When You Reach Me

In 1979 New York City, twelve-year-old Miranda finds mysterious notes predicting future events. The notes claim to be from someone trying to save her friend Sal's life. As her mother prepares to compete on a game show, Miranda is drawn into the mystery of the notes, which seem to defy time and space. The notes ask her to write a letter detailing events that have not yet occurred, leaving her both intrigued and frightened. Sal , Miranda's best friend, suddenly starts avoiding her after being punched by a boy named Marcus . This incident marks the beginning of Sal's withdrawal, leaving Miranda c

Theme 1: Mysterious Notes Appear

This thread running through When You Reach Me gives the story its emotional weight. Rebecca Stead weaves it into the narrative with skill, ensuring that the reader feels the stakes as deeply as the characters do.

Theme 2: Sal's Sudden Distance

This thread running through When You Reach Me gives the story its emotional weight. Rebecca Stead weaves it into the narrative with skill, ensuring that the reader feels the stakes as deeply as the characters do.

Theme 3: Time Travel Theories

This thread running through When You Reach Me gives the story its emotional weight. Rebecca Stead weaves it into the narrative with skill, ensuring that the reader feels the stakes as deeply as the characters do.

What Readers Say About When You Reach Me

When You Reach Me has resonated with readers for its emotional honesty and vivid storytelling. Many describe finishing it in a single sitting — drawn forward by Rebecca Stead's prose and an almost desperate need to know how it ends.

A Passage Worth Sitting With

"Mysterious Notes Appear" — Rebecca Stead, When You Reach Me

About the Author

Rebecca Stead is the author of When You Reach Me. Known for emotionally resonant storytelling, their work has found devoted readers across the globe.