When You Reach Me
Rebecca Stead, Text Publishing, $21
When You Reach Me (recent winner of the Newberry Medal) is a cross genre children’s book set in New York in the late seventies, and a fabulous homage to Madeline L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time. The story begins when Miranda receives a mysterious series of letters, containing details about her future that keep coming true. This book is a great detective story, but it’s also a fascinating snapshot of 1970’s New York. The mystery is as tightly plotted as Holes, and would be perfect as a class read-aloud.
