When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Reviewed by Jennifer

Ratings

Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content

Guide to Rating System

LANGUAGE

VIOLENCE

SEXUAL CONTENT

ADULT THEMES

2010 Newbery Medal Winner

Ratings Explanation

Language: Around 10 instances of profanity. “Hell” used a hand full of times.

Violence: Sal is punched in the stomach and nose. A man is hit and killed by a truck.

Sexual Content: An innocent kiss.

Synopsis

Sal and Miranda, Miranda and Sal. That’s how it always was, until one day it wasn’t anymore. Best friends since early childhood, Sal and Miranda are inseparable, but one day Sal gets punched by another boy on the way home from school and walks out of Miranda’s life with no explanation. Then she starts receiving mysterious notes that seem to predict the future. The first note tells her that someone is coming to save her friend’s life,  but which one of her friends is in danger? How do all of the dots connect? Filled with emotion, this realistic representation of a 6th grader’s life in 1979 New York City will touch the heart of all kinds of readers.

I heard Nancy Pearl review this book on NPR one morning, voicing her opinion that it should win the Newbery Medal. With such an enthusiastic endorsement, I checked it out from the library and my 12-year-old promptly commandeered it, reading it in a few hours. It took me longer, of course, as I have much less discretionary reading time than she, but it was worth every minute. I thoroughly enjoyed this exceptional book.