When you reach me by Rebecca Stead

This children's book won the Newbery Medal in 2010. It is written in the first person by the protagonist, Miranda, and is addressed to a person unknown. The story is set in 1979, a time when most children walked home from school. Miranda is 12 years old and is helping her mother prepare for an appearance on a TV quiz show that will hopefully earn them some much needed money. Miranda always carries a copy of her favourite book, Newbery Medal winning (1963), A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. She discusses the book with a new boy at school, Marcus, who appears to be something of a genius.

Miranda begins to get strange notes from the person she addresses the book to. The writer of the notes appears to know things that haven't happened yet. Miranda has been lifelong friends with her neighbour Sal, but he's started to act distant. Miranda forms new friendships with Annemarie and Colin; the three of them start to work at lunchtime in a cafe called Jimmy's. The area Sal and Miranda live in is rough. There are frequent fights and a strange old homeless man stands on the corner of the street and kicks the air.

I got a bit bored with the story in the middle (when Miranda is working at Jimmy's), but it all comes together in the last forty pages when we find out who is writing the notes. The ending made me want to go back and read the book again from the beginning. This would be a great book to read to a Stage 3 class as it explores the way friendships shift and change. There are plenty of teaching resources to go with the book on TPT  and other sites.

Questions

What was the significance of the $2 notes?
What was the purpose of the notes Miranda received?
Was Miranda's life altered by what happened to Sal? (think about the TV quiz show).
Why were the notes so cryptic, why not just say what was happening?
In what way does the character of Julia break racial stereotypes?
How does Miranda make new friends?
What does the author want us to learn from the story of Miranda's mother?
Based on the book, how does childhood in 1979 differ from today?

Writing

Miranda looks under the mailbox and finds a final letter explaining what happened to the author of the notes after 1979. Write the letter.