When You Reach Me

It's probably best to start When You Reach Me knowing as little as you can. I realize voicing this opinion in a review makes little to no sense, but my point is that having a vague understanding of the premise will only enhance the reading experience of a story like this.

This was done better than so many adult works on the same topic. It had a surreal, unsettling tone. It had understated foreshadowing and interesting secondary characters. It's well-done historical fiction, science fiction, and mystery. All at once. And it's middle grade.

I also liked that some aspects of the mystery—e.g, Why did Sal stop talking to Miranda?—just came down to lack of communication. Sometimes we build things up and remember them in a certain way that we assume is the only possible explanation. But when we finally have a conversation, we realize memory is fallible, and motivations that seem obvious to us are not necessarily apparent to anyone else.

Lastly, I liked how Stead broached race and class. Despite our best efforts, children are faced with the realities of injustice at an early age. This is what makes someone like Miranda's mom so compelling. She views the world with a mixture of wariness and compassion. She shows Miranda the humanity of people presumed beyond (or undeserving of) help.

I love stories by middle grade authors who clearly think highly of their audience.