'Goodbye Stranger' by Rebecca Stead

 Received from the Publisher 

From the BLURB:

Bridge is an accident survivor who’s wondering why she’s still alive. Emily has new curves and an almost-boyfriend who wants a certain kind of picture. Tabitha sees through everybody’s games—or so she tells the world. The three girls are best friends with one rule: No fighting. Can it get them through seventh grade?

This year everything is different for Sherm Russo as he gets to know Bridge Barsamian. What does it mean to fall for a girl—as a friend?

On Valentine’s Day, an unnamed high school girl struggles with a betrayal. How long can she hide in plain sight?

‘Goodbye Stranger’ is the new middle-grade/young adult novel from Newbery Medal winner Rebecca Stead.

Rebecca Stead is one of my favourite writers, quite possibly of all-time. I was in awe of her novel When You Reach Me, adored Liar & Spy and was eagerly anticipating her latest Goodbye Stranger. When I was approved for an advance copy on NetGalley, I gave a fist-pump. And now that I’ve finished reading … well, as always happens with one of Stead’s books, I want to go right back to the start and begin again – but I think Goodbye Stranger may well be my favourite book of hers.

The story is told by an omniscient narrator, and alternately follows several seventh-grade students who live in a fictional borough of New York, as they navigate a new phase of their adolescence. While we do follow multiple characters, the book really hangs on Bridge – a young girl who was hit by a car when she was eight-years-old and miraculously survived, only to be told by a nurse that there must have been a reason for her to still be here. Bridge has been thinking on what that reason could be ever since.

Bridge’s best friends are Tab and Em, and between the three of them they have one steadfast rule – no fighting!

Em has blossomed over the summer, to become truly beautiful and both Bridge and Tab are noticing that she’s started moving in very different circles to them – pulled in by the popular sports crowd, she even has a text-friendship thing going on with the most popular boy in eight grade, Patrick.

Tab comes from a loving household with a wise older sister. This year she is very influenced by a teacher they call ‘The Berperson’ – who’s big on feminism and bringing down the patriarchy, and Tab is trying to open everyone’s eyes to the misogyny all around them.

Bridge is also becoming fast friends with a boy on stage tech crew – Sherm, who has his own problems. His grandfather has recently moved out, making Sherm’s father an adult ‘child of divorce’ and leaving Sherm confused about what love is, exactly.

Then there’s a mysterious second-person narrative whose chapters are condensed into a single Valentine’s Day. “You” are wandering around the city streets after deciding that you need a mental-health day away from school and some unfolding friendship dramas.

Rebecca Stead’s story is multi-layered and sumptuous, beautifully plotted and a real page-turner, even as she’s to be commended for exploring the intense mundanity of adolescence, alongside new pitfalls for today’s teenagers. At one point, the mysterious “You” narrated chapters muses that if you were to tell your mother all that’s been happening in your friendship group and at school, she’d tell you it will all be okay … when what you really want to hear is that she understands this to be the most awful, real thing that’s ever happened to you. Because of course it is when you’re 13, 14, 15 … you feel it all so intensely.

Goodbye Stranger touches on so many topics affecting teenagers, both big and small – and what’s really amazing is Stead’s ability to give the seemingly little things the attention they deserve, while nullifying the supposed “catastrophes” and putting them into perspective. There’s a sexting scandal storyline, for instance – but Stead doesn’t blow it up the way the nightly news does, sending parents into a panic about images leaking online, resulting in the destruction of young people’s lives! She humanises the storyline, brings a level of respect and common sense to the dilemma that so many young adult authors have hinged entire plotlines on.

I wish I could see what would have happened if I hadn’t told. You told me once that every time a decision is made, the universe splits into two. So now there’s a universe in which I kept my mouth shut. But I can’t see what it looks like.

Likewise, a story about a young person taking mental-health day to escape the drama of their friendship group is written in suspense and pieced together like a jigsaw puzzle mystery.

I also loved that feminism comes up again and again – initially for the character of Tab, who is very preoccupied with her teacher’s musings on misogyny – but eventually the lessons start sinking in for everyone.

 Sometimes your body feels like a cage for all the stuff inside. You paint your nails, braid your hair, and buy the right kind of jeans, but none of it is really about you.

If there’s any overarching theme to Goodbye Stranger it may just be love – in all its manifestations, as these young people try figuring it out. The character of Sherm is so interesting for the way his family has recently fractured, and he starts writing unsent letters to his grandfather to figure out his feelings on the matter.

 Sherm got along with everyone – he was like that. But once his grandfather left, Sherm realized that with the guys at school, talking was like a game where everyone piles on jokes and the winner was the person whose joke ended up on top. With girls, it was a different game, a lot of teasing and trading fake insults. But it wasn’t that way with Bridge. 

Bridge is also having a hard time figuring out “love” – especially when she starts hanging out with Sherm, and truly enjoying his company. But does that mean she automatically loves him, and wants to be his girlfriend? What even is love anyway?

 “Yeah, my mom says that love is like music. One day you just – hear it.” 

“Whoa. First of all, I never said I loved Patrick. But I think I know what she means. I don’t think she means actual music, Bridge. She means that you know it when you feel it. Like music – you know it when you hear it.” 

“Okay, so love is also like a hamburger? You know it when you taste it?” 

Em laughed. “A hamburger is more deliberate. You have to make it, or ask for it. … Music just kind of breaks over you.”

I found so much enjoyment in this book – in Stead’s writing and certain perfect sentences, and scenes that just took my breath away. One of my favourites involved Tab and Bridge witnessing Tab’s Hindu parents at the tail end of Karva Chauth, when they go “moon hunting” to break her mother’s fast. I loved this multi-layered narrative and these characters that seem to be exploring so many different themes and emotions, but by the last page they all come together with beautiful harmony. I can’t even tell you if Goodbye Stranger is strictly middle-grade, because it will definitely appeal to young adult readers, but at the same time I’m 27-years-old and Rebecca Stead’s writing hits me in a way that so few writers can these days.

This is a new favourite, and Rebecca Stead proves once again that she’s one of the best writers out there today. Young readers are lucky to have her … heck, older readers are too.

5/5

AUDIOBOOK: 'When You Reach Me' written by Rebecca Stead, narrated by Cynthia Holloway

From the BLURB:

Four mysterious letters change Miranda's world forever.....

By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it's safe to go, like the local grocery store, and they know whom to avoid, like the crazy guy on the corner.

But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a new kid for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda's mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then Miranda finds a mysterious note scrawled on a tiny slip of paper:

I am coming to save your friend's life, and my own.

I must ask two favors. First, you must write me a letter.

The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realizes that whoever is leaving them knows all about her, including things that have not even happened yet. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death - until the final note makes her think she's too late.

Written by: Rebecca Stead

Narrated by: Cynthia Holloway

Length: 4 hrs and 19 mins

Unabridged Audiobook

Rebecca Stead is one of my favourite authors writing today, and when I first read ‘WhenYou Reach Me’ (winner of the 2010 John Newbery Medal) I instantly wanted to re-read it. It’s just one of those books that’s both so clever and heartfelt, that once you finish reading you want to go back and trace the author’s steps (all those breadcrumbs she left behind) but you also just want to hang out with the characters again.

Sadly – as readers can attest – you can’t ever read something a second time in quite the same way as the first. It’s not that the magic is gone, or the shine’s worn off. Rather, that you can only look on something with fresh eyes once. It’s why I’m always a little bit envious when somebody says they’re going to start reading one of my all-time favourite books … I’m just a little bit jealous of their first time discovering those characters and that story.

But, I have found a new way to re-read beloved books that does bring some new perspective to them, and is probably as close as anyone can get to discovering a story anew for the second time. Audiobooks, my friends. Audiobooks.

I was an audiobook hold-out for a long time. I couldn’t imagine the appeal of listening to something when I could be reading it and truth be told, I wondered if they were a bit of a cop-out. Then I had my hallelujah moment with ‘The Piper’s Son’ on audiobook, read by Michael Finney.

Admittedly, right now I’m enjoying revisiting old favourites on audiobook while I’m out walking. I know I need to start listening more to books that I’ve never read before – but for right now, I’m enjoying discovering new facets to old faithfuls.

Behold; ‘When You Reach Me’ by Rebecca Stead, unabridged audio narrated by Cynthia Holloway. Author and children’s book-buying specialist Emily Gale highly-recommend this audiobook, and she was not wrong.

Cynthia Holloway captures Miranda’s voice so well and generously, I felt all of her twelve-year-old woes, particularly around her best friend Sal cutting off their friendship. I remember when I read the book that I loved details of Miranda’s home-life, with her single-mum and her mum’s boyfriend Richard. But listening to the audiobook I was struck by the friendships Miranda is developing with Ann-Marie, Colin and Marcus – these characters who I now paid so much more attention to, as this was a re-reading and I knew how important they each were to the story. Even Julia – Miranda’s pseudo-nemesis – was beautifully portrayed, her middle-school tragedy emphasised when running alongside Miranda’s friendship woes and triumphs.

In listening to the audiobook I was able to appreciate the intricate plot a lot more, and just the interiors of Miranda’s school life and budding friendships were beautifully articulated. I would highly-recommend this audiobook for and young readers who loved Stead’s book and want to love it in a new way – listening to the story is just as enjoyable as reading the book was that first-time round!

5/5

'Liar & Spy' by Rebecca Stead

 Received from the Publisher

From the BLURB:

When Georges moves into a Brooklyn apartment building, he meets Safer, a twelve-year-old coffee-drinking loner and self-appointed spy. Georges becomes Safer’s first spy club recruit. His assignment? Tracking the mysterious Mr X, who lives in the apartment upstairs. But as Safer becomes more demanding, Georges starts to wonder: how far is too far to go for your only friend?

Rebecca Stead’s characters are delightfully engaging, and she has woven intricate ideas into a beautiful story. Liar & Spy is an inspired, often-funny novel for middle grade kids about friendship, fears, bullying and how to deal with your worries. It will keep readers guessing until the very end.

Georges is named after Georges Seurat, a famous French Post-Impressionist painter. Georges (the painter) was famous for using the pointillism technique; whereby small, distinct dots of pure colour are applied in patterns to form an image. Georges (the boy) can apply the pointillism technique to his life, the way his mum taught him. He thinks of the small dot that was his best friend, Jason, who no longer hangs out with him, and has become friends with the bullies who call him ‘Gorgeous’ (thanks to that silent ‘s’ in his name). He thinks of the small dot that is his dad losing his architecture job, and them having to move out of their perfect house into a small Brooklyn apartment. He thinks his mum’s longer work shifts at the hospital are one small dot. He thinks of the small dot that is the upcoming taste-test in Mr. Landau’s class, which may or may not decide his destiny. And all of these small dots, when Georges connects them, make up the big picture of his life and represent how insignificant the tough stuff can seem in the grand scheme of things . . .

Mom says that our Seurat poster reminds her to look at the big picture. Like when it hurts to think about selling the house, she tells herself how that bad feeling is just one dot in the giant Seurat painting of our lives.

And then Georges meets Safer, who becomes a very big dot in the grand scheme of George’s new life. . .

Safer is the dog-walker and resident spy of the apartment complex Georges and his family have just moved into. Safer’s sister is Candy who is aptly named for her sweet tooth. Safer’s parents are ‘smart bohemians’ who home-school their children and let them express themselves in odd ways. Safer expresses himself by being a spy, and his latest mission (obsession) is the mysterious black-clad tenant of their apartment complex. And Safer wants Georges’s help in his latest spy-club mission.

‘Liar & Spy’ is the new novel from Newbery Medal winning author Rebecca Stead.

Confession: I think I have a bit of a telepathic bond with Rebecca Stead. I don’t want to sound crazy, but it’s true. Because after reading Stead’s brilliant ‘When You Reach Me’ earlier this year, I likened the book to a Seurat painting – whereby all the dots of characters and plots seemed indecipherable and disconnected for much of the book, until the ending made you step back and admire "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte". 

 

After my review went live, Rebecca Stead even Tweeted to me the coincidence that Seurat would be mentioned in her next book. Hence, my totally legitimate telepathic bond with Rebecca Stead. See? Not crazy.

But there’s a lot more to ‘Liar & Spy’ than just this wonderful Seurat (‘Sir Ott’, to Georges) analogy. This is a book about a young boy living day-to-day; trying to get through the school week with minimal collateral damage from the bullies who tease him and the ex-best friend who doesn’t seem to want him anymore. Actually, a lot of Georges’s life is spent just grinning and bearing it – getting from Point A to Point B with the least amount of fallout. And his mum’s Seurat dot analogy about the grand scheme of things is fine, but Georges seems to spend a good deal of his time focusing on the BIG PICTURE while wading through the misery of all those little dots.

And then Georges meets Safer. Safer is a brilliant and cunning young man who Georges swings between being impressed and distressed by. Because his dad’s idea of a joke is signing him up for a Spy Club Meeting, Georges gets pulled into Safer’s latest mission involving the tenant who lives in the apartment below him, who never seems to be home, always carries a briefcase with indeterminate contents and is frequently seen wearing black. And suddenly Georges can’t just look at the big picture, because Safer is teaching him that to be a spy you have to look at the minute details and pay attention to all the dots and how they connect.

I loved ‘Liar & Spy’. What Stead does so well is explore seemingly minor occurrences in a young person’s life – but gives them the weight they deserve. And usually, it’s those small instances that make a much bigger impact. For Miranda in ‘When You Reach Me’ it was coming to terms with the sudden loss of her friendship with Sal, for some unknown reason he does not care to explain to her. For Georges, it’s his dad losing his job and his family having to move from their perfect house his dad designed, to a small Brooklyn apartment and his mum working late all the time and sounding forever tired on the phone. I think this is what grabs her young readers; these small problems they can relate to (and find an author who gives them the importance and exploration they deserve), but I also think this is where her older readers can vividly remember and be transported to their youth.

I also enjoy how Stead so perfectly articulates little everyday things, but it’s not until I read them that I realize I've experienced them too. Example?:

I’m hearing a sound. It’s a funny, high-pitched buzzing that I think maybe I've been hearing for a while, without noticing. There should be a word for that, when you hear something and simultaneously realize that it’s been swimming around in your brain for five minutes without your permission.

I will say that ‘When You Reach Me’ is still my favourite Stead book, purely because the aforementioned bigger picture was so epic and brilliantly woven throughout that book. The big reveal at the end of ‘Liar & Spy’ was not so grandiose. Whereas my reaction to all the dots forming at the end of ‘When You Reach Me’ was OMIGOD, my reaction at the end of ‘Liar & Spy’ was more “Oh. Huh.” But that’s not to say I didn’t immensely enjoy everything that came before the somewhat ho-hum ending. Rebecca Stead is still, without a doubt, one of the best children’s authors writing today.

4/5

'When You Reach Me' by Rebecca Stead

From the BLURB:

Four mysterious letters change Miranda’s world forever.

By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it’s safe to go, like the local grocery store, and they know whom to avoid, like the crazy guy on the corner.

But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a new kid for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda’s mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then Miranda finds a mysterious note scrawled on a tiny slip of paper:

I am coming to save your friend’s life, and my own.
I must ask two favors. First, you must write me a letter.

The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realizes that whoever is leaving them knows all about her, including things that have not even happened yet. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Until the final note makes her think she’s too late.

Miranda is writing a letter. She doesn’t know to whom. She doesn’t know why. But someone has asked her the location of the spare key. And to explain the day that her best friend, Sal, stopped wanting to hang out with her. Someone wants Miranda to write it all down … so she is, slowly.

‘When You Reach Me’ by Rebecca Stead was the winner of the 2010 John Newbery Medal.


‘When You Reach Me’ is sort of like the Georges Seurat painting, "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte". Up close it’s just a bunch of tiny, tiny dots – indecipherable and meaningless. But when you stand back, you get the whole picture… and it’s kind of magnificent.


Stead’s novel is set in 1981, and is in part a recollection of her own childhood as a ‘key kid’ in New York. She delves into the curiosities and concerns of many sixth-graders – like losing friends, getting somersault-belly when a cute boy walks past, and facing fears. For Miranda, her biggest fear is the laughing man on the corner street, the man she passes everyday on her way to and from school. He yells out insanities – “bookbag, pocketshoe” – he calls her new friend an ‘Angel’ and Miranda a ‘Smartkid’.

Miranda’s other consuming fear though, is that she’s losing her best friend, Sal. They have stopped hanging out, upon Sal’s request. A run-in with a bully called Marcus has sent Sal into a sort of hibernation, and Miranda doesn’t know what to do about missing him.

But Stead’s novel is bigger than the sum of its parts, and interspersed with Miranda’s narrative about cute boy Colin, and working at Jimmy’s sandwich shop, are curious asides to an unknown person who has tasked Miranda with writing a letter. This person wants to know the location of the key to Miranda’s apartment. They leave notes for Miranda, foretelling of a Christmas present and her mother’s appearance on Dick Clark’s $20,000 Pyramid game show. This person also warns Miranda that when they meet, they will not look the same …

And therein lies the true brilliance of ‘When You Reach Me’. On the surface Stead’s novel is an enjoyable recollection of a NYC sixth-grader navigating the torrential waters of growing up and moving on. But there’s more … oh! There’s so much more. To reveal would be to ruin a wonderfully plotted semi-mystery.

What I liked best about Stead’s novel is that it was intended for a middle-grade audience, but also appeals to a crowd much older than that. Through Miranda, Stead explores big ideas through tactful and succinct sixth-grade musings, and it’s a delight to get Miranda’s view of the world;

Mom says each of us has a veil between ourselves and the rest of the world, like a bride wears on her wedding day, except this kind of veil is invisible. We walk around happily with these invisible veils hanging down over our faces. The world is kind of blurry, and we like it that way. But sometimes our veils are pushed away for a few moments, like there's a wind blowing it from our faces. And when the veil lifts, we can see the world as it really is, just for those few seconds before it settles down again. We see all the beauty, and cruelty, and sadness, and love. But mostly we are happy not to. Some people learn to lift the veil themselves. Then they don't have to depend on the wind anymore.

‘When You Reach Me’ is nothing short of incredible. When you read it through once, you’ll want to go back and read it again – hold the book up in a new light and appreciate the delicacy and interwoven complexity. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.

5/5