Newberry Medal Winner for Sci-fi by Rebecca Stead "When You Reach Me" is a Y/A Time Travel Mystery

Rebecca Stead received the Newberry Medal and Best of the Year Awards for her young adult, time travel novel that is an homage to "A Wrinkle in Time."  It is also the coming of age story of a pre-teen Miranda obsessed not only with the novel "A Wrinkle in Time" she's convinced of the likelihood of time travel.  Miranda's likable character, unique reasoning & resourcefulness makes this a very appealing story.  Miranda contends "Common sense is just a name for the way we're used to thinking.  Time travel is possible."  She lives with her single mother on the UWS of NYC in the late 70s.  There are days when everything changes.  Miranda's world expands to encompass new friendships and new ideas particularly in relation to time sequences.  "Time isn't a line stretching out in front of us, going in one direction, it's well, time is just a construct."  Stead's sci-fi storyline is propelled forward by the unraveling of a mystery that Miranda manages to solve with contemplation & burgeoning new  friendships.  "When You Reach Me" has a heartwarming village mentality,  neighbors, friends, families & eccentric neighborhood locals look out for one another.  This is a young adult novel is brimming with sophisticated thinking & literary prose.  In addition to working full-time as a legal assistant, Miranda's mom spends time volunteering in a women's prison.  The subject of time travel juxtaposes the stoppage of change for many who are incarcerated.  Miranda learns meaningful lessons from her incomparable mom.  She tells her "Jail is a hard place, and that it can make people hard, too.  It changes them.  Jail stops them from becoming who they might grow to be.  Being in jail can make them feel like a mistake is all they are."  Stead also captures the fun, mischief & spirit of adolescents growing up in NYC who inherently have more liberties than most peers their age.  The adults in the novel are all thoughtful and kind and regard Miranda & her friends as mature & interesting individuals.  The time travel premise poses a confusing quandary.  But, the magic of this intriguing young adult novel are the ways it opens our eyes to viewing the world.  Miranda ponders  her mother's mentoring.  She tells Miranda we all live behind a veil keeping the world in a blurry focus. "We see all the beauty, & cruelty, & sadness, and love.  But, mostly we are happy not to. Some people learn to lift the veil themselves."  Miranda interprets this to mean people get distracted by little stuff & ignore the big stuff.