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quirksandcontradictions's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
jenmangler's review against another edition
5.0
When You Reach Me is a beautifully written book. As I was reading it there were so many times when I said, “I love how she wrote that!” For example, I love how Miranda, the main character, describes walking with her Mom: “But having Mom there made it different, like walking down the street with a blanket wrapped tight around me.” I also love how Miranda thinks about the sunlight: “...the sunlight seemed to touch everything like it was a hyper kid running all over a toy store - it bounced off the dirty metal lampposts, the shiny brass awning posts, even the sunglasses of a woman walking her dogs with a cup of coffee in one hand. Everything shined.” These are two of many examples that made me really appreciate the beauty of Rebecca Stead’s writing.
The characters in this book are fantastic, and as you read they each seem to have hidden layers that you didn’t notice upon first glance. Because you’re seeing this world through Miranda’s eyes, you get a more complex portrait of them just as she does.
I love that all the little details in Miranda’s life turn out to be important in her quest to “lift the veil” and see the bigger picture: Jimmy’s bank, Annemarie’s discarded lunches, the Laughing Man’s kicks, Richard’s shoe with the lift because one leg is shorter than the other, the hidden key…. The process of reading the book is like having your own veil lifted as you realize that little things matter, and that there are things all around us that we don’t notice unless we take the time and make the effort to notice them. And noticing those little things is important. For example, Miranda has an “aha” moment during the 4th grader’s violin concert when she sees the little things happening around her and realizes “Sometimes you never feel meaner than the moment you stop being mean.” She realizes that, even though she’d never been overtly mean to her classmate Alice, she’d also never tried to help her or be nice to her. And in that moment, Miranda changes. She sees how important it is to be kind and she starts to act on that. It’s my absolute favorite moment in the book, and I get choked up every time I read it.
I cannot recommend this book enough.
First read: January 1, 2010.
Reread: June 29, 2014.
Reread again: January 2017.
The characters in this book are fantastic, and as you read they each seem to have hidden layers that you didn’t notice upon first glance. Because you’re seeing this world through Miranda’s eyes, you get a more complex portrait of them just as she does.
I love that all the little details in Miranda’s life turn out to be important in her quest to “lift the veil” and see the bigger picture: Jimmy’s bank, Annemarie’s discarded lunches, the Laughing Man’s kicks, Richard’s shoe with the lift because one leg is shorter than the other, the hidden key…. The process of reading the book is like having your own veil lifted as you realize that little things matter, and that there are things all around us that we don’t notice unless we take the time and make the effort to notice them. And noticing those little things is important. For example, Miranda has an “aha” moment during the 4th grader’s violin concert when she sees the little things happening around her and realizes “Sometimes you never feel meaner than the moment you stop being mean.” She realizes that, even though she’d never been overtly mean to her classmate Alice, she’d also never tried to help her or be nice to her. And in that moment, Miranda changes. She sees how important it is to be kind and she starts to act on that. It’s my absolute favorite moment in the book, and I get choked up every time I read it.
I cannot recommend this book enough.
First read: January 1, 2010.
Reread: June 29, 2014.
Reread again: January 2017.
sereia8's review against another edition
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. How could I not love it: time travel, great characters, mystery, 70s setting (I wore clogs too.), and A Wrinkle in Time references!
whatwasmissing's review against another edition
5.0
I read this book when I was 9, and 23, and it was fantastic both times
aufferings's review against another edition
5.0
i reread this book every year and it never fails to make me laugh, cry, feel so many emotions... such a beautiful book. i will maybe add more to this review in the future but for now it is just so lovely
trin's review against another edition
5.0
Ooh. This book is so fabulously clever and smart. It brings together: 1970s New York, the game show The $20,000 Pyramid, the many complexities of interpersonal relationships, [b:A Wrinkle in Time|18131|A Wrinkle in Time (Time Series, #1)|Madeleine L'Engle|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1202853583s/18131.jpg|948387], and a fantastic mystery. I loved the characters, and was so impressed with how Stead (seemingly) effortlessly charts the ups and downs of their relationships: friendships forming and falling apart and coming together again. This is a kids’ book, but like I said it is a smart kids’ book, one in which Stead never writes down to her audience. And it’s funny. And suspenseful. And—oh, just read it. It’s brilliant.
outoftheblue14's review against another edition
3.0
Mi aspettavo di più, considerando tutto il bene che avevo sentito di questo libro. Comunque non è male.
prettypious's review against another edition
5.0
Rereading again because it was really good! Accidentally deleted my previous review but it said it was 6 years ago