reached the ending and the
list of 47 events, which include the last note, they will find themselves
flipping back in the book to reread portions that may have been missed. Intriguing and perplexing, When You Reach Me is a thoughtful,
sophisticated piece of literature that leads readers to quite a satisfying
ending.
AWARDS AND REVIEWS
John Newbery Medal, 2010
Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Excellence in Children's
Literature, 2010
Andre Norton Award Finalist, 2009
Parents' Choice Award, 2009
Lone Star Reading List, 2010
Kirkus Best Children's Books, 2009
“Charmingly eccentric and impossible to categorize, this
middle grade novel pays homage to Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time
while employing many of that book’s elements as it crisscrosses the boundaries
between reality and fantasy, time travel and mystery. Three distinct storylines
give the novel momentum: Miranda’s mother’s forthcoming contestant role on “The
$20,000 Pyramid” game show, Miranda’s friend Sal being punched by the erudite
yet seemingly socially inept Marcus, and the homeless man whom Miranda and her
friends dub “the laughing man.”
--Children’s
Literature
“The author’s style is appealing because of her character
development and clever plot vehicles. The topics are interesting and the short
chapters keep the pace flowing quickly.”
--Library Media
Connection, October 2009
“Miranda is a typical sixth-grade student until things begin
to go astray. She loses a friend over a fight she wasn’t even part of, and then
she begins to receive mysterious notes. The notes only say that she is to write
a letter describing herself in detail to the unknown person. They say if she
wants to save her friend’s life as well as the person who is writing the notes,
she must comply. Will she be able to save them, or is she already too late?
This book is very thrilling and intriguing right up until the unexpected end.
What an adventure Stead leads the reader through to a very satisfying end!”
-- The Lorgnette - Heart
of Texas Reviews, Vol. 22, No. 2
CONNECTIONS
Related Books
L’Engle, Madeleine. 2007. Wrinkle in time. New York: Square Fish. ISBN 9780312367541
Audio Interview/Talk
Show
Listen to author Rebecca Stead’s audio interview at this
website: http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/whenyoureachme/interview.html
Create your own interview questions, and create and perform
a morning talk show script reporting on the facts discovered from the
interview.
Main Street
Mr. Tompkin’s class studies buildings and created a Main
Street project each year. Work with a group to construct Miranda’s neighborhood
based on the descriptions in the book.
