When You Reach Me

When a friendship between two friends unravels and a mystery is unveiled, sixth grader, Miranda, must work to figure things out. Set in New York City in 1979, When You Reach Me follows Miranda and her mother as they prepare for her mother's appearance on $20,000 Pyramid. After Miranda's best friend, Sal, is punched in the stomach and stops talking to her, she receives a letter. The letters continue to come, leaving her confused and intrigued at the same time. Concerned for the safety of her friend and consumed by the mystery, Miranda pieces together clues to discover who is writing these letters. With a mixture of magic and time travel, all is solved and the mystery is revealed to everyone involved.

As much as I wanted to like this book, as it has wonderful reviews that praise it for its brilliance, I was extremely disappointed in my experience. I found it difficult to follow the storyline, as it jumped back and forth from past to present. Upon reading the back cover, I was so excited to delve into this story because I love mysteries! However, I felt as though the author took a long time to get to the point. The book moved so slowly and jumped from one time period to the next, I just could not follow or keep up with the message.

Although I did not like this book, I did like some of the characters and found them to be extremely likable, relatable and profound. I do think that students can relate to the children in this book and would be wowed by the wonders of mysterious time travel.

I may have to give this book another try at a different time to truly appreciate what others see in it.

When You Reach Me  
By: Rebecca Stead 
Published in 2009