Stead, Rebecca. 2009. When you reach me. New York: Wendy Lamb Books.
Plot Summary:
Miranda is a twelve-year-old latch-key kid living in New York City who finds herself in the midst of a mystery. Although the story begins in April of 1979, much of the narration is a recollection of the events of the previous fall and winter. It was then that the strange homeless man showed up on the corner, that her best friend Sal stopped speaking to her after being sucker-punched on the street, that she began receiving anonymous notes from someone who seemed to know the future before it happened. It's up to Miranda to decipher the meaning of the notes, to help her mother prepare for an upcoming appearance on the game show The $20,000 Pyramid, to navigate the new relationships in her life, and to wrap her head around the concept of time travel so she can help prevent a horrible tragedy.
Analysis:
Most of the chapter titles in the novel are an homage to the categories found in the Winner's Circle in the old Pyramid game show, and it's clear that Miranda's obsession with her mother's success on the show is influencing even the way she is remembering and organizing the events of the recent past. This device complements the style of the novel, a blending of current events and flashback descriptions, that often reads as a conversation with the mysterious author of the notes--but not actually the letter she is supposed to be writing the stranger.
The tumultuous friendships of the young characters in the novel will resonate with young readers, friendships that dissolve or disappear, unlikely alliances that form, and the odd mixture of companionship and competition that seems to define adolescent girls. Miranda's relationships with the other adults in the novel demonstrate both her independence as she often speaks or deals with them as equals but also her innocence as she still longs for parental care that her single mother cannot always provide. The development of Miranda's compassion as the story progresses is a sign of her increasing maturity.
Although the concept of time travel is introduced fairly early in the narrative, it is not immediately apparent that this realistic story will eventually take a turn towards the fantastic. Miranda is drawn in to a discussion about her favorite novel A Wrinkle in Time with schoolmate Marcus, who assures her that though time travel is feasible, the book doesn't accurately depict it. Miranda can't wrap her head around what Marcus is telling her, yet her inability to make sense of it continues to haunt her until it becomes clear that Marcus's theory is essential to figuring out the meaning of her anonymous notes. The novel is a wonderful blend of a historical picture of late 1970s New York, an authentic coming-of-age story, and a fantastic exploration of time.
Awards & Reviews:
2010 Newbery Medal Winner
2010 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction
2009 New York Times Notable Book for Children
Starred review, School Library Journal: "unusual, thought-provoking mystery"
Booklist, starred reviews: "the characters, children and adults, are honest bits of humanity no matter in what place or time their souls rest"
Connections:
- Use in book club with A Wrinkle in Time to discuss the connections between the two stories and understand how Stead was influenced by L'Engle's work.
- Have students build a model of Miranda's neighborhood as she and her classmates build their model Main Street.
- Lead a discussion about time travel as it appears in other books and movies, comparing the different views of time as a concept or the ability of the traveler to change the past, present, or future. Encourage students to write their own time travel stories.
- Other books by Rebecca Stead:
First Light 2007
Liar & Spy 2012
Both published by Wendy Lamb Books
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