About the Author

Authors Bio, not available

Reviews

‘From beginning to end, When You Reach Me is a delight.’
*Sydney Morning Herald*

'With its notions of time and time travel, its multilayered plot and empathetic characterisation make it ideal for classroom reading.’
*Canberra Times*

‘Stead compellingly incorporates time travel and mystery into everyday children’s issues of school, friendship and family.’
*Sunday Telegraph*

‘It is the true gift of the story-teller to take such age old themes and issues and shine a light on them in such a way that it appears brand new.'
*Magpies*

Gr 5-8-Sixth-grader Miranda lives in 1978 New York City with her mother, and her life compass is Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time. When she receives a series of enigmatic notes that claim to want to save her life, she comes to believe that they are from someone who knows the future. Miranda spends considerable time observing a raving vagrant who her mother calls "the laughing man" and trying to find the connection between the notes and her everyday life. Discerning readers will realize the ties between Miranda's mystery and L'Engle's plot, but will enjoy hints of fantasy and descriptions of middle school dynamics. Stead's novel is as much about character as story. Miranda's voice rings true with its faltering attempts at maturity and observation. The story builds slowly, emerging naturally from a sturdy premise. As Miranda reminisces, the time sequencing is somewhat challenging, but in an intriguing way. The setting is consistently strong. The stores and even the streets-in Miranda's neighborhood act as physical entities and impact the plot in tangible ways. This unusual, thought-provoking mystery will appeal to several types of readers.-Caitlin Augusta, The Darien Library, CT Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.