When You Reach Me (by Rebecca Stead)
common sense media says
Perfectly voiced, mysterious sci-fi coming-of-age tale.
parents & educators say
- 67% say there are positive messages
- 33% say there are positive role models
What parents need to know
Parents need to know this time-traveler novel features the death of a man who is hit by a truck in front of the main character. It also addresses a girl's fear of a homeless man near her New York City apartment and touches on racism. The main character's friend is punched in the stomach by another boy for no apparent reason. Readers will get more out of the book if they've also read A Wrinkle in Time, which is referenced frequently as Miranda's favorite book.
Positive role models:
Miranda is mostly a positive role model, even though she isn't perfect. As a latchkey kid who is home alone after school, she's responsible for taking care of herself. She befriends an unpopular girl and is best friends with a boy, without any dating connotations. On the negative side, she's sometimes snotty to her mother. One day she goes to her friend's house without telling her mom, making her mother cry from worry. She also watches a fair amount of television.
Violence:
Miranda is fearful of walking home alone past a group of boys who call out to her and past the homeless man who sleeps under the mailboxes. A boy slams another boy against a car and hits him. Every time the boy tries to get up, the other kid pushes him down and hits him again. A boy punches Sal in the stomach, then hits him across the face; Sal's nose bleeds. Sal is almost hit by a truck; instead, the laughing man is killed. After the accident, Belle leads Miranda past "a heap of something awful in the street."
Sex:
Miranda and Colin kiss several times. Miranda's single mother has a boyfriend but he does not have a key to their apartment.
Language:
Very mild language, such as "idiot", "shut up," and "that's bull." Miranda says something is a "whole different bucket of poop," as her Mom likes to say, "except she doesn't use the word 'poop.' "
Consumerism:
A few products or companies are mentioned by name, including McDonald's and Blow Pops. A now-defunct game show, The $20,000 Pyramid, plays a key role in the plot.
More on When You Reach Me
Review It
Based on 3 parent & educator reviews:
- 67% say there are positive messages
- 33% say there are positive role models
Most useful reviews by all members
izzy358
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
awesome book!
This might be mt favorite book...ever. The plotline is very devious and the characters are extremely well thought out. I think that the time-travel part might get a little confusing for young kids, and this might make the book less enjoyable. But for kids 10 and up, I totally recommend this book.
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Nanuk
kid, 12 years old
kid, 12 years old
Amazing Piece of Literature
It definitely says something about how life is like in that time period and in that location. It makes it clear that racism is bad. This is my favorite book of all time. It has my two favorite things woven together, sci-fi and mystery. At times it is confusing, funny, complicated, and sometimes just downright weird. But the great thing about this book is the last couple of chapters sum everything up, all the stuff makes sense.
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readthosebooks
kid, 12 years old
kid, 12 years old
Great for ages 10 and up!
It is okay....
It is a bit hard to understand but you get there eventually.
Very Interesting, sci fcish/time travel novel.
Has a bit of violence.
A good book to read over a long period of time. e.g holiday,a long car trip.
recommended for ages 10+ and anyone who likes a very entested detailed story.
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olympian2000
kid, 11 years old
kid, 11 years old
good for 10 and up
I LOVED THS BOOK!
-It gets your brain thinking.
-Miranda is a good role model when she helps people and feels sympathy.
-It shows that you should always give people a second chance when making friends.
Its a great book!
... i heard that it is better then harry potter. SO not true. just saying. but When You Reach Me is still a great book, dont get me wrong!
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robinpeggy
parent of 12 year old
parent of 12 year old
Evocative, stunning writing -- should be a classic
My daughter loved this book so much I read it too. Wonderfully written, suspenseful, mysterious. A terrific heroine who lives in a slightly dangerous urban neighborhood. Her mother particularly came alive for me.
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horseluv
kid, 12 years old
kid, 12 years old
heart warming book for the whole family
such an amizing book!!! i is a little confusing in the begining but the way it is writen it just pulls you in. i would recamend for parints to read this book aloud to your kids, as then its easer to understand for some reason. for ages 8 to 100 this is truly a heart warming book for the whole family
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Athena Keene
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
LOVED IT (been re-reading it for several years now)
HI again! I loveed this book. I read it in 5th grade and re-read it all the time. It had great messeages and heartfelt down to earth charecters that you cant help but fall in love with!
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vivianxiao
teen, 15 years old
teen, 15 years old
Awesome book, it'll make you want to reread it over and over again =)
Awesome book! Definitely read it! I stayed up late and finished it in one night, couldn't even put it down...
Although, I suggest you read A Wrinkle in Time first, it's also a great book, and it'll help you understand certain parts better (also helps you understand more about time travel)
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Musicgirl209
kid, 12 years old
kid, 12 years old
Mind blowing book.
I love this book! It's very complicated and deals a lot with time travle, and might just make your brain explode (this happened to me), so 10 and up can figure it out better, probably. It also has a wonderful, suprising ending.
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becca1206
teen, 15 years old
teen, 15 years old
amazing, but scary
i just finished reading this book and it is amazing in every area. it is a bit frightening at some parts, and it gives a graphic description of a man getting hit by a car. parents would want to talk to their child about some parts, but other than that, it was a really good book!
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dragonsrule
kid, 12 years old
kid, 12 years old
GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I really like this book. I got creeped out though, for in one chapter the main character starts out by saying you, but she means it as if it is a note written to someone in particular, not YOU or ME (the reader). Also in one of the chapters (The Last Note) we get a step by step description of what happened one day, including a man getting run over by a car. I think this is a good book for kids age 10+, but parents might want to talk to their kids about a couple of things (e.g. the man getting run over).
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nicolipie9
kid, 12 years old
kid, 12 years old
i loved this book it was my 2 favorite book, my first favorite book is the take of despereaux. This book was really interasting and very very good! The chapters are very short, but very long. I loved this book and sometimes it is hard for me to find a book that I lilke I give this out of 5 star a 6 star book loved it! I am11 years old and this book was really good. Some parts are confusing for me at least hehe. I very much recomend this book! I hope you read the book and i hope you enjoy it!
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willow2207
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
Awesome Book
I think this book is a perfect blend of mystery and fiction. I think Miranda is a good role model. She invites Annemarie for lunch, helps Julia when she needs to use the restroom but is too afraid to ask anyone, and becomes friends with Julia when she realized that Julia really cared for Annemarie. I think the book has a little bit of violence, but not too much. The book also tells you not to judge people for their skin color.
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great books
kid, 10 years old
kid, 10 years old
A book to recomend
I think that this is a great book for kids from my perspective, I recomend this book for 9-12 year olds.
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cheetahmorgan
kid, 11 years old
kid, 11 years old
only for 12 and older
great book
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oag721
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
Amazing
This book provides discussion that some younger readers may not comprehend about complex time travel contrary to what is known as "time travel". Readers who have read A Wrinkle in Time or seen reruns of the $20,000 Pyramid will find this familiar, funny, and heartwarming. The main character does develop a romantic intrest, but it is in a realistic, feeling-not-looks way. They do share a kiss or two, but there is no description other than "He kissed me. Then I kissed him back." The violence is not descriptive. Overall, this is a book to be read and reread over and over.
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mockingbird72
parent of and 4 , 9 , 11 year old
parent of and 4 , 9 , 11 year old
Good intro to more mature topics for tweens
Great book. Gives realistic snapshot of life in NYC. Emphasis on being aware of your surroundings in the city. Some bullying a few quick kisses, brief episode of racism--bring my age rating up. Also, the sci-fi parts can be difficult to understand (more so than in A Wrinkle in Time).
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Beachgurl
kid, 11 years old
kid, 11 years old
I am reading this book right now and its really good. I just got finished reading a fluff book. So i really like this book cause it makes you think a lot.
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Jupiter9
kid, 11 years old
kid, 11 years old
GREAT>>>AMAZING>>>AWESOME>>>FANTASTIC>>>WONDERFUL
I LOVE this book! Every person 9+ should read it. WAY better than Harry Potter. You don't even notice it's in the 70's.
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