Plot Diagram Book Report

When Miranda was asked to escort kids to the school dentist, she meets the kid who punched Sal and finds out that his name is Marcus. She expects him to be a bad person until she talks to him and realizes he is interested in the book she is reading by Madeleine L'Engle called, "A Wrinkle In Time". It soon becomes clear that Marcus is really smart when Miranda notices that he is reading a college level math book in middle school. Odd things begin to happen when Miranda receives a note, the apartment door is unlocked, the emergency apartment key disappears and Richard's shoes go missing.

Daniel Ryan

English 8 Honors

Period 7 Ms. Baker

Plot Diagram

When You Reach Me

By: Rebecca Stead

Climax

Miranda keeps receiving more notes. Based on the content of the notes, she predicts that something terrible is about to happen, but she doesn't know what yet. Marcus decides to confront Sal to apologize for hitting him, but Sal runs away in fear. Marcus attempts to go after him, causing Sal to run into the street and in front of an oncoming truck. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the Laughing Man appears and kicks Sal out of the way of the truck, sacrificing his own life.

As Sal recovers in the hospital, a shop owner named Belle saw the accident and reports it to the police. The police come to the school for Marcus. Miranda panics, and she hides Marcus at the school dentist's office not knowing what else to do. She calls her mother to come and help them. Luckily, Marcus is not charged and he is safe.

Falling Action

Rising Action

Resolution

Miranda's mom competes in the "The $20,000 Pyramid" television game show. Miranda watches her mom from the audience as she goes through the rounds with ease. Her mother makes it to the winners circle. When she gets everything right, she wins the $20,000 prize. As her mom is playing, Miranda realizes that the Laughing Man was the one who was leaving her the notes. She also figures out that the Laughing Man is Marcus from the future. After she realizes this, she understands that the notes were meant to save Sal.

One day when Miranda and Sal were walking

home together, a mysterious kid their age walks out from a garage and punches Sal. After this, Sal decides to end his relationship with Miranda for no apparent reason. At about the same time, a homeless person appears in front of their apartment, spending his day laying under the mailbox. They refer to him as the "Laughing Man".

Exposition

Miranda and her mother live in an apartment building in

New York City. She always walks home with a friend who lives in the same apartment named Sal. Miranda's mother has been chosen to compete in a television game show called "The $20,000 Pyramid".

Initiating Event