58. When You Reach Me - Rebecca Stead

Ages 9-14, Grades 5-7 Wendy Lamb Books, Random House July, 2009 200 p. Rating: 4 2010 Newbery WINNER 1979 New York City - Miranda's mom is getting ready to be a contestant on the $20,000 Pyramid. Her best friend, Sal, has stopped being her friend - she knows not why. She's spending her lunch period working a Jimmy's, helping to prepare sandwiches. She avoids the crazy, laughing homeless man who hangs out on her corner. She reads A Wrinkle in Time over and over. And she grapples over tiny notes she's been receiving that truthfully foretell bits of her future. Told in short chapters, this multi-faceted story is interesting and thought-provoking. At the end I spent an hour slipping back to look for foreshadowing and clues. Some of my 4th graders - and even some of my 5th and 6th - will not "get" some of it- but those who can think outside the box and/or love A Wrinkle in Time will certainly enjoy this story.