When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead
Posted by DBRLTeen on Thursday, July 30th, 2009
6th-grader Miranda is finding mysterious notes, addressed to her, apparently from someone who is watching her. Is someone spying on her, stalking her, is she in danger? Should she do what the notes ask her to do? Unfortunately Miranda is on her own with this decision. She has a sometimes uncomfortable relationship with her mother, her best friend has mysteriously started avoiding her, and some new friends don’t seem to be quite trustworthy yet. We often feel compelled to make important decisions on our own, without advice from others – are these the best decisions we make, or the worst?
Miranda’s favorite book, referred to frequently in the story, is A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeline L’Engle, another book which DBRLTeen highly recommends. And DBRLTeen found the story somewhat reminiscent of an extraordinarily moving book for adult readers: The Time Traveler’s Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger. Like those two books, there is some time travel involved in When You Reach Me, but its not a science-fictiony kind of book at all. The book is centered on Miranda, trying to figure out the mystery of the notes before its too late, trying to get along with her mother, and friends, all at the same time.
The book is shelved with our “J” books, with many others for middle school readers, but DBRLTeen finds it an intriguing read for both high schoolers and adults as well.
So DBRLTeen recommends When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead, because although it often seems we don’t have time (or the wisdom) to prevent a tragedy from occuring, maybe, if the premise of the book is correct, we have all the time in the world.