When You Reach Me (Stead, Rebecca) (original 2009; edition 2009)

by Rebecca Stead

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6,307	529	1,533	(4.15)	289
As her mother prepares to be a contestant on the 1980s television game show, "The $20,000 Pyramid," a twelve-year-old New York City girl tries to make sense of a series of mysterious notes received from an anonymous source that seems to defy the laws of time and space.

▾Book information

Member:	KSchulein
Title:	When You Reach Me (Stead, Rebecca)
Authors:	Rebecca Stead
Info:	Wendy Lamb Books (2009), Edition: 1, Hardcover, 208 pages
Collections:	Newbery winners
Rating:
Tags:	None

Work Information

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (2009)

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▾Member reviews

English (526) Spanish (1) Swedish (1) Dutch (1) All languages (529)

date ▼ | votes

Showing 1-5 of 526 (next | show all)

Great read. It is basically a time travel book being told by someone who is not doing the traveling, which makes it a little more subtle. I particularly liked the fact that the central carrier learns some things about herself and the world in non-preachy, realistic fashion, the kind of everyday occurences kids ( and adults) might really face (

)

cspiwak | Mar 6, 2024 |

A wonderful short read. Yes it is juvenile fiction, but read and enjoy the wonderful characters, plotting, time travel and great writing.
Thanks Terri for the suggestion. (

)

wvlibrarydude | Jan 14, 2024 |

I love it when I find a book I can't put down. I read this in one sitting and it went by so fast, but in a good way, like I'm excited to read it again. It's pretty difficult to describe the plot, so I'll just say that it's exceptionally well written, moves at a great pace, and the characters leap off the page.

It also defies genre. I'd call it a mystery because Miranda, the 6th grade protagonist, tells the story as she's trying to figure it out, so the reader is there trying to figure it out with her.

I'd also say it's everyday life because it's about friendships, families, walking home from school past a crazy person, just normal stuff that happens to kids.

And it's sci-fi because there is an element of time travel (the good "always already happened" time travel--I don't like it when time travel can change the past).

It's also kind of historical fiction for young readers because it takes place in New York City in 1978, when the streets were not very safe and the $20,000 Pyramid was a super hot game show (as a great touch, the chapters have titles like categories in the Pyramid).

I think this is a strong Newbery contender for 2010. (

)

LibrarianDest | Jan 3, 2024 |

This book was amazing and surprising. I loved it very much. Not only does it hold so much depth and emotion, its story was told wonderfully. Never a dull moment throughout the book!

It's books like this one that our you should be reading. It not only teaches them the beauty of language, but reinforces a love for reading. (

)

KrabbyPattyCakes | Dec 3, 2023 |

One of the best books I've read in a long time. Time travel is my favorite! (

)

nogomu | Oct 19, 2023 |

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Showing 1-5 of 526 (next | show all)

▾Published reviews

5 reviews

add a review

thingScore 94

This book has a very nice climax when given. Exciting and has much significance to it. Symbolic and wonderful.

added by GraceDaniels | editNew York Times, Grace Daniels (Feb 14, 2014)

...a story in which characters really come alive during those few months we spend with them, when their lives are shaped for ever.

added by souloftherose | editThe Guardian, Philip Ardagh (Feb 4, 2011)

In this taut novel, every word, every sentence, has meaning and substance. A hybrid of genres, it is a complex mystery, a work of historical fiction, a school story and one of friendship, with a leitmotif of time travel running through it. Most of all the novel is a thrilling puzzle. Stead piles up clues on the way to a moment of intense drama, after which it is pretty much impossible to stop reading until the last page.

added by Shortride | editThe New York Times Book Review, Monica Edinger (Aug 16, 2009)

Eventually and improbably, these strands converge to form a thought-provoking whole. Stead ('First Light') accomplishes this by making every detail count, including Mirandas name, her hobby of knot tying and her favorite book, Madeleine LEngles 'A Wrinkle in Time'. Its easy to imagine readers studying Mirandas story as many times as shes read LEngles, and spending hours pondering the provocative questions it raises.

added by sduff222 | editPublishers Weekly (Jun 22, 2009)

Stead's novel is as much about character as story. Miranda's voice rings true with its faltering attempts at maturity and observation. The story builds slowly, emerging naturally from a sturdy premise. As Miranda reminisces, the time sequencing is somewhat challenging, but in an intriguing way. The setting is consistently strong. The stores and even the streets–in Miranda's neighborhood act as physical entities and impact the plot in tangible ways. This unusual, thought-provoking mystery will appeal to several types of readers.

added by khuggard | editSchool Library Journal, Caitlan Augusta

▾Other authors

» Add other authors (24 possible)

Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Rebecca Stead	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
Blackall, Sophie	Cover artist	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Gartnet, Kate	Cover designer	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Holloway, Cynthia	Narrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Belongs to Publisher Series

Yearling Newbery

Is contained in

When You Reach Me / First Light by Rebecca Stead

Was inspired by

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

▾Awards and Honors

Awards

Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction (Finalist – 2009)

Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (Nominee – Grades 6-9 – 2011)

Boston Globe–Horn Book Award (Winner – Fiction & Poetry – 2010)

Gouden Lijst (Eervolle Vermelding – 2011)

Great Lakes Great Books Award (Honor Book – 6th, 7th & 8th Grade – 2011)

A Horn Book Fanfare Best Book (2009)

ILA Children's and Young Adults' Book Award (Young Adult—Fiction – 2010)

Indies Choice Book Award (Winner – Middle Readers – 2010)

Massachusetts Children's Book Award (Nominee – 2012)

Newbery Medal (Medal Winner – 2010)

Nēnē Award (Nominee – 2011)

Oregon Reader's Choice Award (Nominee – Middle School (Intermediate) Division – 2012)

Parents' Choice Book Award (2009)

Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominee – Grades 6-8 – 2011)

Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (Nominee)

Virginia Readers' Choice (Nominee – Middle School – 2013)

Volunteer State Book Award (Nominee – Young Adult – 2012)

West Virginia Children's Choice Book Award (Nominee – 2010-2011)

Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Award (Nominee – 2011)

Distinctions

Amazon's Best Books of the Month (July 2009)

Amazon's Best Books of the Year (2009)

Notable Lists

The Best Children's Books of the Year (Nine to Twelve – 2010)

Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection – 2010)

Book Links Lasting Connections (2009)

Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth (2009)

Capitol Choices Noteworthy Book for Children and Teens (2010)

CCBC Choices (2010)

Great Reads from Great Places (New York – 2010)

Idaho Battle of the Books (Elementary – 2020)

Montana Battle of the Books (7th-8th Grade – 2024)

NCSS/CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People (2010)

NCTE/CLA Notable Children's Book in the English Language Arts (2010)

Notable Children's Book (2010)

School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2009)

School Library Journal Top 100 Children's Novels, 2012 Poll

School Library Journal Top 100 Children’s Novels, 2010 Poll

Texas Lone Star Reading List (2010)

Westmoreland Interscholastic Reading Competition (WIRC) (Middle School Division – 2023)

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▾Common Knowledge

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Canonical title

When You Reach Me

Original title

When You Reach Me

Alternative titles

Original publication date

People/Characters

Important places

New York, New York, USA

Important events

Related movies

Epigraph

The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious.

-- Albert Einstein

The World As I See It (1931)

Dedication

To Sean, Jack, and Eli,

champions of inappropriate laughter, fierce love,

and extremely deep questions

First words

So Mom got a postcard today.

Quotations

"It's the jumping, from one diamond to the next, that we call time, but like I said, time doesn't really exist. Like that girl just said, a diamond is a moment, and all the diamonds on the ring are happening at the same time. It's like having a drawer full of pictures."

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

Lamb, Wendy

Meckler, Caroline (associate editor)

Blurbers

Original language

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (1)

When You Reach Me

▾Book descriptions

As her mother prepares to be a contestant on the 1980s television game show, "The $20,000 Pyramid," a twelve-year-old New York City girl tries to make sense of a series of mysterious notes received from an anonymous source that seems to defy the laws of time and space.

▾Library descriptions

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▾LibraryThing members' description

Book description

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.

Haiku summary