When You Reach Me
- Downloads：7980
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-03-24 06:55:27
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Rebecca Stead
- ISBN：0375850864
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
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。
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。
Reviews
Blueberry
，
ah the plot tied up wonderfully at the end， didn't realize it took place in the 1978 until the end though ah the plot tied up wonderfully at the end， didn't realize it took place in the 1978 until the end though 。。。more
Noah
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The book was very good， but very weird…
Lea
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so so smart and tender。 i first read this in middle school so i know that i’m biased bc of the sentimentality that comes with re-reading a childhood favorite but after reading it again some 10 years later i still think it’s fantastic。 it perfectly captures the growing pains of middle school and the way that everything ties together at the end is honestly fascinating
chloe l
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NAURRRR I LITERALLY READ THIS IN 5TH GRADE AND IT WAS THE BEST THING ID EVER READ
Amy
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Another terrific middle grade book！ Think time travel， $20，000 Pyramid（totally from my childhood）， and A Wrinkle in Time。 She nails all the 12-year-old feels。
Maria
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Must have read A Wrinkle in Time before you read this， almost like a prerequisite。 I’m not a big fan of that book or this one， but it’s okay。
adelaidelily
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Re-read， re-read， re-read i love you！ A wonderful story that I will never stop thinking about。 It’s a crazy book that has you thinking for days after it。 I haven’t read it for a while but I didn’t forget the absolute amazing ness that’s wrapped around this book。 From start to finish all I wanted to do was keep on reading。 I have assessments to blame that I didn’t just finish it in one reading。 I love this book and you should too。
Siguenza
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a book i frequently revisit as years fold out from a rolled state。 it provides me with juvenile sentimental warmth is all。 the first book i crushingly devoured in one sitting when i was a child。 perhaps i will read it again， to stamp my long established custom of finishing this book every few years or when i can no longer recall the individual details。
Iris Grace
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rating: 5 stars Read it twice。 It's amazing。 The writing and especially the storytelling is great。 It is technically （I think） middle-grade， but I think it would be great for teens too。 rating: 5 stars Read it twice。 It's amazing。 The writing and especially the storytelling is great。 It is technically （I think） middle-grade， but I think it would be great for teens too。 。。。more
aliaareadstoo
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The first thing that crossed my mind right after I finished this book is， "IS THIS REALLY A MIDDLE GRADE BOOK？？！！" Like， the idea is such a genius one！I love the portrayal of each character very much。 Somehow， all the details that came up as nonsense and irrelevant to me made so much sense at the end。 I thought it would be just a simple story， and end with Miranda's mother。 But it goes beyond that。 It deals with a lot of technicalities in dealing with the community and this really shows when Mir The first thing that crossed my mind right after I finished this book is， "IS THIS REALLY A MIDDLE GRADE BOOK？？！！" Like， the idea is such a genius one！I love the portrayal of each character very much。 Somehow， all the details that came up as nonsense and irrelevant to me made so much sense at the end。 I thought it would be just a simple story， and end with Miranda's mother。 But it goes beyond that。 It deals with a lot of technicalities in dealing with the community and this really shows when Miranda communicates with people around her to navigate the solution to any of her problem and curiosity。 Also， what kind of plot twist IS THAT？！！！ I got goosebumps！！！A brilliant， brilliant execution！ Now， thanks to Miranda， I really want to read A Wrinkle In Time！ 。。。more
Carol
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5 stars because I loved this book when I was little and it was SO good even now。I loooove stuff about time travel and I feel like this book is a huge reason why LOL。 I probably reread it like once a month for a while I liked it that much。 I read Out Of My Heart a while ago and didn't like the writing style because of the weird way the author tried to make the voice sound like it was actually a little kid， but in this one it felt well done。 The main character is obviously young， but she talks in 5 stars because I loved this book when I was little and it was SO good even now。I loooove stuff about time travel and I feel like this book is a huge reason why LOL。 I probably reread it like once a month for a while I liked it that much。 I read Out Of My Heart a while ago and didn't like the writing style because of the weird way the author tried to make the voice sound like it was actually a little kid， but in this one it felt well done。 The main character is obviously young， but she talks in a way that makes sense for the kind of kid she is。ehh not much else I can say about this one， I just really liked it LOL。 。。。more
Alicia Phaviseth
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I read this book for my childrens literature course， and it was interesting。 The story is being told in the second person by a young girl by the name of Miranda。 At first we are left guessing what happens and who she's referring to when she's talking about the proof you asked for and what happened to her friend Sal。 Throughout the book， especially in the beginning it seems that the narrator is just telling us the basic things happening to her in her preteen life。 Her hardships are small， at leas I read this book for my childrens literature course， and it was interesting。 The story is being told in the second person by a young girl by the name of Miranda。 At first we are left guessing what happens and who she's referring to when she's talking about the proof you asked for and what happened to her friend Sal。 Throughout the book， especially in the beginning it seems that the narrator is just telling us the basic things happening to her in her preteen life。 Her hardships are small， at least in the beginning until everything revealed to us later on at the very end。 This book really twists around and all the little things a reader might feel are insignificant become important。 Its easy to read and it draws a reader in enough to keep them engaged in the story。The setting takes place in New York in the late 1970's， there is a definite element of fantasy within the story that is revealed later。 Miranda as a character goes through many struggles a child in her age range faces， like hardships with friends and her first kiss。 However， its not just a story about a preteen girl living in New York and her regular life， there's a time travel element and a mysterious person who seems to know everything before it even happens that sends her notes， leaving them in the most interesting places。 When the reader reaches halfway through the story， the plot becomes clear。 The goal for Miranda is to find out who this mysterious person is claiming needs to be saved， and all that is revealed in the note is this mystery persons goal is to save her friends life and they're own， and all they ask from her is to write a letter about everything in detail later on， once everything is revealed。 Overall its an interesting read and with the big conclusion at the end I find this book definitely worthwhile to read。 I like how its read in the second person， it draws the reader into the story as if Miranda is telling it directly to us， as if we are the mystery person all along。 This book embodies both Fantasy elements and Realism elements， its a coming of age story with a twist， an interesting and melancholy twist， that one must read to the near end to find。 。。。more
Phil Meier
，
When I started reading "When You Reach Me" by Rebecca Stead， I did so without even reading the jacket， reviews， or having any previous knowledge。 This book was so far out of my world bubble I didn't even know what genre I was falling into， just that it was a "young readers" book。 The story is narrated by and follows a girl named Miranda through a very transitional period of her life。 A drawn-out mystery intertwines and ties up the story， but not until the very end。 We are taken into an adolescen When I started reading "When You Reach Me" by Rebecca Stead， I did so without even reading the jacket， reviews， or having any previous knowledge。 This book was so far out of my world bubble I didn't even know what genre I was falling into， just that it was a "young readers" book。 The story is narrated by and follows a girl named Miranda through a very transitional period of her life。 A drawn-out mystery intertwines and ties up the story， but not until the very end。 We are taken into an adolescent journey through friendship， family， loss， and love that feels real and inhabited。 One of the few things that stood out to me， and not in a wrong way， but may not be for everyone， is the structure of the narrative。 This story is a narrative from Miranda's perspective， in that we are locked into her point of view and can never be sure， as with most books written in "First-person，" how accurate or truthfully defined reality is。 We have to accept that what Miranda experiences "facts"， and for most of the story， her recollection finds root in a relatable context。 The second part of the structure is a short chapter format written from two points in time。 What I mean is half of the time， Miranda is recalling and narrating events as if they are "past tense，" but at other points， we see those events in real-time from her point of view。 The time shifts and perspective are a bit jarring at first， but I could ease into it after the first ten chapters。 The short chapters themselves offer bite-sized， self-contained tidbits of the story， where each does not depend on moving to the next。 For example， one branch may end up talking about her mother's attitude and actions after a hard day at work。 The following chapter jumps right into school weeks apart as a wholly disconnected experience from that day。 It made reading easier with interruptions。 I never felt like I would miss out but never lost interest。 When asked what genre I was reading mid-way through the book， I replied， "realism。" Realism is defined as "characterized those stories which could happen—those containing no element of magic，" and this fits firmly here for a majority of the narrative。 There was a sense of mystery with the strange letters introduced to us along the way， but nothing far-fetched or fantastical。 As we reach a conclusion， which I won't discuss here， we find a science fiction element。 Even with the story's ending being a bit outside our current reality， Rebecca Stead addresses many essential subjects that are a part of our and our children's lives。 Single mothers， co-dependency， friendship， bullying， social status/stigmas， racism， attraction， insecurities， bullies， peer pressure， loss， mourning， acceptance， stereotypes， and so much more find home and purpose in this quick read。 Miranda's reactions and struggles in these mundane situations are relatable and open a window to the minds of our children at that age， and their stresses， that we have forgotten to time。 We see growth and change。 Assumptions and challenging perceptions: not everyone is who they seem， for better or worse。 I think this book shows quite a few valuable lessons in courage， perseverance， humanity， celebrating humanity， and friendship。 One of my favorite quotes I talked about in a school discussion is: "I believe that you were ready。 But I still think it's sad。" This passage is in regards to someone passing on in the book， and it is so important in regards to loss and mourning。 The teachable moments may not resonate in a younger age group。 I believe with discussion while reading， any students from 5th grade through adulthood will find value in Miranda's journey。 There is something here we've experienced in one form or another， or the case of our children， experiencing now。 。。。more
Isabella
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I first read this book in my fourth grade English class。 I didn't really appreciate it， mainly because I was infuriated with Miranda for refusing to listen to Marcus and Julia。 I decided to reread it because I thought I would appreciate it more now。 I very much did。My first thought is that Marcus and I share somewhat similar views。 I'm also sure his views impacted mine。 Another thought I had is that the "burn scale" and "dome" are actually semi realistic。 In many years， the sun may have heated E I first read this book in my fourth grade English class。 I didn't really appreciate it， mainly because I was infuriated with Miranda for refusing to listen to Marcus and Julia。 I decided to reread it because I thought I would appreciate it more now。 I very much did。My first thought is that Marcus and I share somewhat similar views。 I'm also sure his views impacted mine。 Another thought I had is that the "burn scale" and "dome" are actually semi realistic。 In many years， the sun may have heated Earth to the point where a burn scale for the day is necessary （similarly to how f-ed up the Maze Runner world is）Overall， the book is great。 The plot includes self discovery through new friends， accepting change， and keeping an open mind。 It is a well written， engaging story。 The tiniest amounts of foreshadowing are perfect， Miranda's struggles are real， even if her stubbornness is very infuriating。 The character development was not rushed and it was very well done。 I loved seeing Miranda grow and realize what is really happening and what she should do。 I am so glad I reread this， I highly recommend reading it。 It is a well written book with amazing character development and a perfectly written plot。 。。。more
Alison
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My daughter got this for Christmas and never read it， so I thought I would check it out。 The driving story line focuses on 12 year old Miranda receiving mysterious notes from an unknown source - apparently from the future。 At first， I found the details of this story line were less interesting than the dramas with Miranda's family and friends from school。 But pleasantly in the last 20% of the book， the resolution of the mysterious notes part takes center stage and turns out to be worth the build My daughter got this for Christmas and never read it， so I thought I would check it out。 The driving story line focuses on 12 year old Miranda receiving mysterious notes from an unknown source - apparently from the future。 At first， I found the details of this story line were less interesting than the dramas with Miranda's family and friends from school。 But pleasantly in the last 20% of the book， the resolution of the mysterious notes part takes center stage and turns out to be worth the build up。 The mystery resolves with interesting and unexpected twists and also provided me with my favorite version of happy ending - strengthened mother-daughter love。 。。。more
Tessa
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Rebecca Stead's fantasy book， When You Reach Me （2009）， is a book about finding comfort in your own skin and friendship。 This story was a new realism story that could hit close to home for everyone I believe。 The story holds a lot of power and opens readers' eyes to the "masks" that everyone wears daily。 The story shares the real things we go through behind closed doors; the things that we don't let anyone see。 Characters in the story slowly open up to one another and take their masks off， openi Rebecca Stead's fantasy book， When You Reach Me （2009）， is a book about finding comfort in your own skin and friendship。 This story was a new realism story that could hit close to home for everyone I believe。 The story holds a lot of power and opens readers' eyes to the "masks" that everyone wears daily。 The story shares the real things we go through behind closed doors; the things that we don't let anyone see。 Characters in the story slowly open up to one another and take their masks off， opening the previously closed doors。 When You Reach Me was written using the first-person point of view from Miranda in her sixth-grade year of middle school。 Miranda lived in an old， well-lived apartment with her mom。 Miranda’s best friend， Sal， lived on a different level in the same apartment building。 His apartment and life were a reflection of Miranda’s。 Sal only has his mom as well。 Sal is the male lead in Miranda and Sal’s platonic relationship。 Miranda and Sal were attached at the hip until Marcus， the antagonist， unprovoked punched Sal in the stomach and ran away。 Sal ran away quickly too and left Miranda behind to walk home from the rest of the way home。 After that Sal avoided Miranda， Sal refused to even look at her。 After being a runner for the school dentist and getting Marcus for his appointment the two slowly became friends。 Miranda all while she was hurt she was busy helping her mom prepare for her to play the game show The $20，000 Pyramid。 Luckily Miranda has help from her mom’s boyfriend Richard。 Richard had been Miranda's life for quite a while by this point and he was at the “ley to the apartment” stage。 However， Miranda’s mom wouldn’t give him one。 This changes at the end of the story when Miranda questions her mom causing her to realize that she is just scared to take the next step in case Miranda gets hurt。 Miranda talked to her mom telling her that she loved her and Richard and if her mom was ready for him to move in so was she， allowing her mom to officially open that last closed door to Richard。 Sal and Miranda did not reunite until almost the end of sixth grade after they had spent time apart and found more friends so they had more than just each other， as Sal would later explain to Miranda。 Sal did this to force Miranda to take her mask off and open her closed doors to other people as well。 Miranda， having taken off her mask， made three new best friends， Annemarie， Julie， and Colin。 They all met at school and worked at a sandwich shop down the street， Jimmy’s， for free sandwiches and sodas。 I would recommend this book to readers from sixth grade to freshman in high school。 I think it is a great book to get their minds wrapped around more complex points of view and plots。 I think it would also be good to prepare students for what life looks a little bit like even though the book is dramatized as being written in new realism。 I think they would also be very intrigued by the book and want to keep reading。 Even myself， I found myself getting lost in the emotions of the characters that I can not fully remember all the setting or plot。 This book would also be a great opener to show readers that everyone has their own struggle that no one knows about。 In When You Can Reach Me， Annemarie has epilepsy but no one knows and Miranda lives in an old， well-lived apartment but only Sal knows。 As well as， Sal had money problems and was embarrassed by them and he didn’t tell anyone。 These are all important social issues that need to be taught to students that it is okay to have these problems， it is nothing to be ashamed about。 Reading this book made me think a lot about a discussion we had last week about how new realism novels made people feel。 Reading his story reminded me of reading The Outsiders in 7th grade。 It was dramatized and so I remember many of my peers hated it。 However， I loved it。 I mean it was dramatized but it made it that much more appealing to me。 。。。more
Rachel Miller
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I read this book along with my 5th grader and really enjoyed it。 I enjoyed the nods to A Wrinkle in Time， one of my favorite books from childhood。 Loved the ending！ My son， however， stalled out and didn’t quite finish this book。 Think he got distracted by a new library book。 Im encouraging him to finish， though！ It has a great ending！
Vanessa Rogers
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3。5 starsIt was a cute story but didn't grab me。 I did enjoy the unexpected twist。 3。5 starsIt was a cute story but didn't grab me。 I did enjoy the unexpected twist。 。。。more
Bshaw
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4。5
Shanna
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Miranda is a typical 6th grade girl who finds herself in a very atypical situation。 She begins getting some very mysterious notes which give clues to small events that haven't happened yet。 Meanwhile she is trying to navigate friendships new and old， family， school。 Likeable characters， creative premise， enjoyable read。 （view spoiler）[After he grows up， a boy invented time travel and traveled back to fix a mistake he made that would have had disastrous consequences if he hadn't invented time tra Miranda is a typical 6th grade girl who finds herself in a very atypical situation。 She begins getting some very mysterious notes which give clues to small events that haven't happened yet。 Meanwhile she is trying to navigate friendships new and old， family， school。 Likeable characters， creative premise， enjoyable read。 （view spoiler）[After he grows up， a boy invented time travel and traveled back to fix a mistake he made that would have had disastrous consequences if he hadn't invented time travel and fixed the mistake。 （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Anita
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* Read for the 2022 Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge task: A book that has won an award from Powell's list of book awards [Newbery] * Read for the 2022 Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge task: A book that has won an award from Powell's list of book awards [Newbery] 。。。more
Zoe Daly
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This is a book that I have read over and over and over。 Definitely a favorite for a while in middle and high school if I needed a short read or to get out of a reading slump。 It's a sweet， short story about friendship and time travel。 This is a book that I have read over and over and over。 Definitely a favorite for a while in middle and high school if I needed a short read or to get out of a reading slump。 It's a sweet， short story about friendship and time travel。 。。。more
Myren Burns
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I have read this book SO MANY TIMES。 I originally read it way back in 2018 for my 6th grade English class。 I absolutely loved this book。 Since then， I've reread this book approximately six times。 Once， I even read it in a day。 I've never read any other books written by Stead， but I have always wanted to。 This book is a literary masterpiece。 It's placed on my "Top Picks" shelf at home。 I highly recommend。 If you're a fan of slice of life and sci-fi， you will NOT be disappointed by this novel。 I have read this book SO MANY TIMES。 I originally read it way back in 2018 for my 6th grade English class。 I absolutely loved this book。 Since then， I've reread this book approximately six times。 Once， I even read it in a day。 I've never read any other books written by Stead， but I have always wanted to。 This book is a literary masterpiece。 It's placed on my "Top Picks" shelf at home。 I highly recommend。 If you're a fan of slice of life and sci-fi， you will NOT be disappointed by this novel。 。。。more
The Reading Evenstar
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4。5/5 stars
Silvia
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Pleasant and quick for an airport layover。
Sara Temba
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I had never heard of this book before but it was on one of those shelves at the library where the librarians feature their favorite children's books。 My 9 year old and I were like 🤯🤯🤯 at the ending。 Amazing twist！ I had never heard of this book before but it was on one of those shelves at the library where the librarians feature their favorite children's books。 My 9 year old and I were like 🤯🤯🤯 at the ending。 Amazing twist！ 。。。more
Emma
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WOWOWOW！ This was NOT at all what I had anticipated。 The plot twist was CRAZY！ A wonderful story to enjoy， if you’re able to puzzle through the beginning。
Marta
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Wow。 Po prostu wow。 na początku myślałam że książka nie ma fabuły ale kiedy przeczyta się ją do końca widać że wszystko jest po coś。 Świetna książka。 Polecam
esther
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I read it twice and I'm still confused I read it twice and I'm still confused 。。。more
Kylie
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Class read。 They did not seem to be paying attention until the climax， then every last one of them had a theory。 Clearly， they were listening the whole time。 Definite recommendation！
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=When You Reach Me
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=When You Reach Me&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,When You Reach Me&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0