When You Reach Me Characters

When we read teen and tween fiction we know that our protagonist is probably going to be asking a lot of the typical coming-of-age questions: Who am I?What is my place in the world?What does it all...

Sal has been Miranda's best friend since she was a very tiny girl, and she thinks of him as her other half. One of the phrases the she repeats through the novel is "Sal and Miranda, Miranda and Sal...

Though she may not be the most conservative dresser, Mom is Miranda's – and the novel's – moral guide. She aspires to be a public defense lawyer (3.25), she runs a parenting group for women in...

Marcus is the novel's boy genius, and somewhat tragic figure, who has a hard time relating to other people. His pretty stupid attack on Sal starts a series of events that eventually lead to Sal's i...

If Miranda had an arch nemesis, it would be Julia, a fellow student who she actually says she "hates" (11.9). Much of the tension revolves around the class differences between the two characters. W...

Annemarie is, to put it bluntly, Miranda's replacement for Sal when he stops walking home from school with her. Miranda had never thought much before of the girls at school (11.8), but she decides...

Richard is Mom's sweet and supportive lawyer boyfriend who is blond and smart and good at tying sailing knots. Miranda's mom calls him "Mr. Perfect because of how he looks and how he knows everythi...

The novel's examination of race revolves around the character Jimmy and the sandwich shop he owns where Miranda, Colin, and Annemarie work during their lunch period. We learn very early on that not...

Belle is a shopkeeper who listens to Miranda prattle on about her favorite book, A Wrinkle in Time. Belle always gives Miranda vitamin C tablets to chew. She is an important part of Miranda's neigh...

Louisa is Sal's mother and lives in the same apartment building as Miranda and her mother. She's a nurse who shares many of the same values as Miranda's mother. She helps Mom collect potato chips,...

Mr. Tompkin is a teacher at Miranda's school. Though he plays a small role in the novel, he's a significant character because he encourages Miranda to read another book besides A Wrinkle in Time (2...

A minor character, Anthony is Marcus's older brother. The day before Sal is punched, Anthony is beat up by another kid. Anthony is upset because Marcus didn't intervene or come to his aid. Marcus r...