When You Reach Me

When You Reach Me
Written by Rebecca Stead
2009

Miranda is a sixth grader living with her mother in New York City. She knows the neighborhood well enough to know where she should and shouldn't go, as well as who she should and shouldn't talk to. Her and her best friend Sal are inseparable, until Sal gets punched on the way home from school for no apparent reason. From that day on Miranda struggles to understand why Sal is shutting her out of his life. Strange things begin to happen, including their apartment key being stolen and mysterious notes appearing. Miranda tries to find out who is leaving the notes and why, all the while making friends with the kid who punched Sal.

The story kept me thinking the entire time, constantly trying to figure out who it was that was leaving the notes and what the clues meant. Every aspect of the storyline was woven together so well that in the end it seemed ridiculous that I couldn't figure it out, although I'm confident that I'm not alone in this. This would be a great text for middle school students. It would spark a lot of conversations about a wide variety of topics and issues, and I think it would hold the interest of boys and girls alike.

From the moment I read the back cover of this book, "A Wrinkle in Time" came to mind. As I began reading, I realized before too long that this was the book that Miranda referred to as "her book" and the book that she had read over and over again. The fact that she had a book that she liked to read over and over instantly made me like her as a character because it's something that I can relate to. On the other hand, I read "A Wrinkle in Time" when I was in sixth grade and absolutely hated it...although now I'm feeling the urge to try reading it again.