Skip to main content

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Publication Date: August 8th 2011
Genre: Middle-Grade, Science Fiction
My Goodreads Rating: 3/5
Source: Own Copy

Miranda is a pre-teen living in New York City with her eccentric mum. Her best friend lives only a few apartments away from her, and her mom is auditioning for a reality TV show. Her life begins to unravel, when Sal (her best friend) gets hit by a street-side bully for no reason.

Then her mom's spare key is stolen, and a rather mysterious note arrives. The note claims that the writer is coming to save the life of one of Miranda's friends. It asks Miranda to write a letter to the anonymous sender of the notes.

The notes keep coming, and Miranda realises that the writer seems to be able to predict-accurately predict-the future. Each message leads her to believe that she can prevent a disaster. The last note however, makes her think she's too late to avert a tragic death.



My favourite character in this novel is definitely Miranda's mom. It seems that she switches roles with her daughter often, choosing childish and colourful fashion, setting her financial hopes on a reality TV Show and eating a child's choice of meals. Her eccentric personality is one I haven't come across a lot in fictional adults- which really helped me engage with the other characters.

 I know that I've categorized this book as a Science-Fiction and that make some of you averse to the idea of picking up this book. Trust me when I say, this is a science fiction in the least of senses. It incorporates a tiny element of  science fiction, which I do not want to ruin for you, but otherwise focuses mostly on Miranda and the unravelling of her life.

The young students in this book get their first job, attempt to differentiate between social classes, stand up for themselves and create a better world for themselves. They get off to a rocky start, but the story that this creates is exceptional.

In most respects this is a middle-grade novel that deals with the loss of a friend, the rekindling of the friendship, the creation of new friendships and the understanding of how friendships work. I used the words "friend" and "friendship" various times in that sentence, I know- but "When You Reach Me" is really a book that aside from all the flourishes (required flourishes) is a book that relates to anyone who's had ruined friendship.


Labels:

Comments

  1. AmyJune 1, 2017 at 12:23 AM

    Great review :) I read this book a while ago, but I remember loving it. It was also very tragic, if I remember correctly?

    Hope you're having a great week!

    Amy @ A Magical World Of Words

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Vedika @ Poems and PoetsJune 6, 2017 at 1:59 PM

      I wouldn't say it was tragic-but there were certainly some very melancholy parts!

      Delete
  2. Kathryn TJune 3, 2017 at 1:00 AM

    Sounds like a really good middle grade book, and who among us has not had a ruined friendship, so tapping into a common issue.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Vedika @ Poems and PoetsJune 6, 2017 at 1:59 PM

      Exactly- books that tap into common issues often find the best audiences possible- those that care!

      Delete
  3. Sue JacksonJune 5, 2017 at 2:47 AM

    I'm so glad you liked this one! I really enjoyed it...but then again, A Wrinkle in Time was my favorite book as a child, and - as you know - this novel relies heavily on that one.

    Great review!

    Sue

    2017 Big Book Summer Challenge

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Vedika @ Poems and PoetsJune 6, 2017 at 1:58 PM

      I never read a Wrinkle In Time- but I have friends who rave about it!

      Delete

Post a Comment

Hey guys! Thanks for stopping by! I'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions, so be sure to leave a comment!

Popular posts from this blog

The Hero, by Rabindranath Tagore

 The narrative poem" The Hero" was written by Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore. Set in a young boy's imaginations this narrative has all the necessary elements and is rich in imagery. The characters, plot, setting, theme, climax and idea are all very clearly outlined.  The setting of the poem falls within the boy's imagination. It is described to have 'spiky grass' and a 'narrow broken path'. It is also mentioned that the country is 'strange and dangerous'. The rurality of the setting is further accentuated when Tagore talks of the 'cattle' and 'wide fields'.
14 comments
Read more

I cannot remember my mother by Rabindranath Tagore

 The poem has been titled " I cannot remember my mother". It attracted me for some reason, for I thought that surely, a poem couldn't be completely empty. There had to be some form of nostalgia, or memory in a poem about no remembrance.  I realized after reading it, that I was right. In fact, the poem's title can be considered an oxymoron. However, the extent to which this poem is nostalgic, the amount of tiny details in this poem, wow. But I don't suppose Tagore was a Literature Nobel Laureate for nothing. This poem has sensitized its audience to the poet's colossal loss, though the poet ,it seems,has made no effort to do so. There is nothing superfluous about his writing, and the poem seems like a true expression of his love for his mother. It talks about how his mother managed to leave her presence on everything before she passed away, and how those little memories of his,form an incomplete memory of his mother.
Post a Comment
Read more

One by Shawnee Kellie

  The poem "One" by Shawnee Kellie is a very interesting and thought-provoking piece of writing. The poem spreads the message that it is not only a large group of people that can make a change, but one idea, one thought, one human that can help make the world a better place. 
Post a Comment
Read more