When You Reach Me

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead a review From School Library Journal:
Miranda lives in 1978 New York City with her mother, and her life compass is Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time. When she receives a series of enigmatic notes that claim to want to save her life, she comes to believe that they are from someone who knows the future. Miranda spends considerable time observing a raving vagrant who her mother calls the laughing man and trying to find the connection between the notes and her everyday life. Discerning readers will realize the ties between Miranda's mystery and L'Engle's plot, but will enjoy hints of fantasy and descriptions of middle school dynamics. Stead's novel is as much about character as story. Miranda's voice rings true with its faltering attempts at maturity and observation. The story builds slowly, emerging naturally from a sturdy premise. As Miranda reminisces, the time sequencing is somewhat challenging, but in an intriguing way. The setting is consistently strong. The stores and even the streets–in Miranda's neighborhood act as physical entities and impact the plot in tangible ways. This unusual, thought-provoking mystery will appeal to several types of readers.–Caitlin Augusta, The Darien Library, CT

I did not like this book at all. First, I did not attach to the characters. Miranda just seemed confused for most of the book and never really found herself, though she did solve the mystery. Marcus was a mystery the entire book then all of a sudden he is a time traveler, yet it never really says how. The story was too far fetched for me also and honestly a bit hum-drum and boring. It was also confusing with all of the references to A Wrinkle In Time, when I have never read that book. On a side note, I also listened to the audio book version and the reader's voice was NOT one I would have chosen for the book. She was very robotic with a monotone affect and she had a hoarse voice. It made this already dull book, even harder to get through. I don't understand how it became a Caldecott Award Winner. I really don't think that kids would connect with this story. I would put it in the library, but I may not recommend it often.