Great Choice for a Well-Read Ten-to-Twelve-Year-Old Girl

 Great Choice for a Well-Read Ten-to-Twelve-Year-Old Girl

Often, as a bookseller, I would get a question that went something like this "My eleven-year-old daughter loves to read . She likes books about girls having adventures like the Narnia books and Nancy Drew. We're looking for something a little different for her as well as something that will challenge her."

In response, the first title that often popped into my head was Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me, a fast-paced mystery with  a complicated twelve-year-old heroine named Miranda at its heart. Miranda also loves to read and her favorite book is none other than A Wrinkle in Time, Madeline L'Engle's classic science fiction children's book about time travel and self-discovery. Miranda references it often and it is a credit to Ms. Stead's writing that she presents the time-travel principles L'Engle employs in her work in an understandable and entertaining manner. It isn't until the reader is well into the story that she discovers that this mystery is also a tale about time travel.

But that's not all it's about. Miranda has a lot going on in her life, not least of which is being ignored by her best friend, Sal, for reasons she can't comprehend. When the key to her mother's apartment goes missing and mysterious letters begin arriving from someone who seems to know the future, Miranda is plunged into a race against time to try and prevent a terrible tragedy . How will Miranda unravel the tangled web that has become her life and restore things to normal? And if she does, will her world ever be the same? Like Meg Murry in A Wrinkle in Time, Miranda will discover that life is complicated, but that by working through her problems, it can be enriched by the answers she finds even though it may be altered.

For girls who love adventure, mystery, the challenge of learning about something new, and reading about complex girls like themselves who are also trying to figure out their place in the universe, When You Reach Me is a great choice with a bonus. Not only will they discover a wonderful new classic, they will also discover a tried-and-true one that they can begin as soon as their journey with Miranda has come to an end.

http://www.rebeccasteadbooks.com/whenyoureachme.html