Rebecca Stead received the Newbery Medal for children's literature for the release of her book When You Reach Me in 2009. The book bends time and space around Miranda, a girl growing up in New York City circa the 1970s. She is in sixth grade, an important time for a child's development, and starts to notice a bit more of the world. Certain threads connect things, people, and ideas, with Miranda left to decipher their meanings.
What's brilliant about the book is the way that Stead interweaves important lessons for children to learn while not talking down to them. The language can be tricky and the concepts (like time travel!) are inherently complex. In an interview with Books for Keeps, Stead says:
"I don't ever think about condescending, in terms of language or complexity of sentence- I have a pretty straightforward writing style across the board" (BooksForKeeps.co.uk).
She is able to inundate kids into late adolescence while keeping the story entertaining. Sci-fi, but grounded. Fictional, but real.
As many critics and Stead herself have noted, it is Miranda's perspective and voice that make When You Reach Me so powerful. Stead says that "she's some version of [her] childhood self." (BooksForKeeps.co.uk). Miranda "has a lot of the same questions and observations" as Stead did as a child, and setting the story in New York allowed Stead the freedom of exploring a place she knew well, as well as the challenges the city presents (Novelnovice.com). Stead purposefully writes Miranda to be flawed and relatable, as "some kids are drawn in by secret notes and time travel, others by friendship struggles and fights with mom" (Bookbrowse.com). The book casts a wide net, but with a protagonist as relatable as Miranda, it's easy to get hooked. Rubin agrees with this idea of perspective, saying that "We are attracted to the shared experiences in the work, including the imperfections in it. We recognize some part of ourselves and feel understood and connected" (The Creative Act). The understanding piece is important in the book, as questions of identity, friendship, and understanding are paramount in the story.
Stead recognizes the domain of adolescent lit, but as previously mentioned, is not limited by it. According to Chapter 23 of Smith & Ward, an aid to creative thinking is abstraction, noticing, and analogy. Stead employs all three in her novel, with Miranda picking up on the breadcrumb clues dropped along her journey. Not only is Stead as an author a creative, but through the eyes of her main character, she inspires creativity to her readership. Stead writes that "Voice...is much more than a character-it's the whole story. With every line, I'm getting glimpses of something rich and intricate" (Novelnovice.com). Miranda's voice paints every corner of the book with exciting detail, making the reader wonder. Rubin says that "in the arts, our filter is the defining factor of the work" (The Creative Act). Stead employs Miranda as a filter, coloring the world in vivid detail. That's the magic in When You Reach Me. It's a creative book that makes you think out of the box.
https://booksforkeeps.co.uk/article/rebecca-stead-interviewed-by-bfk/
https://www.bookbrowse.com/author_interviews/full/index.cfm/author_number/1757/rebecca-stead
https://novelnovice.com/2011/10/23/exclusive-qa-when-you-reach-me-author-rebecca-stead/
Rubin, Rick. The Creative Act. 2023.
Your post was a very interesting read! I have never heard of Stead or her books before, but I like her approach of connecting to her audience and making her writing accessible. It is clear she really values making genuine and sincere connections with her audience.
ReplyDelete-Thérèse Giannini