Fiction, Fantasy, and YA: When You Reach Me

Bibliography
Stead, Rebecca. 2009. WHEN YOU REACH ME. New York: Wendy Lamb Books. ISBN 978-0-385-73742-5

Plot Summary
“I am coming to save your friend’s life, and my own. I must ask two favors. First you must write me a letter.” This is the first of four cryptic letters six grader Miranda receives and sends what is left of her orderly world in to disorder.

Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know the ins and outs of their neighborhood. They know to stay away from the pack of older boys and the laughing man under the mailbox. Things begin to fall apart when Sal is punched without reason and pushes her out of his life. Then the house key comes up missing causing her mother to go into panic mode, and then she receives the first letter.

Three more letters are to follow, no less cryptic. The third letter includes three events that have yet to happen as proof that the letters are true. Miranda only knows one of her friends needs saving and begins to believe she is the only one that can do it.

Trying to find a connection to her life, Miranda begins considering the possibilities, until one day it all finally comes together. Keith, the boy who punched Sal, tries to apologize to him one afternoon after school. Sal, afraid of being punched again, runs away and into the street. The laughing man runs into the street pushing Sal to safety. It is at this moment that all the pieces fall into place and Miranda knows for certain the letters are from someone in the future who also happens to be someone in her present.

Critical Analysis
Every reader will be able to connect with 6th grader Miranda, be they a middle-schooler themselves or having been in middle school before. She is a latch-key kid of a single parent with the pains of changing relationships. When she is shut out by her best friend, she must quickly find a new best friend so that she is not alone- every middle-schoolers worst nightmare. She is also experiencing her first crush and is torn between her loyalty to her new best friend and her own feelings. Another common crisis for tweens.

The story line is part mystery and part fantasy. The reader is looking for clues as to the author of the mysterious letters and deciphering the cryptic messages. The reader is not aware that there is more than meets the eye until the end. Miranda is caught up in the real book A Wrinkle Before Time and tries to understand the concept of time travel. Although there is plenty of foreshadowing leading the reader to several AHA! moments as the mystery begins to come together, it is Keith’s many discussions about time travel that make the reader question not only who wrote the letters, but when did they come from.

The realistic setting of New York City in the late seventies adds to the mysteriousness of this story. The reader easily believes in Miranda’s story as it is not far-fetched. Her story is not that different from the story of millions of kids out there. There are even plausible explanations for the existence of the letters. For instance, the first note was found in an old book and only addressed to M. M could be anyone and the letter could have been left in the book from long ago.

Readers will learn that friendships are not static and they change, just as the people in the relationship change. Miranda eventually learns that Sal did not shut her out because he was punched, but that he had actually started to pull away before that. He needed space to become Sal and not just a part of the Sal and Miranda due that had been since infancy. This is often a tough lesson to learn, especially as a fragile pre-teen, but it is important for them to understand change does not have to me loss.

Readers will also gain insight into cause and effect. A hard lesson for teens, with little frontal lobe development, to learn. Keith punches Sal to see what would happen- testing a theory. This eventually leads to Sal running into the street into on-coming traffic. Future Keith experiments with time travel so that he can come back to save Sal, knowing he causes his death.

When You Reach Me makes and excellent bridge into the world of fantasy for students who think they do not like the genre. Kids will not have a hard time making a connection with the main character or the story line and will enjoy the mystery intertwined within.

Awards Won And Reviewed Excerpt(s)
Newbery Medal Winner
New York Times Notable Book
Booklist Children's Editors' Choice
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
ALA Best Books for Young Adults Top 10
Starred review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “An exciting, engaging mix of science fiction, mystery, and adventure.”
Starred review in PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: “Credible and absorbing. Young readers will find this journey worth taking.”
Starred review in KIRKUS REVIEW: "When all the sidewalk characters from Miranda's Manhattan world converge amid mind-blowing revelations and cunning details, teen readers will circle back to the beginning and say,' Wow ... cool.”

Connections
*After reading this novel, students can do a research project on time travel to present to the class.
*A discussion on cause and effect, using the punching scene as a catalyst. Can also bring in for Newton’s Law of Motion: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Other books about social situations:
Lowry, Lois. THE GIVER. ISBN 978-0385732550
Collins, Suzanne. THE HUNGER GAMES. ISBN 978-0439023481
Dashner, James. THE MAZE RUNNER. ISBN 978-0385737944