When You Reach Me

Book Club Pick!  #2

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Published by Wendy Lamb Books Copyright 2009
  

Ms. Beckman's Book Club: Some books are better taught in small groups due to student interest or specific goals for certain class groups. This book is a book club pick because it will not interest everyone, but can make all the difference in a group that is interested!  This book would be a great suggestion for a group of students who love mysteries and like reading. Students involved in book club will be doing similar assignments for different books.

 

Mystery, Time travel, Coming of age, Rich in symbolism, Strong female protagonist   

Awards: 

• Andre Norton Award 2009
• Listed as one of The New York Times Notable Book 2009
• Listed as one of  Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Books 2009
• Publisher's Weekly Best Book of the Year 2009
• School Library Journal Best Book of the Year 2009
• Booklist Editor's Choice 2009
• Horn Book Fanfare 2009
• Newbury Medal 2010
• Listed as one of  the ALA Notable Children's Book 2010
• Massachusetts Children's Book Award 2012

 

Summary:  

It is 1978, and twelve year old Miranda is struggling to keep up with all of the mysterious things happening in her life. First her best friend Sal gets punched in the gut by a guy named Marcus for no reason. Then the extra key to her aparmtne goes missing, and (just) one of her mom's boyfriend's shoes goes missing. Soon Sal is not hanging out with Miranda anymore, and mysterious letters start appearing, with the writer claiming to be "coming to save your friend's life and my own." Not to mention the crazy laughing man that Miranda has to walk by on the street everyday and her task of helping her mom practice for the $20,000 Dollar Pyramid show (starring Dick Clark)! As the year passes, Miranda gets more and more letters, and eventually finds out who- and what the letter writer is talking about once and for all. 

    

Reading Level: Lexile Framework 750L, Grade 4.6 

Suggested Delivery: small group read, group instruction

Description: Mystery, science and historical fiction   

Key Vocabulary (by page number):  scoured (9), Miranda Warnings (9), tenant (14), postscript (68), "put it on my charge" (133), awning (139)

Teaching Suggestions: As a book club book, students should have a list of things to do as they read so that they can present the book to the class.

A Wrinkle in Time

1. Each image on the cover represents an important scene in the novel. For example, the notes are depicted in the places they are found, the laughing man's shadow, the sandwich shop. Have students create a timeline of the story's events using the images on the cover of the novel in chronological order. 
2. An underlying theme of the novel has to do with socioeconomic status. Provide students with comprehension questions as they read so that they connect with the theme. For example, ask students why the fourth grader hid his sticker from the dentist before going back into his classroom (Answer: because he didn't want other students to know that he goes to the free school dentist.).
3.   Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time was one of the author's favorite books growing up, and is also a favorite of main character Miranda. Make this book available for students to read on their own. Encourage students to compare and contrast the stories.

Comprehension Strategies

Pre-Reading- Before students begin reading the novel, pose the question "Why do you think the author chose the Einstein quote at the beginning of the novel?" and use a form of a KWL chart to record. Have students record their predictions on a large piece of paper in the typical K section. As they read, students will add examples of why the think the author chose the quote in the typical W section. After reading, students will synthesize their examples into one explanation in the L section.

RIP Dick Clark!

During Reading- Throughout the novel, Miranda's mom is practicing to win The $25,000 Pyramid. Create a version of $25,000 Dollar Pyramid that students can play that requires students to describe/guess characters in the book. For example, if a student said "sleeps under a mailbox, time traveler" then another student would guess "The laughing man".

Post-Reading- Hold a book discussion with students about Marcus. Ask why students think he chose to go back in time to save Sal even though he knew that he would die if he did. Let students take sides by asking if they would choose to save Sal or not. Would they want to travel through time at all?

Writing Activity: Miranda doesn't share with readers the letter that she writes to Marcus (SPOILER - to tell him that he will one day be the laughing man). Have students write the letter themselves. This is a great way to assess how well students understand the story as they will have to recount major events as well as who the letter-writer is, and what happened with the laughing man/Marcus. It also provides a sense of closure for readers.

Electronic Resources:

The $25,000 Dollar Pyramid

Students may not understand how to play The $25,000 Dollar Pyramid without watching the show in action (I know I didn't!). Here is a link to a YouTube video of  a contestant and celebrity (Nathan Cook) who worked together to win the $25,000 dollars that students can watch.

Is Time Travel Possible?

One of my favorite memories of reading one of the A Wrinkle in Time books, A Wind in the Door was looking up the scientific terms that L'Engle used in her book with friends and discovering that they were real! New Zealand website Science Kids provides a video of well known physicist Michio Kaku explaining that time travel is real- and happens every time astronauts go into space! Kaku uses the movie Back to the Future to describe the science, but the video makes sense without seeing the movie.

Stead, R. (2009). When you reach me. New York: Wendy Lamb Books.