Quick guide:

Easy to read.

First person perspective.

Enticing cast of characters.

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead starts out similar to any other book. A young adult novel, it follows a young girl named Miranda and the ins and outs of living in New York. Aside from the usual contemporary young adult book, there is an element of mystery within. Miranda starts receiving notes from a stranger, and doesn’t know how the notes are getting to her. This addition of mystery and adventure makes this novel stand out in its genre. An addition of fantasy and fun in the entirety of the story keeps readers interested and excited to continue reading.

The chapters are all titled uniquely, reminiscent of books like The House on Mango Street or Percy Jackson. The language is simple and easy to comprehend for older and younger readers who may pick this read. Although a few of the side characters seem to disappear after the plot progresses, the coverage of the main characters is diverse and lovely. The representation of different family situations also creates a supportive book for young readers. The main family situation described is a single parent household.

Toward the end, the main point of the book is finally discovered. The issue, though, lies in the beginning of the novel. There isn’t really anything happening within the first hundred pages. Some foreshadowing to more interesting pieces are present, but there’s not much substance there. The entire book is written like a letter to someone, and the main character Miranda addresses you, the reader, multiple times as if you are the recipient of the letter.

This is worth the read if you enjoy realistic fiction with slight elements of fantasy and adventure.

Most of the plot line is realistic and contains real life situations that an elementary schooler anywhere would experience. It is enjoyable for a short book to read in between a longer book series or for a quick car ride.

The author, Rebecca Stead has written a few other books, the most recent of those being Goodbye Stranger, another young adult novel with two seventh graders. It was published in August of 2015. I don’t think I will personally be continuing reading her work, despite how enjoyable this was. A few of Rebecca Stead’s other books include Liar & Spy and First Light.

The book can be purchased online here.

For my last book review, read A List of Cages.

This author can be reached on Twitter at: @julz_lozano19