Checkpoint #3: Reading Skills

Sometimes, you have to look past realism, and believe what you see. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead is a science-fiction book set in the 1970s. It's about a young girl who witnesses her best friend get beat up, and how it completely changed her entire life. I am only on page 96 currently, but the book is extremely enticing and I can't wait to get home and read more.

Predictions

So far, the main character, Miranda, has witnessed her best friend, Sal, get beat up for apparently no reason, and has suddenly stopped being friends with her. She makes a new friend, and discovers that her new friend has epilepsy. Miranda meets the person who beat up her best friend and discovers he is a genius. (Marcus). She also receives two notes from someone who is apparently from the future. This book is sci-fi, so I found it an appropriate book to make predictions about.

My first prediction about the book is her friend will probably suffer an epilepsy attack sometime soon, which will affect Miranda negatively. I predict this because in the text I read:
 "She was quiet.
"It's not a big deal, just that Julia said-"
"No," she interrupted. "It is sort of a big deal. I should have told you. I have epilepsy-"
"Oh."
"-and I'm not supposed to eat bread or starches. It's this crazy diet my dad read about, but it actually works. I'm usually fine. People don't even really know I have it, because for years I've hardly had any seizures at all.'"

This quote is hinting that perhaps her friend will probably suffer a seizure sometime during the book, which will probably make Miranda question herself and her actions.

My second prediction is Marcus, the guy who beat up Sal, will do something much worse to Sal than beat him up again. I believe this because in the book I read: "I could have called out to Sal at that moment. It would have been easy. He would have had an excuse to turn around and start walking away from Marcus. And then Marcus might have stopped to talk to me for a minute, and Sal would have seen that it was all okay. He could have dropped his fear of Marcus right then and there. I've thought about this a lot, because I realize it would have changed everything that happened later."

From this quote I get the feeling that Marcus will bully Sal into doing something dangerous, or severely hurt him again. The part where it says, "I've thought about this a lot, because I realize it would have changed everything that happened later," is a huge foreshadowing moment. I believe Marcus will get Sal in trouble, or even kill him.

Questions

I don't read that many sci-fi novels. Much of the time and space talk confuses me. So I had a few questions about this book so far.

My first question is why did Marcus beat up Sal? The book says: "But just as we started past the garage, someone moved away from the group. He took a big step toward me and Sal and blocked our way so that we had to stop. I looked up and saw a not-too-biggish kid in a green army coat. He made a fist that came up like a wave and hit Sal right in the stomach. Hard." This quote tells me that Marcus, for no reason, suddenly hit Sal. Is there a background story between them? Is it about Miranda?

My second question is how the mysterious notes Miranda receives will play a part in the story. One of the notes was: "This is hard. Harder than I expected, even with your help. But I have been practicing, and my preparations go well. I am coming to save your friend's life, and my own. I ask two favors. First, you must write me a letter. Second, please remember to mention the location of your house key. This trip is a difficult one. I will not be myself when I reach you."

I am coming to save your friend's life, and my own. Sal's life? Who wrote the note? I think the writer is from the future, and the time traveling experience must change him, or make him physically/emotionally different so he wouldn't be able to tell Miranda himself. The letter part is especially confusing, because if Miranda must write a letter to someone from the future, how will she give it to him? Perhaps she must give it to a younger version of the writer. I am confused about how the writer will save Sal's life, so I will definitely read on and find out.

Connections

This text can be connected to the world because since the book is set in the 1960s, there is a lot of racism against African Americans. Miranda has a friend who is African American, and so I have read several racial slurs about her in the book. I have learned in history about how African Americans were treated poorly in the 60s, so I could really relate When You Reach Me to our world history.

This text can be connected to A Wrinkle in Time. The author of When You Reach Me actually makes A Wrinkle in Time Miranda's favorite book, because they both are so similar and the book plays a huge role in the novel. Miranda lives with a single parent, Meg lives with a single parent. Both books have time travel play a huge part, and When You Reach Me bases a lot of time travel theories and connections on A Wrinkle in Time. These two books can be connected so easily that you can't read one book without the other.

This text can be connected to myself because I know what it's like to lose a best friend, especially one you grow up with. Miranda and Sal were friends since diaperhood, and I had a friend like that. But as we grew older, we grew more and more apart and drifted away. Sal's and Miranda's friendship broke apart more abruptly, but I could still see myself in their relationship.