I just finished reading When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead. It won the Newbery award this year, so I figured it would be worth reading.
I found the book rather disappointing. In the last few pages, all of the bizarre and confusing things that happened through the book are all explained, and everything falls in place but the fact is that until that moment, the book is hard work to get through. I think it's unlikely that my kids, anyway, would persist through to that Ahah! moment, and so would dismiss the book with their usual designation of "boring."
Added to that, the book relies heavily on the reader being familiar with "A Wrinkle in Time", a book which (yes, I know, it's heresy) I can't stand. So, if you're familiar with Wrinkle, and if you liked it, perhaps this will resonate with you. But it really didn't work much for me.
Why don't you like "Wrinkle"?
Mostly because it goes on and on and on and I can never figure out quite why anybody is doing what they're doing. What is IT's motivation? And although I was able to endure through Wrinkle, the books after that were beyond my ability to endure. Chapters and chapters and chapters where they're hanging out in someone's mitochondria and not doing anything particular other than having inscrutable angst-ridden conversations. I simply couldn't get through it.
Wow, I actually really enjoyed "When you reach me", it struck me as a book I would have really enjoyed as a kid.
While you do have to have some familiarity with A Wrinkle in Time I don't think it's a huge requirement. I mean I probably read that book 20 years ago and I remembered enough to get most of the references. As for the "there's all this strange stuff going on, and it doesn't get explained till the end" bit, it seems like that's kind of the point of the book, how the main character reacts to the strange things going on around her while going about her everyday life, slowly coming to her realization of what's actually going on.
Anyway, I enjoyed it. I'll let you know in 11 or 12 years if my daughter does ;-)
Garrett, I'm with you. I think you don't really need any familiarity with A Wrinkle in Time, except perhaps that it involves time travel, which Stead makes us aware of pretty quickly anyway. I remember nothing from A Wrinkle in Time and I didn't feel hindered in my understanding at all. Also, I like the fact that it is puzzling up until the end; it's the unanswered questions that drive the story forward and make you (or at least me) want to keep reading.
I also loved Stead's focus on the theme of friendship. Specifically, the novel addresses the question of how to hold on to old friendships without stifling them, and it insightfully brings out the stabilizing effect that new friendships can have in the effort to preserve or reclaim old ones. I'm holding back here in order not to spoil the plot, but suffice to say that the novel’s narrative reflections on friendship are extremely thoughtful and resonant. This theme of friendship will speak deeply to tweens navigating the frequently tumultuous social world of middle school.
Finally, the book is also just very clever. For example, Miranda’s mother wants to win on The $20,000 Pyramid. The final part of the game show is called the “Winner’s Circle”, in which a set of objects is described to the contestant and she is required to say what category the objects belong to. So, if the objects were “a tube of toothpaste, someone’s hand” the contestant would say “things you squeeze”. Stead cleverly titles most of the chapters in the book with categories like that, such as “Things You Keep in a Box,” “Things That Go Missing,” and “Things You Hide.” And sure enough, Stead puts objects in each chapter that fit into these titular categories. After a while, it became a fun extra game to find what the “things that smell” or “things that kick” were in the chapter I was reading!
i loved this book, i never got to a point of thinking about quitting. This is one of my top 5 book now. wonderful writing!
I thought this book skipped around to much. Form present to past. I do not recommend this book, you can never get though it.
My son has to read it, and I decided to read it to. Frankly, I wouln't know how to beggin telling the story of the book. This time travelling and confusing story is hard to follow and understand. We will see if he enjoys it. I trully stuck to it to see weather it would get better and it didn't.
I am a retired teacher. A WRINKLE IN TIME has been one of my favorite books since I taught it in middle school. My granddaughter has to read WHEN YOU REACH ME before school starts in August. I read it and thoroughly enjoyed it. So did my granddaughter. She and I are going to a local restaurant and discuss it over a piece of cheese cake! The book is rich with things to discuss, such as foreshadowing, mood, all the elements of literature. I highly recommend it!!
I had to read this book as a required summer assignment (it was this, or a sequel to a book I absolutely despised). So I didn't really have the option of quitting. In the beginning, it was extremely confusing, and I had to force myself to get through it, but as the book went on, I found myself wondering what was going to happen next. And by the time I arrived at the end, I gave this book my approval!
Honestly your messed up if you thought this book was boring. i love that book and every kid in the world should read it
Thanks, Cupcake, for your insightful commentary. I actually didn't say that it was boring. Perhaps you might want to read what I wrote.
I loved this book. I wasn't a fan of A Wrinkle In Time, but this book was still amazing. I don't know what was wrong with you while you were reading it but it was a great book and I think you should read it again. Maybe this time you'll realize how good it actually was.
Oh stop being so arrogant. It is perfectly reasonable for one person to enjoy a book and another person to not enjoy that book, without something being wrong with either person. Sheesh.
I don't know about you but i really did love this book, i do agree with you though about in the book it can get confusing when marcus starts talking about time travel. It just persuades me to read the part again and again until i have some idea of how he is thinking. Over all this book is a great pleasure to read and it isn't that hard to read just sometimes hard to follow. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested, it did win the Newbery. :)
wow! there is two stacey's, like i just noticed...(the comment above is me) :)
It Was Rather Disoppointing.
I was really happy with this book though I can see how others may disagree. Though I rather enjoyed not understanding anything for the majority of the book then seeing how it all connected others are just not into that kind of style of writing. I'm only 12 and I have read this book 14 times and I still can't get enough of it. I understood everything in it so that shows that kids can also keep up with it. I also never read a wrinkle in time and that didn't prevent me from understanding the book. All in all it's a great read
I had to read this book for a summer reading project. I do admit at first, I didnt like it at all but i got more into it and i could'nt put the book down! I loved it! I'm very happy i have to do a report on this and not some book i did not enjoy . :)
~Kayla :D
Lynette, A Wrinkle In Time is one of my all-time favorite books. I adore all of L'Engle's works, laiecpsley Many Waters and A Swiftly Tilting Planet. She took themes that could resonate with any adult and made them relatable for children, but in a way that didn't feel like she was talking down to her audience.There are so many books that stick out in my mind. Little Women, as you mention, is one, and Dune is another. A.S. Byatt's Possession is one that I read at least once a year, along with Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. All of the books I love share the quality of grabbing me on a visceral level, of telling stories that are compelling and moving beyond belief.