When You Reach Me facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
When You Reach Me

First edition cover
Author	Rebecca Stead
Cover artist	Sophie Blackall
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	Young Adult, Science fiction and mystery
Publisher	Wendy Lamb Books
Publication date	July 14, 2009
Media type	Print (hardcover)
Pages	208 pp
ISBN	978-0-385-73742-5
LC Class	PZ7.S80857 WH 2009

When You Reach Me is a popular book by Rebecca Stead. It won the Newbery Medal in 2010. This story mixes science fiction with mystery. It was published in 2009.

The book takes place in New York City in 1978 and 1979. It follows a girl named Miranda Sinclair. She starts getting strange notes that ask her to write down future events. The notes also ask her to share where her spare house key is hidden. As the story goes on, Miranda gets three more mysterious notes.

The novel has a few main storylines. Miranda's mom appears on a game show called The $20,000 Pyramid. Miranda's best friend, Sal, suddenly stops talking to her. And a mysterious "laughing man" keeps appearing. The book explores important ideas like being independent, making things right, and the power of friendship. Rebecca Stead also wanted to show how time travel might work. She also wanted to show her own kids what New York was like when she was young. She wanted to show how kids were more independent back then.

Rebecca Stead got the idea for When You Reach Me from a man who had lost his memory. She also used parts of her own childhood. Her favorite book, A Wrinkle in Time, also inspired her. After writing most of the book, Stead gave it to her editor, Wendy Lamb. Wendy Lamb loved it. They worked together to make the ideas even better. When You Reach Me was released on July 14, 2009. It was published by Wendy Lamb Books, which is part of Random House.

Critics really liked the book. They praised how real the setting felt. They also liked how well the author handled small details. The book became a best-seller for The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and USA Today. Besides winning the Newbery Medal, When You Reach Me also won several "Best Book of the Year" awards.

Unraveling the Mystery: The Story of Miranda

When You Reach Me tells the story of Miranda, a sixth-grade girl. She lives with her single mom and her mom's kind boyfriend, Richard. Miranda's best friend is Sal. They have known each other since they were very young. But recently, Sal started ignoring Miranda. This happened after another boy named Marcus punched Sal in the stomach.

A homeless man lives near Miranda's street. She calls him the "laughing man." He often laughs for no clear reason. Miranda notices he always says, "book bag pocket shoe." Later, she realizes this phrase tells her where the mysterious notes will appear. The notes show up in her library book, a bread bag, her coat pocket, and Richard's shoe. The first three notes tell Miranda to write a letter about future events. The person writing the notes says they are coming from the future. They say they will save a life. The notes also give three signs to prove they are real. As the story unfolds, these signs come true. Miranda becomes very curious.

New Friends and a Sandwich Shop Job

Miranda and her new friends, Annemarie and Colin, find a sandwich shop. They wonder if they can get a job there. The owner, Jimmy, agrees to let them work. But he doesn't pay them with money. Instead, he gives them a free soda and a sandwich each day. Miranda, Annemarie, and Colin find a Fred Flintstone bank in the back of the shop. Colin wants to look at the bank more closely. But Annemarie pulls him away. She worries Jimmy might find them.

That night, the sandwich shop is robbed. The next day, Jimmy fires the three friends. He thinks one of them stole from the Flintstone bank. But it was actually the laughing man who stole it. The friends write a card for Jimmy. They tell him they didn't steal anything. Jimmy believes them and lets them work again. He then tells them he knows who stole the bank. He thinks it was Julia, a classmate and Annemarie's best friend. He thinks this because Julia is African American. This makes Annemarie very upset, and she quits her job right away.

School Life and Surprises

At school, Julia starts yelling at Miranda. She is angry that Miranda let Annemarie drink soda and eat sandwiches. Julia says Annemarie has epilepsy and needs a special diet. Miranda explains that she didn't know this. Later, Colin hangs out with Sal. Colin then asks Miranda if she wants to hang out. Miranda says no because her mom is sick.

Later, someone taps on Miranda's door. She gets scared because she doesn't know anyone who knocks like that. She looks through the peephole and sees Colin. She opens the door. He looks at her, then kisses her. She kisses him back. Colin smiles and then runs off.

The Laughing Man's Sacrifice

In a later part of the story, Marcus meets Sal. Marcus wants to say sorry for what he did. Sal runs away, and Marcus chases him. Sal runs into the street, right in front of a truck. Before the truck can hit Sal, the laughing man kicks Sal out of the way. The laughing man saves Sal's life but loses his own.

Miranda finds the fourth note in Richard's shoe. She learns that the laughing man came from the future to save Sal. The note asks Miranda to write down recent events. She needs to deliver it by hand, but she doesn't know who to give it to.

The Big Reveal

Miranda's mom is invited to be on $20,000 Pyramid. Miranda and Richard help her get ready. They hope she will win money for a better life. Miranda and Sal become friends again. While her mom is on stage, Miranda remembers talking with Marcus. They talked about how no one would recognize a time-traveler from a different time. Suddenly, Miranda realizes something important. The laughing man is an older version of Marcus! He came from the future to save Sal's life. He needed to give the notes to the younger Marcus through Miranda.

Later, Miranda goes to the mailbox where the laughing man (Marcus) used to sleep. She finds a picture of an older, smiling Julia. The book ends with Miranda thinking about all these events.

What Kind of Story Is It?

When You Reach Me is mainly a science fiction and mystery novel. But it also has parts of other types of stories. Monica Edinger from The New York Times said it's a mix of genres. She called it a "complex mystery" and a "work of historical fiction." It's also a school story and a story about friendship. Time travel is a big part of it.

Augusta Scattergood from the Christian Science Monitor wondered if it was science fiction or time travel. She also thought it could be a very imaginative girl's experience. Or maybe it's historical fiction, since it's set in 1979. Mary Quattlebaum from The Washington Post said the novel is about science fiction and time travel. She found that it's not like typical time travel stories. It doesn't have "cheesy time travel machines." Instead, it's a deep look at "life, death, and the beauty of it all."

Both Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly said that even with the science fiction parts, the story felt very real.

A Thrilling Puzzle: The Mystery Element

Many reviewers agree that parts of the novel are a mystery. Edinger felt that the book is mostly "a thrilling puzzle." The clues are slowly revealed. You find them in the story, on a map, in words, and in chapter titles. By the end, everything connects and makes sense. Ann Crewdson from School Library Journal noted that each note Miranda gets hints at what will happen next. Each clue is "skillfully" woven into the story. All the clues come together at the end, during the climax.

Stead's editor, Wendy Lamb, also saw it as a mystery. She said, "there's plenty to wonder about after you finish the book." She compared it to how we wonder why our feelings change or why someone like the laughing man appears. Gurdon from The Wall Street Journal agreed. He added that the mystery isn't fully revealed until the very end. That's when the last note arrives and everything makes sense.

Exploring Important Ideas: Themes in the Book

The book explores how to keep old friendships while also letting them change. It also shows how new friends can help you hold onto or get back old ones. This is especially helpful for kids in middle school. The book really looks at the "intricacies of friendship."

Friendship Challenges and New Connections

The theme of friendship is clear when Sal stops being friends with Miranda. This happens after Marcus hits him. Elli Housden from The Courier-Mail noted that Miranda has to deal with Sal ignoring her for no clear reason. Scattergood saw it as a common friendship story where Sal ignores Miranda to find other friends. Julie Long from Reading Time pointed out how this event makes Miranda find new friends. She also becomes more active at school. This helps her learn how things work in that environment.

Second Chances and Understanding Others

The book also shows how people get "second chances." This applies to Miranda's mother, both in her job and her relationships. As the story goes on, Miranda gives second chances to Julia and Alice. Miranda first dislikes Julia. She sees her as a rival for Annemarie's friendship. She thinks Alice is just a weird kid who always needs to use the bathroom. But by the end of the book, Miranda sees Julia as Annemarie's true friend. She also learns that Alice is just an insecure girl.

Growing Up Independent

Rebecca Stead believes kids today are less independent than when she was a child. She wrote, "from age nine, my friends and I were on the streets, walking home, going to each other's houses, going to the store. I really wanted to write about that: the independence that's a little bit scary but also a really positive thing in a lot of ways. And I'm not sure that most kids have that today."

Throughout the book, Miranda and her friends often walk around town without adults. They even work in a sandwich shop during lunch. They walk home from school while trying to avoid the laughing man. While writing, Stead hoped to show her sons the time period she grew up in. She wanted to "send them on a little time-travel journey of their own." Laura Miller from The New Yorker noted that today's kids have less independence. This is because adults are always watching them. Miller pointed out that even though crime rates are lower now, the characters in the book, who are middle schoolers, walk around the Upper West Side by themselves. This is a rare freedom in cities today.

Understanding Time Travel

Julianna Helt from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette found that time travel is a main idea. Miranda often wonders how time travel could be real. In When You Reach Me, Marcus helps Miranda understand a flaw in A Wrinkle in Time. He explains how the three old ladies lied to Meg. They promised they would return five minutes before they left.

Marcus explains:

So the garden is where they appear when they get home at the end of the book. Remember? They land in the broccoli. So if they had gotten home five minutes before they left, like those ladies promised they would, then they would have seen themselves get back. Before they did.

Roger Sutton from Horn Book Magazine felt this moment shows how complicated and mysterious the novel is. Quattlebaum noted, "The story's structure – an expert interweaving of past, present and future – brilliantly contradicts Miranda's commonsensical belief that the end can't happen before the middle." Stead explained her idea of time travel in her book. Going back in time means fulfilling the future, not changing it. She wanted to make the time travel part logical. She wanted to show that "Miranda wasn't struggling to understand the seeming randomness and infinity of the universe, but learning that her world has value and that people do care about her."

Awards and Recognition

Winning the Newbery Medal

Rebecca Stead won the annual Newbery Medal for When You Reach Me. This award recognizes the "most distinguished contribution to American literature for children" each year. The judges chose the book because small details were very important to the plot. Katie O'Dell, who led the Newbery committee, felt that "Every scene, every nuance, every word is vital both to character development and the progression of the mystery that really is going to engage readers and satisfy them." The committee was "very excited about this book because it is exceptionally conceived, finely crafted and highly original."

On January 18, 2010, someone at Random House accidentally posted the result on Twitter. This happened 17 minutes before the official announcement. The tweet was quickly removed once the mistake was noticed.

A Top Children's Book

In 2012, When You Reach Me was ranked number 11 among the best children's novels of all time. This was in a survey by School Library Journal. This magazine is mainly for a U.S. audience. It was the only book from the 21st century in the top 20.

Awards and Nominations List