Four mysterious letters change Miranda’s world forever.By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it’s safe to go, like the local grocery store, and they know whom to avoid, like the crazy guy on the corner.But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a new kid for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out … reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda’s mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then Miranda finds a mysterious note scrawled on a tiny slip of paper:
I am coming to save your friend’s life, and my own.
I must ask two favors. First, you must write me a letter.
The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realizes that whoever is leaving them knows all about her, including things that have not even happened yet. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Until the final note makes her think she’s too late.
Winner of the 2010 John Newbery Medal
From the Hardcover edition.
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Rebecca Stead writes middle grade like nobody else. The first time I read this book, I was utterly blown away – that a book for young readers could so clearly steal my heart, that the voice throughout the novel could feel so close to my own, that every moment in this book could so utterly captivate me. I’ve read a couple of Stead’s other novels …
This was a really different kind of book! I believe it’s more middle grade than YA, since the main character is 12 years old. Miranda navigates the intricacies of friendship, family life—and time travel. The voice of it is compelling and made me smile and chuckle throughout. I loved the mystery of this book, even though I figured out who the “you” …
very good
This book stays with you after you read it. I am still thinking about it three weeks later. It is more complex than it first appears. Great book!
Stead has done an amazing job with the plot-line. Totally unpredictable and mysterious and yet it all comes together in the last few pages. Love it!
My daughter read this for school and demanded I read it too, so that we could discuss it. How could I say no? This was an interesting book, about growing up and figuring out who you are and who you want to be…with a bit of futuristic stuff thrown in. I felt like it was a great way to help kids understand how actions have consequences that …
I could not put this book down! Everything about it was perfect!
When You Reach Me, is a quick middle-grade read, in which readers of every age will find themselves unable to put the book down. While time-travelling is at the heart and mystique of the novel, the ending still surprised me (in a good way!), and I enojyed how Miranda was able to grow and mature, and figure out the mystery–while realzing some …
When she got the first note, Miranda was able to convince herself it was just trash–it wasn’t necessarily meant for her and didn’t mean anything. The second one couldn’t so easily be dismissed. Then she begins to unravel a mystery that involves her once-best friend, the crazy man on the corner, and a break-in where nothing was stolen. Can Miranda …
Book Review: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (2009) (Middle Grade) (Sci Fi/ Mystery) (Newberry Award Winner) 5 Stars *****
Do you believe in the possibility of time travel? Have events ever conspired to make you think there’s something going on in the world that you can’t prove but still makes you wonder? Set in the late 1970s, on the Upper …
I loved it!
One of my favorite! I read this book over and over.
It is great! It is probably the best book I’ve ever read!
I think this book really helped form my personality and it kinda makes you look at life in a new perspective.
It can be confusing at times, but overall is an amazing, memorizing book.
Though written for younger readers, I found it quite enjoyable as an adult reader.
I think all middle-graders should read this book. The characters are alive and the ending is beyond words. Makes you think about what is and what could be!
I love this book! I can not believe how it ends!
I love how the author incorporated her experience of living in New York City into the book. I love the meaning beyond the book’s themes and the characters.
Excellent middle grade book.