When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Stead, R. (2009). When You Reach Me. NY, NY: Wendy Lamb Books.

Miranda lives with her mom and step-dad, Richard. Miranda’s relationship with her best friend, Sal, becomes strained after Sal is punched. She begins receiving strange letters from a person, known as “you”, who knows much about her and events that haven’t taken place. Throughout the book “you” asks her to write letters from the past months. Miranda responds and begins to realize she may be forced to save a friend’s life. When Miranda walks home from school she encounters a homeless man known as “The Laughing Man”. Everything comes together when, Marcus, the kid who punched Sal, tries to apologize. Sal gets spooked and runs into the street. “The Laughing Man” saves both Marcus’s life and Sal’s. Miranda finds the final note in the laughing man’s shoe and discovers “The Laughing Man” was really Marcus as his older self, coming back to save him and Sal through the help of Miranda’s letters. Ultimately, Miranda and Sal become friends again. When You Reach Me has a very complex story line filled with suspense. It switches between Miranda’s mom preparing for the game show, and Miranda finding the letters and writing back to the mysterious person. Time travel is an evident theme when Miranda discovers Marcus is “The Laughing Man” who had time travel from the future. This science fiction book shows the true test of friendship and no matter the obstacle true friends are always there for each other. The author, Rebecca Stead, keeps the reader engaged and intrigued, wondering who is sending the letters and what they means. This book will make the reader use their imagination and think creatively. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle would be another book to follow with since it is referenced in the book.