Cover of When You Reach Me

When You Reach Me

by Rebecca Stead · Grades 4–8 · Middle Grade Mystery / Speculative

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead is assigned in US schools at grades 4–8, with a Lexile measure of 750L. It appears on 7 lists: 1 state standards document and 6 book-award lists, across 4 states. Every citation below links to the primary source.

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Before you buy: Ages 9–13 · Grades 4–8 · Lexile 750L · 199 pages. Content notes: off-page injury, mild peril (Common Sense Media: 10+). The button opens the paperback edition (ISBN 9780375850868). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.

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Among the most widely assigned — 7 curriculum lists · 4 states

Grade placement varies by school — the median assigned book spans 4 grade levels (83% span three or more, across 13,258 source-cited assignments).

On reading-award lists:Newbery MedalAndre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult FictionBoston Globe–Horn Book AwardGreat Lakes Great Books Award+2 more

This page shows where When You Reach Me is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.

Reading level at a glance

Lexile
750L
Grade range
Grades 4–8See the list:4th5th6th7th8th
Listed most for
6th grade (8 of 34 cited list rows)
Difficulty for grade
Within the grade 4–5 band (740–1010L)
Age range
Ages 9–13
Pages
199
Reading time
about 3h 40m (est.)
First published
2009
Genre
Middle Grade Mystery / Speculative
ISBN-13
9780375850868

Its Lexile (750L) is higher than 47% of the 79 books with a Lexile on our cited 6th grade lists.

Sources: Lexile from MetaMetrics as recorded in our catalog (method); grade range from the cited lists below, last checked 2026-06-20; percentile computed from those lists; pages and year from our catalog record (sources); reading time is an estimate at 250 words a minute.

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Reading difficulty: At 750L, When You Reach Me falls within the typical 740–1010L text-complexity range for 4th grade (Common Core Appendix A) — a grade-appropriate reading challenge.

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New to these terms? What is a Lexile level? · Reading levels by grade · What is the Newbery Medal?

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More like this

Same grade band, chosen by theme and by how many reading lists carry them. As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

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About this book

Book facts and sources (7)
Award won
On award reading lists

and 1 more in where it is taught

Named in curriculum frameworks
  • Common Core State Standards (ELA) (source: nysed.gov)
Catalog record
First published 2009 · 199 pages (edition lengths vary) (source: how we source book data)

Similar grade-level books

See all books like When You Reach Me→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This middle grade mystery / speculative title reads at middle-grade prose complexity and is typically read at grades 4–8. Written in the 2000s; pairs with curriculum units on time travel (speculative) and friendship; cited on 7 lists: 1 state standards document and 6 book-award lists.

Themes

time travel (speculative) · friendship · 1970s NYC · mystery · metanarrative

Content notes

off-page injury · mild peril

Common Sense Media recommends age 10+.

Where this book is assigned

Show 1 more award or assignment

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Common questions

Is When You Reach Me hard to read for 4th grade?
At 750L, When You Reach Me falls within the typical 740–1010L text-complexity range for 4th grade (Common Core Appendix A) — a grade-appropriate reading challenge. Lexile measures text complexity, not thematic maturity — check the content notes for age-appropriateness separately. For more titles like it, see books like When You Reach Me.
What grade level is When You Reach Me?
When You Reach Me is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 4–8, with a Lexile measure of 750L. It appears on 7 school reading lists across 4 states, from grade 3 to grade 8. Exact placement varies by school and district.
What is the Lexile level of When You Reach Me?
When You Reach Me has a Lexile measure of 750L according to MetaMetrics. Lexile measures text complexity, not content maturity — check the grade range and content notes separately for age-appropriateness.
How long does it take to read When You Reach Me?
It takes about 3h 40m to read When You Reach Me (199 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 220 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign When You Reach Me?
When You Reach Me appears on reading lists for Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction, Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, Common Core State Standards (ELA), and 4 others. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.

Why this book is on this list

How we classify

Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.

Lexile measure
750L — sourced from MetaMetrics’ Lexile Hub.
Grade band
Grades 4–8 — drawn from the curriculum sources cited on this page.
Curriculum alignment
Cited in 7 curricula on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
State-level evidence
Cited in 1 state's ELA framework or DOE list, and on state book-award lists in 3 states (see citations above).
Removal / banning records
No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
Seasonal / contextual tags
Tagged for: award-winner, book-club, read-aloud.

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