When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

1.  BIBLIOGRAPHY

Stead, Rebecca.  2009.  WHEN YOU REACH ME.  New York: Random House.  ISBN  9780385737425

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

It is 1978, and twelve-year old Miranda is helping her mother prepare for the biggest event in her life: appearing as a contestant on Dick Clark's game show The $20,000 Pyramid.  After a fall out with her best friend, Sal, Miranda befriends a shy girl named Annemarie and the happy, easy-going Colin.  Their friendship builds when they work at a neighborhood sandwich shop in exchange for free cheese sandwiches.  Suddenly, a series of mysterious notes find their way into Miranda's house, with each one predicting future events no one could possibly know about.  Unable to tell others what is happening, Miranda tries to figure out who the writer of the ominous notes could be.  An incredible and unexpected plot twist is revealed at the story's conclusion.

3.  CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This first-person perspective used in this low-level fantasy novel allows readers to delve into the mind of the story’s main character, twelve-year old Miranda.  Readers get an intimate glimpse of the thoughts, opinions, and feelings she experiences as Stead solidly develops her character with qualities many young readers will be able to identify with.  For example, she worries about what her friends will think of her run-down New York City apartment; she wonders why certain people in school act the way they do; and she develops feelings for  her friend, Colin.  Readers also learn she has an witty sense of humor when she quips “[Wheelie] fished a warm Bit-O-Honey out of her pocket and gave it to me right there in front of the dentist… you might as well whack your own teeth with a wrench.”  They also see the honest, contemplative side of Miranda emerge when she confesses “I was miserable, sitting on the edge of the bed in a puddle of meanness.  But I couldn’t help it.  I didn’t want Annemarie’s rose to be from Colin.”   Miranda also does not like being thought of as a child, as seen in a intense shouting argument that occurs with her mother.  By creating a multi-dimensional character who encompasses many of the same thoughts and emotions teenagers identify with, young readers will feel a kinship with Miranda and care about what happens to her.

As Miranda tries to guess the author of the mysterious notes, Stead masterfully weaves the element of fantasy throughout the plot, which occurs in the real world, and does not reveal the crucial element until the book's closing chapters.  This allows for a believable storyline to lay the groundwork for the unexpected plot twist that will be unveiled.  Hints of time travel are subtly placed as the plot unfolds: Miranda's all-time favorite book is A Wrinkle In Time, which she endlessly discusses with her friend, Louisa; she also engages in several conversations with her friends Marcus and Julia about whether time travel is possible, and how it can be done.  As they discuss the characters in  A Wrinkle In Time, Marcus goes on to say "They're traveling through time, right?  All over the universe, right?"  Because of Miranda's strong characterization, readers experience the same intrigue and confusion she endures as she tries to piece the possibilities together.  

Although not pivotal to the plot, New York City serves as the setting of the story.  As Miranda and Sal walk home from school, references to streets such as West End Avenue and Broadway are mentioned to place the characters in the city.  Readers learn from the dialogue shared between Miranda and her friends that the story takes place in 1978 and 1979; the passage of time is mentioned as Miranda refers to holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day.  
 

The timeless themes of love for family and friends as well as lending a helping hand are skillfully woven throughout the text.  The theme of helping a friend in need is evident when Miranda and Julia help their friend Annemarie recover from an absence seizure by calmly engaging each other in conversation and allowing Annemarie to join in when the episode is over.  Friends also come to the rescue when they save Sal from a deadly run-in with a delivery truck.  The love for family comes through as Miranda tirelessly works to help her mother prepare for her debut on The $20,000 Pyramid game show.  This theme is further emphasized when Miranda realizes "the grass isn't necessarily greener on the other side."  After visiting Julia's extravagant and affluent home, Miranda notices that Julia's mother is noticeably absent; readers are told that she is meditating in a luxurious walk-in closet.  Miranda remarks "I realized that [Julia and I] probably spent our afternoons the same exact way.  Except I can at least get my mother on the phone.  Julia's apartment is a lot nicer than ours, but I'm pretty sure there's no phone in the closet."   It is only then that Miranda's character begins to grow as she realizes how blessed she truly is.

Stead keeps readers' interest in the book's well-paced storyline by using short chapters and realistic character dialogue.  The language used by the teenage characters is authentic and appropriate for both children and young adults.  She adds her own touch to the story by cleverly naming several chapters after the game show's categories such as "Things That Go Missing" and "Things That Turn Upside Down."  To accentuate the excitement and suspense of the story's climax, Stead uses a numbered list to detail Miranda's observations of the events as they occur.  This keeps readers engaged as they quickly read through the list of events to find out what happens next.  This also emphasizes the first-person perspective the story is told through; as Miranda is watching the suspenseful events transpire, readers are following along in real-time.  In the author's acknowledgements, Stead cites Madeleine L'Engle's books as serving as the inspiration for the story.  Young readers will enjoy this well-written and intriguing story as they try and piece together who wrote those mysterious letters.

4.  EXCERPT REVIEWS

2010 Newbery Medal Award Winner

CHILDREN'S LITERATURE: " 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... The movement between the ordinary and the fantastic creates a kind of magical realism, in which the extraordinary is every bit as acceptable as the everyday. Amusing, bemusing and occasionally plain puzzling, this book works its way to a deliciously twisty ending. It is an interesting, multi-layered book that can be read and interpreted at many levels."

KIRKUS: "Keen readers will notice Stead toying with time from the start, as Miranda writes in the present about past events that will determine her future. Some might guess at the baffling, heart-pounding conclusion, but when all the sidewalk characters from Miranda's Manhattan world converge amid mind-blowing revelations and cunning details, teen readers will circle back to the beginning and say, 'Wow...cool.' "

THE BULLETIN FOR THE CENTER OF CHILDREN'S BOOKS:  "Though the book seems initially like a low-key and solid school and family story, Stead gives it her own original spin with the ongoing thread of mystery that blossoms into a science-fiction revelation. That element never takes over the story, though, which is firmly rooted in Miranda's daily-life travails, especially her complex negotiation with peers... The prose is streamlined and easygoing, while Miranda's New York life is richly peopled and authentically urban; touches of quirky humor add energy to a subtly constructed story of individual growth."

5.  CONNECTIONS

- Have students further explore fantasy and science fiction by reading Madeleine L'Engle's time series books.  Similarities and differences can be discussed to tie common elements found in fantasy novels together.

L'Engle, Madeleine.  A WRINKLE IN TIME.  ISBN  0374386161

L'Engle, Madeleine.  A WIND IN THE DOOR.  ISBN  0312368542

L'Engle, Madeleine.  A SWIFTLY TILTING PLANET.  ISBN  0312368569

L'Engle, Madeleine.  MANY WATERS.  ISBN  0312368577

L'Engle, Madeleine.  AN ACCEPTABLE TIME.   ISBN  0312368585

- Have students create a scale model of their home, school, or neighborhoods just like the one Miranda and her classmates built in the story.  Have students take on the role of mayor, city commissioners, architects as they map out and design their models.  This would be a wonderful tie-in when studying ratios and proportions in mathematics.

-  Show an episode from the game show The $20,000 Pyramid hosted by Dick Clark.  Then have students create their own categories to quiz each other over material they may be tested over.  Categories can be geared towards specific class subjects and chapters such as science, history, social studies, etc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnTwDQnIr60