Stead, Rebecca. (2009). When You Reach Me. New York, New York: Wendy Lamb Books.
Brief Annotation: Miranda is a sixth grader in New York City. She has one best friend, Sal, and a single mother who is preparing to appear on a television game show, and a favorite book, A Wrinkle in Time. Miranda begins to receive mysterious letters that predict things that will happen in her life, and, around the same time, a mysterious boy punches Sal for no reason and she and Sal have a falling out. Miranda makes some new friends, but they do not help her decipher the mystery notes, or understand the laughing man, a homeless man who Miranda sees every day on her way home from school. She becomes friends with the mysterious boy, Marcus, and the meaning of the mysterious notes becomes clear as she begins to comprehend that time travel plays a role in the mystery surrounding the notes.
Grade Level: 4-8
Type of Book: Realistic contemporary fiction and fantasy
Readers who will like this: Readers who like science fiction, readers interested in time travel, readers who like contemporary books about children in real situations, readers who like A Wrinkle in Time.
Response/Rating (1-4): 4. The books asks important questions and comes up with interesting answers. The discussion of time travel is both comprehensible and, somehow, plausible. The characters are real, flawed and easy to relate to.
One question you would ask before a read aloud: Do you think that time travel is possible? How would you use time travel if you could?
Reading Strategies Connection: I would have students read both this book and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline l'Engle, and complete a Venn diagram (Yopp & Yopp, p. 115-116). The two books both involve strong female characters, time travel and a rescue, and there are numerous other similarities as well. A Venn diagram would allow the students to make connections between these texts, and will also allow them to take note of how and why these books differ. I would prompt the students to look at the setting, plot structure, themes and main characters when they are charting their similarities and differences in the Venn diagram.
Readers who will like this: Readers who like science fiction, readers interested in time travel, readers who like contemporary books about children in real situations, readers who like A Wrinkle in Time.
Response/Rating (1-4): 4. The books asks important questions and comes up with interesting answers. The discussion of time travel is both comprehensible and, somehow, plausible. The characters are real, flawed and easy to relate to.
One question you would ask before a read aloud: Do you think that time travel is possible? How would you use time travel if you could?
Reading Strategies Connection: I would have students read both this book and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline l'Engle, and complete a Venn diagram (Yopp & Yopp, p. 115-116). The two books both involve strong female characters, time travel and a rescue, and there are numerous other similarities as well. A Venn diagram would allow the students to make connections between these texts, and will also allow them to take note of how and why these books differ. I would prompt the students to look at the setting, plot structure, themes and main characters when they are charting their similarities and differences in the Venn diagram.
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