Rebecca Stead has definitely written a book that librarians and English teachers will love, but When You Reach Me will also appeal to kids who like fantasy and learning about philosophy through books. This Newbery winner chronicles Miranda's life in the late 1970s, as her friendships change, mysterious and frightening events happen, and her mother prepares to be on a game show. The protagonist is obsessed with Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, but is puzzled by a new acquaintance's explanation on time travel, and why he punched her friend Sal, and why Sal now no longer wants to be friends, and who is leaving notes in her bedroom, and how to herself and her mother out of a life rut, and so many other things. As Miranda begins to unravel the mysteries of the people in her life, she grows up and learns to accept both happiness and tragedy in life.
I read this book in one evening, and know that upper elementary and even lower middle school students of all stripes would enjoy it. There's mystery, sci-fi, fantasy, and emotion. Both boys and girls will like it. One of the most charming parts was its setting in a time that is close enough to be familiar, but just foreign enough to be exotic. I am thrilled to discover Rebecca Stead.
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