# When You Reach Me

**Author:** Rebecca Stead
**Lexile:** 750L
**Grade range:** Grades 4–8
**Age range:** 9–13
**First published:** 2009
**Page count:** 199
**Genre:** Middle Grade Mystery / Speculative
**ISBN-13:** `9780375850868`
**ISBN-10:** `0375850864`
**Canonical URL:** https://readinglist.school/book/when-you-reach-me
**License:** [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) — please credit ReadingList.school when citing.

## About this book

Miranda, a sixth grader in 1979 NYC, receives mysterious notes from someone who seems to know the future. Stead's 2010 Newbery Medal winner intertwines Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time with a New York coming-of-age story and is widely assigned in 5-7 grade for its layered time-puzzle structure.

## Themes

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

## Content notes

- off-page injury
- mild peril

Common Sense Media age recommendation: 10+

## Where this book is assigned

### Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction

- **recommended** · 4th grade — [source: Andre Norton Award (SFWA) winners + finalists, via Wikipedia — 2009 Honor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andre_Norton_Award)
- **recommended** · 5th grade — [source: Andre Norton Award (SFWA) winners + finalists, via Wikipedia — 2009 Honor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andre_Norton_Award)
- **recommended** · 6th grade — [source: Andre Norton Award (SFWA) winners + finalists, via Wikipedia — 2009 Honor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andre_Norton_Award)
- **recommended** · 7th grade — [source: Andre Norton Award (SFWA) winners + finalists, via Wikipedia — 2009 Honor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andre_Norton_Award)
- **recommended** · 8th grade — [source: Andre Norton Award (SFWA) winners + finalists, via Wikipedia — 2009 Honor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andre_Norton_Award)

### Boston Globe–Horn Book Award

- **recommended** · 4th grade — [source: Boston Globe–Horn Book Award winners, via Wikipedia — 2010 Winner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Globe%E2%80%93Horn_Book_Award)
- **recommended** · 5th grade — [source: Boston Globe–Horn Book Award winners, via Wikipedia — 2010 Winner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Globe%E2%80%93Horn_Book_Award)
- **recommended** · 6th grade — [source: Boston Globe–Horn Book Award winners, via Wikipedia — 2010 Winner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Globe%E2%80%93Horn_Book_Award)
- **recommended** · 7th grade — [source: Boston Globe–Horn Book Award winners, via Wikipedia — 2010 Winner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Globe%E2%80%93Horn_Book_Award)
- **recommended** · 8th grade — [source: Boston Globe–Horn Book Award winners, via Wikipedia — 2010 Winner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Globe%E2%80%93Horn_Book_Award)

### Common Core State Standards (ELA)

- **recommended** · 5th grade — [source: CCSS ELA grades 4-5 Newbery Medal 2010](https://achievethecore.org/page/2699)
- **recommended** · 6th grade — [source: CCSS ELA grades 6-8 mystery exemplar](https://achievethecore.org/page/2699)
- **recommended** · 6th grade · New York — [source: NY Next Gen Standards grade 6 — NYC-set Newbery](https://www.nysed.gov/)

### Garden State Children's Book Award

- **recommended** · 4th grade · New Jersey — [source: New Jersey Library Association — Garden State Children's Book Award selections (statewide children's-choice program; students vote, since 1977)](https://njla.org/garden-state-childrens-book-award)
- **recommended** · 5th grade · New Jersey — [source: New Jersey Library Association — Garden State Children's Book Award selections (statewide children's-choice program; students vote, since 1977)](https://njla.org/garden-state-childrens-book-award)
- **recommended** · 6th grade · New Jersey — [source: New Jersey Library Association — Garden State Children's Book Award selections (statewide children's-choice program; students vote, since 1977)](https://njla.org/garden-state-childrens-book-award)
- **recommended** · 7th grade · New Jersey — [source: New Jersey Library Association — Garden State Children's Book Award selections (statewide children's-choice program; students vote, since 1977)](https://njla.org/garden-state-childrens-book-award)
- **recommended** · 8th grade · New Jersey — [source: New Jersey Library Association — Garden State Children's Book Award selections (statewide children's-choice program; students vote, since 1977)](https://njla.org/garden-state-childrens-book-award)

### Great Lakes Great Books Award

- **recommended** · 4th grade · Michigan — [source: Michigan Reading Association — Great Lakes Great Books Award (student-choice, grade-band shortlists; annual, since 1989). Winner/honor/nominee rolls Grades 4-5, 6-8, 9-12.](https://michiganreading.org/Great-Lakes-Great-Books)
- **recommended** · 5th grade · Michigan — [source: Michigan Reading Association — Great Lakes Great Books Award (student-choice, grade-band shortlists; annual, since 1989). Winner/honor/nominee rolls Grades 4-5, 6-8, 9-12.](https://michiganreading.org/Great-Lakes-Great-Books)
- **recommended** · 6th grade · Michigan — [source: Michigan Reading Association — Great Lakes Great Books Award (student-choice, grade-band shortlists; annual, since 1989). Winner/honor/nominee rolls Grades 4-5, 6-8, 9-12.](https://michiganreading.org/Great-Lakes-Great-Books)
- **recommended** · 7th grade · Michigan — [source: Michigan Reading Association — Great Lakes Great Books Award (student-choice, grade-band shortlists; annual, since 1989). Winner/honor/nominee rolls Grades 4-5, 6-8, 9-12.](https://michiganreading.org/Great-Lakes-Great-Books)
- **recommended** · 8th grade · Michigan — [source: Michigan Reading Association — Great Lakes Great Books Award (student-choice, grade-band shortlists; annual, since 1989). Winner/honor/nominee rolls Grades 4-5, 6-8, 9-12.](https://michiganreading.org/Great-Lakes-Great-Books)

### Newbery Medal

- **recommended** · 3rd grade — [source: Newbery Medal (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 2010 Newbery Medal winner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newbery_Medal)
- **recommended** · 4th grade — [source: Newbery Medal winners (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 2010 Newbery Medal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newbery_Medal)
- **recommended** · 5th grade — [source: Newbery Medal winners (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 2010 Newbery Medal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newbery_Medal)
- **recommended** · 6th grade — [source: Newbery Medal winners (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 2010 Newbery Medal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newbery_Medal)
- **recommended** · 7th grade — [source: Newbery Medal winners (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 2010 Newbery Medal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newbery_Medal)
- **recommended** · 8th grade — [source: Newbery Medal winners (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 2010 Newbery Medal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newbery_Medal)

### Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA)

- **recommended** · 4th grade · Oregon — [source: Oregon Library Association — Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA) winners by division (statewide young readers' choice program; students vote)](https://oregonreaderschoiceaward.wordpress.com/past-winners/)
- **recommended** · 5th grade · Oregon — [source: Oregon Library Association — Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA) winners by division (statewide young readers' choice program; students vote)](https://oregonreaderschoiceaward.wordpress.com/past-winners/)
- **recommended** · 6th grade · Oregon — [source: Oregon Library Association — Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA) winners by division (statewide young readers' choice program; students vote)](https://oregonreaderschoiceaward.wordpress.com/past-winners/)
- **recommended** · 7th grade · Oregon — [source: Oregon Library Association — Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA) winners by division (statewide young readers' choice program; students vote)](https://oregonreaderschoiceaward.wordpress.com/past-winners/)
- **recommended** · 8th grade · Oregon — [source: Oregon Library Association — Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA) winners by division (statewide young readers' choice program; students vote)](https://oregonreaderschoiceaward.wordpress.com/past-winners/)

---

_Generated from primary-source citations indexed on ReadingList.school. For the full HTML view with reading-list cross-references, see https://readinglist.school/book/when-you-reach-me._