Book Review: When You Reach Me

When You Reach Me
by Rebecca Stead

OMG! I thought novel covers of the 60's and 70's were over. Is this not one of the boring est covers of the year? The back of the book does not provide any information either. Why did I read this book do you ask? Well, this book has been receiving some great reviews online. This book was in my TBR pile about a month ago, but I never go to it. However, after reading some additional reviews I put it on hold at the library again and forced myself to read it.

It was a fast read. It is under 200 pages. The main character is a girl named Miranda who lives in New York in the year 1979. She is twelve years old and she lives with her Mother who is training for her spot on the $20,000 Pyramid game show. Miranda receives some mysterious notes that she is trying to figure out what they all mean. Her favorite novel is A Wrinkle In Time(a classic that I loved growing up). Yes, this book does deal with time-travel and has many ties in or themes with the book and also to the time period.

This is a well written and captivating book.I like how Miranda receives several mysterious and incomprehensible notes. Don't read the rest of this sentence if you don't want any important plot lines given out, but it turns out that she is receiving messages from someone in the future who is traveling back in time to save a friend of hers. The reader does not piece this all together until the end.

I am glad I read this book. I did enjoy it. It was an ideal read for a weekend read where I wanted nothing to involved. It was not the best, but not the worst. It took some reading to get to the first mysterious note. It was a bit slow. Many of you know me by now to know that I want blood, weird creatures, depressing, or just bizarre reading. This book does not really fit my mold. However, I do encourage you to read. I think many middle school students will really enjoy this book. It is one that can read in an afternoon.

Now after two books that are not my typical reads, I am off to my bizarre world of weird reads.