When You Reach Me
by Rebecca Stead
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
About the Book
This remarkable novel holds a fantastic puzzle at its heart.
By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it’s safe to go, and they know who to avoid. Like the crazy guy on the corner.
But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a kid on the street for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda’s mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then a mysterious note arrives, scrawled on a tiny slip of paper. The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realizes that whoever is leaving them knows things no one should know. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Until the final note makes her think she’s too late.
My Thoughts
First of all, I must admit I have not read A Wrinkle in Time, which it seems this book is based on. I did enjoy parts of the book and thought the author did a good job of portraying life as it would have been for this character in 1979.
Overall, though, I didn’t find the mystery very compelling and I was just as confused by the shifting relationships between the various kids as I was when I was that age.
Note: This is Book #91 of my 2011 Reads (master list here) and also part of my personal Newbery Medal Winners Reading Challenge.
I'm a mom with Asperger's raising an amazing son with autism, which means I'm basically the case manager/advocate/cheerleader/chauffeur. The rest of the time, you can usually find me with my nose in a book!
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Oh, this one knocked my socks off! http://www.hopeisthewordblog.com/2011/04/11/when-you-reach-me-by-rebecca-stead/