Friday, February 17, 2012

A Message from the Future

Miranda, 12, is used to the perils and quirks of New York City. There's the gang that hangs out on the corner, the crazy homeless man who sleeps under the mailbox and kicks his foot at passing cars, the mean bakery owner who hates kids... Then one day everything changes. Miranda's best friend, Sal, gets punched for apparently no reason. And all of a sudden, Sal stops wanting to be Miranda's friend (also for no apparent reason). As Miranda deals with the pain of losing a friend, she begins to receive mysterious and cryptic letters. The first reads "I am coming to save your friend's life and my own." It eventually becomes apparent the letters are being sent by a visitor from the future. But who is sending the letters? And what could they mean? Miranda could never have predicted what happens next...

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead is a winner of the John Newberry medal and is one of OPL's 6th Grade Battle of the Books selections for 2012. This intriguing story is at the same time mystery, science fiction, and coming-of-age. After reading this one, if you haven't already, you may also want to check out Madeleine L'Engle's Wrinkle In Time, which features prominently in Stead's novel. --AJL

No comments:

Post a Comment