When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Stead, Rebecca. When You Reach Me. New York: Wendy Lamb Books, 2009. Print.


When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead is a 2009 Newbery Medal Winner. It is about a girl named Miranda whose mother is preparing to be on $20,000 Pyramid. The novel is made up of chapters in which Miranda is speaking to someone whom the reader does not know yet. Miranda receives a series of notes and clues as to who is writing her these notes. These notes direct her to do certain things in order to save the life of a friend. It is a very well-written novel that interests the reader immediately and has a quite unexpected ending.

Resources:

 http://www.litlovers.com/guide_when_you_reach-me.html
This cite helps to expand on the novel by providing some helpful discussion questions that could lead readers to think more about the novel. There is also a brief summary and information about the author.

Vocabulary:
meditate, truce, anesthesia

During reading:
record any clues as to who is writing the notes and what friend the person is trying to save.

Writing Activity:
Have students write a reaction to the end of the novel about whether or not they are surprised by who was writing the notes and explain why.