Well, I did start with the Stead book. I’ll begin by saying that it takes place in 1978/79 and the protagonist is a twelve-year-old girl. I was twelve in 1979. I didn’t grow up in New York, but Philadelphia is close enough. The cultural references, the racial tensions, etc. were all familiar to me, as was the wistfulness and wanting to fit in. In fact, I have some unfinished fiction along those lines myself.
The book did not hook me until almost halfway through it. I was afraid it never would. I know it was on many “Best of…” lists for 2009, but I purposely did not read other reviews or learn anything about the author. I felt that it was the kind of book adults like more than the kids it’s intended for, and I’ll be curious to see what my son thinks of it.
The writing is simple, which I liked. It needed to be, because the young girl, Miranda, is narrating. Her life is also plausibly simple and the other characters are believable. Miranda’s mother is hoping to be on the $20,000 Pyramid game show, and the short chapters have titles like categories you’d see on that show; for example, “Things That Crack.” The dust jacket claims that the story is “a brilliant and profound delight.” I can’t decide if that’s true. The twists did wind up neatly, the story concludes satisfyingly -there’s some mystery involved- but brilliant?
The author, Rebecca Stead pays homage to Madeleine L’Engle’s book A Wrinkle in Time both by having Miranda continually carry it around, read it, and talk about its plot with others, and invoking one of its main themes. I remember enjoying A Wrinkle in Time a lot as a kid, though my husband read it to our kids a few years ago and didn’t like it. That made me reluctant to re-read it (I hate to read something again, years later, and find I can’t stand it!), but I think I will now.
In the end, I enjoyed When You Reach Me. It was sweet and innocent and, at the same time, thoughtful. It was evocative and I suspect it would be for many adults my age. That may be why it’s so well-received. What do kids think of it? I loved that it took place in the 70′s. Miranda doesn’t have a cell phone or a computer or an Ipod. She does have a fair amount of freedom, and is a reflective, likeable kid. She figures out the story’s puzzle. The solution had a small wow factor. Which, in our world of increasingly big wows, I really liked.
I think I’ll read the Wendy Mass book next, then A Wrinkle in Time.
