I've been reading lots of books all summer: adult, young adult, and middle grade, both fiction and non-fiction. I finally grabbed "When You Reach Me" by Rebecca Stead from the shelf at The Blue Bunny, and put it at the top of my pile of bedside books. I had read so many reviews singing the praises of this intermediate level children's novel, I figured I'd better see what the fuss was about. And.... I really liked it! In fact, the more I think about it, the more I like it.
What I liked about it (without giving it away): it's interesting, thought-provoking, mind-boggling, sweet, funny, very entertaining, and just right in so many ways for middle-grade readers (I love this about it). It takes place in the seventies, and reminds me in some hard-to-grasp way of so many books I loved as a kid. The nuances of character Stead creates are just perfect, and the plot development is a wonder.
This book feels very real, yet surreal, and smart, and funny, and is full of many universal truths hidden in the fictional lives of these city kids in 1979. Check it out, and hang on for the ride!
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