When You Reach Me

Engaging, Remarkable, Puzzling, Mysterious, Intriguing
When You Reach Me By Rebecca Stead

Published by Wendy Lamb Books, an imprint of Random House Children's Books

Copyright 2009

Newbery Medal Winner 2010

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead is about a sixth grader named Miranda. After her best friend Sal gets punched by a kid on the street for apparently no reason at all, he stops talking to Miranda all together. He completely ignores her and she has no idea why. Soon after, Miranda’s hidden spare apartment key is stolen and a mysterious note arrives. Part of this unsigned note reads: “I am coming to save your friend’s life, and my own. I ask two favors. First, you must write me a letter.” (Page 60) Several notes follow this one and Miranda realizes that the person writing these notes knows things about her life that no one should know. Miranda starts to believe that only she can prevent a tragic death. As the story progresses, Miranda comes closer to figuring out who is writing these notes, what she is supposed to write in the letter to him, and who needs saving. Toward the end of the novel, an argument about time travel that Miranda had with Marcus, the boy who punched Sal, comes back to her and she discovers that time travel is indeed possible.

Suggested Delivery: Independent Read
Grade Level (Lexile): 750L, Ages 9-12

Key Vocabulary: omen, “Latchkey” kid, linoleum, proposal (i.e. written), velour, tesser, hypnotizing, microscopic, origami, judgmental, truce

Teaching Suggestions:

• Before Reading:Ask students to study the cover of the book. There are items including a man's shoe, a key, a mailbox with the shadow of a man, a book, bread, money, etc. Ask students what they think the importance of these items will be. Explain that the city depicted on the cover is New York City. What is the significance of the title? Do you think someone will be traveling? Where/How might they be traveling?
• During Reading: On pages 49-52 Marcus and Miranda talk about the book A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle and the possibility of time travel. Discuss with students their ideas about time travel. Does what Marcus says about the women; " ... they would have seen themselves get back - before they left" make sense? How would you have described time travel differently so that Miranda might have a better understanding?
• After Reading: Ask students to think about how the author portrays the setting of the novel. Are there differences in the way Miranda lived in 1979 and the way you live now? For example, Miranda gets to leave school for lunch and she walks around the city alone or with friends her age. Would that happen today? Students will write about how they think the author portrays New York City in 1979 and about the differences between Miranda's "normal" day and their "normal" day.

Writing Activity: Introduce the topic of Racism. Discuss with students the meaning of the word and how someone who is a racist might make other people feel. Ask students to write about their opinion of Jimmy. Did their opinion of Jimmy change from the beginning of the novel to the end? Also, students will think about how the way Jimmy acted toward Julia and the way Julia may have felt. Students should think about how they would react if Jimmy had insulted someone they know or even someone they don't know, and include their thoughts in this writing response.

Electronic Resources:

• Rebecca Stead: This site is a youtube.com video in which author Rebecca Stead talks about her book When You Reach Me. She also discusses her motivation behind some of aspects of the story, such as the New York City setting. Stead describes her writing style as well as key elements of her life that contributed to the way the story was written.
• Online Quiz: This site provides students with an online quiz to check their comprehension of the novel. The questions are simple recall questions about significant events in the novel.

Stead, R. (2009). When you reach me. New York: Random House.