When You Reach Me (Rebecca Stead)

Reviewed by Katie Curtis, an English Education major at Maranatha Baptist University. Katie lives in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Background and Summary

When You Reach Me, published in 2009, received the Newbery Medal in 2010. The story takes place in the Upper West Side in New York during 1978 and 1979. The protagonist of the story is a sixth grade girl named Miranda Sinclair who lives in a small, dingy apartment with her single mother. Her mom does have a boyfriend, Richard, who is a lawyer and visits their apartment often. A homeless man lives on the corner of Miranda’s street, and because of his tendency to laugh without cause, she calls him the “laughing man.” At the start of the story Miranda’s mother receives a postcard congratulating her on winning an appearance on the game show $20,000 Pyramid. The date of her game show appearance is printed on the postcard and the narrator, Miranda, says, “Just like you said.” The dated postcard is the last proof of the mystery that Miranda has been attempting to solve. She places it in a box under her bed with the rest of the notes she received, and begins to write a letter telling the story of why she received these mysterious notes. She starts at the beginning and says it all started the day a friend her was punched in the stomach.

This friend of hers is Sal who is, or rather was, Miranda’s best friend. Sal and Miranda were walking home from school together when some boys blocked their way on the sidewalk. The boy in front, Marcus, stood defiantly blocking Miranda and Sal from going anywhere, and then suddenly he punched Sal in the stomach. Miranda helped Sal to the lobby of his apartment, but from that day on her relationship with Sal was never the same. Soon after this incident, Miranda receives her first of four mysterious notes. The first note is from someone who says he is coming to save her friend’s life, and after the incident with Sal, Miranda assumes the friend is Sal. Since the day he was punched, Sal appears indifferent and distances himself from Miranda.

In this confusing void left by Sal, Miranda strikes up friendships with Annemarie and Colin, who are both classmates. The three of them find lunchtime jobs working at Jimmy’s sandwich shop. Annemarie and Miranda become really good friends, but there is also tension because Annemarie’s family is wealth, and they own a nice apartment. Miranda is embarrassed to have Annemarie spend the night and is afraid Annemarie will no longer want to be her friend. Tension also arises due to Julia, a jealous girl from school. Not only does Miranda develop a friendship with Annemarie, but she also befriends Colin. He goes to her school, but also works at Jimmy’s sandwich shop. Both develop feelings for each other, and Colin eventually kisses Miranda.

One day after she comes home from school, Miranda finds the door to their apartment open and thinks they have been robbed. When she runs to her bedroom, she finds another note stuck on one of her school books. Miranda tells her mother, and her mother immediately thinks to look for their spare key under the mat. When they check, the key is gone. Sometime later the bank or safe at the sandwich shop is stolen, and Jimmy believes the children were somehow involved. They all lose their jobs, but later Jimmy apologizes for wrongfully accusing them.

As Miranda walks home one day she sees Marcus attempting to stop Sal on the street and apologize for punching him. Sal is scared that Marcus wants to punch him again so he takes off running. Sal looks back for a moment and runs right into the path of an oncoming truck. Miranda looks away, not wanting to see her best friend killed. But when she opens her eyes, she is shocked to see Sal lying on the pavement unharmed. The laughing man had kicked Sal out of the way and had been run over instead of Sal. In the aftermath Miranda finds her last note in the man’s shoe. This note reveals a huge surprise to Miranda: the homeless man is really Marcus, and he has travelled back in time to come and save Sal’s life.

Gender & Age Interest

This book appeals to both boys and girls because the main characters of the book are both male and female. Boys will enjoy the intrigue and mystery, and the book includes a few action scenes that will keep them reading. This book also covers a longer period of time which boys would enjoy, and they would also find the time travel and other scientific references fascinating. However, because the main character is a girl, this book would probably appeal to girls more than boys. The plot is organized, but seems a little confusing just because of all of the flashbacks to the past. The story does not contain a lot of characters, so girls would enjoy the smaller cast as well as the confined setting. The emotional tone in this story would definitely appeal to most girls, but surprisingly, many characteristics seen in other characters would also resonate with boys.

The reading level of this book is said by Scholastic to be around sixth to eighth grade. Early adolescents would love this story because of the mystery and also because its setting is in the past. The book also has some supernatural elements such as time travel. Most of the story revolves around Miranda trying to discover who sent her the notes, and this unknown element adds a tone of adventure and mystery. Early adolescents would be able to easily connect with Miranda and also relate with her different emotions and struggles.

Using This Book as a Tool for Developing Mature Readers

This book deals with five tasks that young people face as they develop into adults. First, Miranda shows her development in relationships with people of the same age. Miranda really only has one friend at the start of the story, Sal, who she describes as being very distant. As a result, she meets Annemarie one day at lunch, and they quickly bond. However, Miranda must work through her embarrassment due to the fact that Annemarie’s family is wealthier than hers. Annemarie proves to be a true and devoted friend, and both girls must work to befriend Julia who treats them both very rudely. Miranda reaches out to Julia, and in the end they develop a peaceful relationship. Through Miranda’s relationships, readers will learn how to develop positive peer relationships even though differences exist.

Miranda also achieves good relationships with the young men she encounters. This is obviously a key emphasis because at the beginning of the novel Miranda struggles to understand why she and Sal have drifted apart. At the end of the story, Sal reveals that he distanced himself from her because he wanted to have other friends besides just her. Miranda realizes that Sal was right, and they become best friends again. Miranda meets Marcus at the beginning of the story because he is the boy who punched Sal. After interrogating him as to why he punched Sal, Miranda discovers that Marcus is really not that bad of a kid and is just looking for a friend. At the end of the story, Marcus is revealed to be the laughing man who time traveled to come and save Sal from being hit by the truck. Lastly, Colin works with Miranda at Jimmy’s sandwich shop, and both develop feelings for one another. Readers will learn that relationships with peers of the opposite sex can be very positive and encouraging if dealt with honestly.

Miranda gains a sense of achievement by discovering who sent the mysterious notes. Throughout the story, Miranda struggles to understand the meaning of all the notes and how someone could know so much about her and the other people in her life. Finally at the end of the story it all becomes clear, and she realizes that her relationships with friends and family are important. The mysterious note sender was the laughing man who is an older version of Marcus, coming back from the future to save Sal’s life. Readers will see that achievement is attainable when they are determined and put forth the effort.

Miranda learns to grow independent from her mother. Miranda lives alone with her mother, but rarely ever sees her because her mother is either at work or sleeping. Her mother also has a boyfriend, Richard, which causes some tension between Miranda and her mom. The interactions they have often result in her mother yelling at her because she is either frustrated with Richard or her work. Miranda often stays at home alone and must learn to fend for herself in most situations. I believe that Miranda’s independence is not presented well because although she and her mother appear to have a loving relationship at the end, Miranda never learns to respect her mother.

Lastly, Miranda learns to find a job and work for pay. Miranda, Annemarie, and Colin all find a lunchtime job at Jimmy’s sandwich shop. The children realize it is important to work hard, and they find this job all on their own. They also demonstrate to Jimmy that they are trustworthy and honest. Working is portrayed very positively in the book, and all of the children work and display a good work ethic even though the job is not always much fun. Through their example, readers will learn the value of working hard to earn money.

Potential Issues

The first potential issue with this book would be with Miranda and her family. Miranda lives with her single mother, who is never around, and her mother’s boyfriend, Richard, comes over quite often. Miranda does not show respect for her mother and often treats her very rudely. For students in a public school this family situation would be a very common occurrence and would provide teachers an opportunity to discuss respect for authority and specifically with parents.

Another issue with this book is the profanity. The last few chapters of the book contain several blatant misuses of God’s name. Most of them occur after the incident where the laughing man dead is found dead. No other inappropriate language is used, but teachers need to be aware of this, especially if they choose to teach this book in a Christian school.

This book is set in a very realistic place and time with a very realistic story; however, the use of magic and time travel detracts from that realistic perspective. Miranda’s favorite book is A Wrinkle in Time, and so throughout the book she makes references to time travel. The whole conclusion to the mystery at the end is resolved when Miranda concludes that the laughing man time travelled to save Sal. The book is very relatable to real life except for this one area.     Bullying is an issue in this book, but the author portrays it very negatively and does not endorse it. The book also shows the effects of bullying, specifically with Sal after Marcus punches him. Marcus realizes his actions were wrong and eventually makes things right with Sal. This would provide teachers an excellent opportunity to discuss conflict resolution.

Lastly, a potential issue is the romance between Miranda and Colin as both develop feelings for each other through the course of the story. This is not a major focus of the book, but they do kiss once. Miranda often stares at Colin while working and notices his physical appearance. Nothing inappropriate happens, but the relationship is something teachers might want to address with students.

Recommendation

I personally enjoyed this book, but would recommend using caution when teaching this book. Depending on the setting of your classroom, it could be difficult to address some of the objectionable issues. I think this book would be great for a public school setting because so many of the circumstances Miranda faces would resonate more with public school students. I most definitely advise all teachers to have this book on their shelves and suggest it for outside reading or a book report project. The mystery of this book will keep students intrigued, and they will enjoy trying to discover, along with Miranda, who is sending the notes. Miranda is also a very relatable character for adolescents, and they will be able to connect with her as she struggles through various emotions and circumstances involving family and friends. This book contains a lot of important elements for adolescents from which they can benefit.

Resources for Teaching

Several websites and materials provide teachers with tools for teaching When You Reach Me. One particularly helpful site I found was LitLovers; it gives background information on the author as well as a short summary of the book. This resource also provides teachers with a number of discussion questions as well as some great ideas for discussion activities. Random House Children’s Books provides a great guide for teachers. The guide is a printable PDF file which contains a summary of the book and background on the setting and author. Also included in this guide are pre-reading activities, vocabulary, discussion questions, and interdisciplinary teaching suggestions. Bookrags also provides a lot of helpful resources such as lesson plans, activities, assessments, and some analysis guides for students to aid in their comprehension. Another useful website is Scholastic. On this site a teacher can find a wealth of information and resources for teaching When You Reach Me, such as author information, strategies and ideas, and discussion questions for the various themes addressed in the book. Lastly, teachers who are considering teaching When You Reach Me should take a look at Rebecca Stead’s website. As the author of the book, she provides a lot of insight as to what inspired her to write all three of her books, and she also provides a lot information on New York. Stead grew up in New York and explains what inspired her to write When You Reach Me which is set in her hometown.

Strategies for Teaching with This Novel

A resource available through Random House Children’s Books provides a guide on connecting When You Reach Me with A Wrinkle in Time. It suggests having students read both novels and create a Venn diagram to compare them. Along with the Venn diagram activity is a post-reading activity where students can create character sketches.

Another strategy, suggested by Bookrags, is to have students create a KWL chart as they read the book. A KWL chart has three columns for students to put what they know, what they want to know, and then what they learn. Students could complete this for every reading assignment given, and then the teacher can discuss their answers in class. This method helps the students read with a purpose and better comprehend what they are reading.

Lastly, this book lends well to discussion. Every early adolescent struggles with or goes through many issues which are addressed in this novel. Random House Children’s Books also provides a list of the major themes in the book and discussions questions to go along with each. Not everything in this novel is black and white, so students are forced to think critically about various circumstances and struggles found in the novel. Another suggestion this resource gives is to have students journal about whether or not they agree with Miranda’s decisions or how they connect to her. Again, I believe students will find Miranda a very relatable character, but students need to be forced to think critically and not just simply agree. Journaling would force students to put down their own ideas and thoughts.

Works Cited

Bookrags. “When You Reach Me: Study Pack.” Bookrags, 2009. Web. 18 Apr. 2015.
 
LitLovers. "When You Reach Me (Stead)." LitLovers. 2009. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.

Random House Children’s Book. “When You Reach Me: Educator’s Guide.” 2009. Web. 18 Apr. 2015

Scholastic. "When You Reach Me." Scholastic. 2015. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.

Stead, Rebecca. Rebecca Stead Books. Biondo Studio, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.

---, ---. When You Reach Me. New York: Random House Children's Book, 2009. Print