When You Reach Me

When You Reach Me. by Rebecca Stead. 2009. 199p. New York: Wendy Lamb Books. Newbery Medal, 2010

Twelve year old latch-key kid Miranda lives in New York City with her single mother. Set in the late 1970s, her New York neighborhood is a lively setting replete with an intriguing cast of characters, including her best friend Sal, a strange but brilliant boy named Marcus, and a ragged and raving homeless man she calls the Laughing Man. When a series of mysterious anonymous notes that seem to predict the future begin showing up amongst her belongings, Miranda attempts to piece together a mystery that hints at time travel and impending danger.

Stead ably weaves together a number of plot lines to create a genre-crossing novel that defies easy categorization- mystery, realistic fiction and coming of age story are all represented, with a special place given to science fiction. Indeed, Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, plays a prominent role in the story as Miranda’s favorite book as well as the inspiration for several details of Miranda’s life. The issues of race, class, friendships and growing up are realistically tackled as Miranda faces the challenges of adolescence, and Stead presents young readers with subtle life lessons.

The Drowned Cities

The Drowned Cities. by Paolo Bacigalupi. 2012. 448p. New York: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. 

Genre: science fiction, dystopia

Honors and Awards: none, recently published in May 2012

Review:In a dangerous, post-apocalyptic America, war orphans Mouse and Mahlia, along with a genetically engineered half-man named Tool, face death and destruction as roving gangs of child soldiers wage civil war amongst the remnants of the nation's capital.

Opinion: Like Bacigalupi's previous book, Ship Breaker, this is a brutal, in-your-face, rollercoaster of a book. While explicitly marketed towards YA's, older tweens (13 and up) would likely enjoy this book. Although it is dark, the language is tamer and it somehow feels less severe to me than Ship Breaker. With a strong female protagonist, Bacigalupi opens up his potential audience to girls as well as boys.

Ideas: This is yet another addition to the popular and growing oeuvre of dystopic and post-apocalyptic fiction for young people. I'd recommend this to mature youths who are fans of similar works.