When You Reach Me - Things You Keep in a Box - [to] Secret

[Prof. Tarma Amelia Black]

The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. ~ Albert Einstein The World As I See It (1931)

This story starts out with an unexpected quote, and piqued my interest. Oh, really? When Albert Einstein says 'mysterious' I don't think he is talking about an Agatha Christie novel (much as I love them). So ... what's going on here? I started reading and found out that Miranda's mom made it to be a contestant on The $20,000 Pyramid. But shades of the mysterious start in on this first page. What does this mean "Just like you said."

Later on, I find that Miranda (an allusion to The Tempest?) is reading one of my favorite stories ever! No, I'm not going to say what it is, but this might ring a bell for you: Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which.

What rang bells for you when you started this book? What's going on? Have you figured it out?

Remember to use the spoilers tags if you are discussing specific events of the book.

[Katelin Ross]

This is definitely a change in the books that I usually read. As Tarma said, it begins by talking about how Miranda's mom made it onto the 20,000 Pyramid Show (I used to watch that, I liked that game show!) I like how is shows us how the mom is preparing for it, but to me the beginning of this book was a bit boring. I keep expecting to be introduced to the true plot of this story, but have yet to, in my opinion. I also thoroughly enjoy the references t A Wrinkle In Time. I was like, "I know that book."

I almost wonder if all of this back story, perhaps, will lead us into what happened for this book to become a Newbery Award Winner.

Interested to see how the book progresses, and hopefully, it gets better.

[Prof. Tarma Amelia Black]

I'd never seen the 20,000 Pyramid Show and was even wondering if it was a made-up thing! (But if it was made-up for the book, the author did a great job of getting all the bits together.) However, now re-reading the book, the bell *dings* and I suddenly realized all the chapter titles are made like they are from that show!

It's also funny to read it a second time. I know how the book ends, and I'm findingthings which are pointers and indicators in the narrative which, at first reading, seem to point to something entirely else. (Sort of like re-reading a mystery and now that you know 'who dun it', you see the little clues here and there. Or, closer to HOL, re-reading Harry Potter books and seeing things, even in the first book, which clearly point to things which happen 5 or 6 books later.)

However, and wonderfully, there are a lot of references to A Wrinkle in Time. Yes! And they are also clues ...

[Shiloh Adlar]

I love The Wrinkle in Time references. Good to know they're a kind of clue. I figured they might be, but I wasn't sure. I really want to know who this person is that she's supposed to be telling this story to and where it's leading. I think the beginning is only making me more curious. I watched episodes of that show I think when I was really little and stayed up late at night when I should have been asleep. At least it sounds very familiar to me, and I do know I watched some sort of game show late at night as a kid and would try to guess things on there. I'm looking forward to learning more as the story progresses, but I definitely like it so far. Anything with a mystery attached to it appeals to me. I like to unravel things.