Book written by Rebecca Stead, published 2009.
Twelve-year-old Miranda has a lot on her plate. She and her best friend, Sal, are no longer on speaking terms for some inexplicable reason, she’s started a new job at a sandwich shop, her mother is practicing non-stop for her appearance on $20,000 Pyramid, and she keeps receiving these strange notes that seemingly predict the future. These mysterious notes ask only one thing of Miranda: Write a letter and tell a true story, the true events of her average life. The only motivation she has for following through with these instructions is that, according to this anonymous pen pal, someone’s life is at stake.
My sister has been nudging me to read this one for months, and I’m glad I finally took the time. This novel checks all of the boxes for me. It has well-developed, likable characters, a well-balanced plot that’s engaging with a few twists, and a thought-provoking moral that will have you thinking about the moments you make.
That being said, it wasn’t my favorite novel, the only reason being that the story just didn’t hit the spot for me. It made me think about what I would do differently if I could go back and do middle school again, but I think this story didn’t have quite enough action for me. I don’t know, maybe I’m just in the mood for something more dramatic. All in all, I read it through, and I really did enjoy it, but I’m content with reading it just the one time.
This book contains a brief mention of racism, so depending on how old your readers are, teachers and parents, it may lead to an important discussion. Good for any readers middle grade and up.
Unless you’ve read the contents of Miranda’s letter, I wouldn’t recommend reading on. Spoilers ahead!
"Common sense is just a name for the way we're used to thinking."
I didn’t expect this book to be about time travel. When I read the summary on the back of the book, I guessed that Miranda’s notes were left by someone with more mystical talents, like a fortuneteller or something. But this was a pleasant surprise, and I think it fits the overall tone of the story much better than my theory. There was something I was a little confused about though. I guessed after a while that the book itself is Miranda’s letter to Marcus, but the very last page indicates something different. To me, Miranda indicates that the letter she writes is separate from the account I’ve just read about, even though she frequently addresses the reader as the leaver of the notes. I still don’t know which interpretation is supposed to be right (I would love to hear your thoughts on that one), but I’m going to move forward assuming my second thought is right: the novel and the letter are separate.
I really like how Stead organized this book. Marcus’ journey through time is all about the plot. The bit about time travel is what gives the plot suspense, and it forces us as readers to pay more attention to the smaller details, like Richard’s shoes and the seemingly random streakers in the city. Miranda’s journey through the story is all about emotion, and it’s a great coming-of-age story. Her account draws more attention to the other things Miranda notices, like the possibility that maybe Annemarie feels the same way about Colin as she does or the real reason Marcus punched Sal in the first place. I think Miranda’s account (and Stead’s writing style) do a really good job of illustrating the confusion that comes with being a tween.
Let’s all be honest, middle school is rough. It’s hard to find a balance between everything you feel emotionally and everything you expect socially, and even though you notice some of these things about yourself and the people around you, you don’t always have a firm grasp of the correlation and what it means. I definitely thought there were a few moments in the book where Miranda notices some social cues, but doesn’t indicate that she knows what it means. But, I also thought that Miranda and her classmates were portrayed as very mature for their age. When they were struggling with something, they gave each other space until they were ready to talk about it. And when they wanted to understand something, they came out and asked questions and had rational discussions. Middle school is tough enough; it becomes so much easier when we respect each other’s boundaries and are honest.
Knowing this, would I go back and do middle school over again? Heck no, and since I’m not receiving mysterious notes myself, I can assume that no one’s life hangs in the balance, and I’m glad I don’t have to consider it more than that.
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