When You Reach Me

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Stead, Rebecca. 2009. WHEN YOU REACH M: Listening Library CDs. Performed by Cynthia Holloway. New York, NY: Random House, Inc. ISBN 978-0739380727

OR
Stead, Rebecca. 2009. WHEN YOU REACH ME. New York, NY: Random House, Inc. ISBN 978-0-375-85086-8

AWARD(S) and STARS

• John Newbery Medal Winner, 2010
• ALA Notable Children’s Book, 2010
• Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Excellence in Children’s Literature, 2010
• Indies Choice Book Awards Winner, 2010
• IRA Children’s and Young Adult’s Book Award Winner, 2010
• NCSS/ CBC Notable Children’s Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies Winner, 2010
• NCTE Notable Children’s Trade Books in Language Arts Winner, 2010
• Parents’ Choice Gold Award, 2009
• School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, 2009
• Andre Norton Award Finalist, 2009

PLOT SUMMARY
Miranda, also known as Mira, receives mysterious notes about saving someone’s life while navigating her own life during her sixth grade year in 1978. How does the person sending the notes know what’s going to happen before it actually happens? Miranda and her mom’s boyfriend Richard prepare her mom to be a contestant for “The $20,000 Pyramid” television game show. Learning to show sensitivity to a homeless man, finding out about epilepsy, becoming friends with her former “enemy” and taking the brunt of jokes for a girl too shy to ask to go to the bathroom, Mira realizes that “there are days when everything changes…”

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Deemed a mystery and science fiction novel, Rebecca Stead merges a tale of a young girl trying to find her identity with a story about time travel, yet artfully keeps it a mystery until the end of the book. Narrated by Miranda as if she’s talking to the writer of the notes, readers will relate to Miranda’s relationship with her mother, new found love and budding friendships, while remembering old friendships and frustrations in flashbacks. Readers will see the courage and risks that Mira takes. In order to emphasize the climax, Stead artfully uses numbers, bold print and italics to emphasize events pinpointing the story’s peak exactly when it occurs.

Cynthia Holloway performs the narration of When You Reach Mealmost flawlessly. Her strong voice and tone keep the reader engaged in the story. She changes her voice slightly for different characters, yet not always accurately. This does not detract from the telling of the story. Offering this novel in audio form will delight readers of all ages and abilities.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

• BOOKLIST (2009) -"[T]he mental gymnastics required of readers are invigorating; and the characters, children, and adults are honest bits of humanity no matter in whatplace or time their souls rest."
• HORN BOOK (2009) - "Closing revelations are startling and satisfying but quietly made, their reverberations giving plenty of impetus for the reader to go back to the beginning and catch what was missed."
• SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (2009) "This unusual, thought-provoking mystery will appeal to several types of readers."
• CHILDREN’S LITERATURE (2009) – “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.”
• LIBRARY MEDIA CONNECTION (2009) – “This well-written book is planned and executed to keep readers engaged until the very end. 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.”

CONNECTIONS

• In When You Reach Me, Miranda is reading “her” book, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. Have several copies of this book available for students to read or to refer to as Miranda tells the story to Belle.
• Miranda is helping her mother prepare for the $20,000 Pyramid. Have students watch some clips of former episodes of the television show (YouTube offers a number of clips). The kids will probably get a kick out of the fashions and hairstyles of the contestants! Then have students create their own categories and lists to play $20,000 Pyramid with each other. This would be a great way to prepare for a culminating test to a subject area or vocabulary practice.
• Students will be intrigued by the time travel element from the novel. Have other books available with the time travel theme such as:
• TIME TRAVEL TRAP (Twisted Journeys) by Dan Jolley, ISBN 978-0822588740 – In this 111-page graphic novel the reader chooses what will happen next allowing for rereading and different combinations of plots.
• NICK OF TIME by Ted Bell, ISBN 978-0312380687 – Nick is thrown back and forth through time fighting pirates, Napoleon’s naval forces, and Nazi spies – a sure read for middle school boys.
• THE TIME MACHINE by H.G. Wells, ISBN 978-1403709905 – The classic 1895 science fiction novella offers students a view of the inspirational book that coined the concept of a “time machine.”