About When You Reach Me:

When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead, (Ages 10-12. Grades 5-7)

Overview:  Mystery meets Sci-Fi in a novel that reminds some of A Wrinkle In Time. This is a great thought-provoking mystery with a mind blowing twist.

Sixth-grader Miranda is trying to help her mother prep as a contestant on a TV game show.  However, shortly after a fall-out with her best friend, Miranda starts receiving mysterious notes, and she doesn’t know what to do. The notes tell her that she must write a letter—a true story, and that she can’t share her mission with anyone.

It would be easy to ignore the strange messages, except that whoever is leaving them has an uncanny ability to predict the future. If that is the case, then Miranda has a big problem—because the notes tell her that someone is going to die, and she might be too late to stop it.

Included:

·       40-Question Study Questions

·       20-question multiple-choice end-of-novel quiz or test with key

Age Level and Length: Reading level and interest for grades 6-8, grade 5 for good readers.   Novel will take 3-4 hours total for the average seventh grader to read.  Test takes 25 minutes or less. 

Maturity or Political Issues: There is a bit of supernatural here, as Miranda is getting letters that seem to be from the future. No violence, sex or political issues.

Additional Considerations: This book has an unusual and refreshing plot. The book is set in New York City in the late 1970’s, and Miranda’s mother has been chosen as a contestant to be on the game show the $20,000 Pyramid.  Some adults may fondly remember that era.