When You Reach MeWhen You Reach Me
Score Modern
What it's about
By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York neighborhood. Then things start to unravel: Sal is punched for no reason and shuts her out, the family's hidden key goes missing, and four mysterious letters arrive that change Miranda's world forever.
Why it's worth reading
It won the Newbery Medal and is on TIME's list of the 100 best young-adult books.
You'll love it if you liked
A Wrinkle in Time
The Phantom Tollbooth
The GiverGood to know
It's a short middle-grade mystery with a time-travel twist.
By the numbers
- Readers81 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics41 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller16 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #52 of the 260 young adult books we rank
- #118 of the 504 fantasy books we rank
- #418 of the 1,648 modern books we rank
- #850 of the 3,057 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Adventurous
If you like this, read next
Scythe
Skyward
Thief of Time
The Sword of Kaigen
The Alloy of Law
The Curse of ChalionExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is When You Reach Me worth reading?
Yes. It won the Newbery Medal and is on TIME's list of the 100 best young-adult books. It ranks #850 of the 3,057 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 75.0 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is When You Reach Me about?
By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York neighborhood. Then things start to unravel: Sal is punched for no reason and shuts her out, the family's hidden key goes missing, and four mysterious letters arrive that change Miranda's world forever.
How long does it take to read When You Reach Me?
About 5 hours (210 pages), or about 10 days at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after When You Reach Me?
If you liked it, try A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster or The Giver by Lois Lowry.