When You Reach Me

Miranda is a sixth grader in New York City who knows her neighborhood well. She and her best friend, Sal, know which places are safe, such as the local grocery store. They also know whom to avoid, such as the man on the corner who seems to be out of his mind.

Then the routine starts to come apart. A new kid punches Sal for no reason either of them can see, and Sal cuts Miranda out of his life. The spare apartment key her mother keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen.

Soon after, Miranda finds a small scrap of paper with a message on it. The writer says they are coming to save her friend's life and their own, and they ask for two favors. The first is that Miranda write a letter.

This middle-grade mystery, told through a young narrator's eyes in an everyday city setting, has an uncanny edge. It won the 2010 Newbery Medal.

More notes follow. Whoever sends them knows a great deal about Miranda, including events that have not happened yet. As the messages pile up, she comes to believe that only she can stop a death. Then the last note arrives and leads her to fear she has run out of time.