Book Review: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
When You Reach Me
So yes, this book just won the Newbery Award. I finished it last night and decidedly ended a bit confused. Mind you, I read it in two parts, taking a break somewhere in the middle to tend to other kid/teen books on my shelf. However, I’m usually able to jump back into a read and finish with a flourish.
In a nutshell, the book is very well-written and the main character is more real-to-life than most 6th graders I meet in children’s novels. Stead wrapped up each and every story line and character without sentimentality or neatness. Realistic chance and true-to-life relationships ring just right. Do I think it’s Newbery-worthy? Yes. But there’s one thing I wonder…
Would I understand it better if I re-read Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time? There’s a little element of time-travel that Stead weaves expertly into the storyline but it’s intricately entwined using the plot of L’Engle’s novel. And if I’m asking this question, will kids feel the same way?
I must say, its length at just about 200 pages will attract many a reluctant reader and Stead’s use of humor and inclusion of depth in dialogue, setting, circumstance, narration, and plot will most definitely draw readers in to this gem.
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