When You Reach Me characters

Appears from the start

A sixth-grade girl living with her mother in New York City in the late 1970s. Miranda is trying to understand why her best friend Sal has suddenly stopped speaking to her while also addressing an account of recent events to an unknown person who seems to know her future.

Also known as Mom

Appears from the start

Miranda's single mother, a warm, practical woman who works in a law office and has been selected as a contestant on a television game show. She and Miranda practice lists and word associations to prepare for the appearance.

Appears from the start

Miranda's mother's steady boyfriend. A lawyer who helps her at work and shares much of the household's daily life, Richard cares about Miranda but remains an occasional source of friction because her mother resists making their family arrangement more formal.

First appears in chapter 2

Miranda's neighbor and best friend since early childhood. After an older boy punches him without warning, Sal withdraws from Miranda and begins insisting on more independence, leaving her hurt and confused.

First appears in chapter 2

Sal's mother and Miranda's mother's friend, who lives with Sal in the same apartment building. She has long treated Miranda as part of their household and is troubled by the abrupt distance between the children.

First appears in chapter 4

A homeless man who spends his days near Miranda's building, often muttering and kicking at the air as traffic passes. The neighborhood children regard him with a mixture of familiarity and unease.

First appears in chapter 7

The boy who punches Sal on the street. When Miranda confronts him, he is more thoughtful than she expected and is deeply interested in whether time travel can be logically possible.

First appears in chapter 10

A classmate who has often irritated Miranda but becomes difficult to dismiss as simply unfriendly. Julia is socially confident, quick to defend her friend Annemarie, and more observant of Miranda's assumptions than Miranda initially recognizes.

First appears in chapter 11

A quiet classmate who begins spending time with Miranda after the break with Sal. Annemarie has a health condition that requires attention to food and rest, and her friendship draws Miranda into a different social circle.

First appears in chapter 15

The owner of a neighborhood sandwich shop who lets Miranda, Annemarie, and Colin work during their school lunch period in exchange for food. His routines and suspicions turn the shop into an important part of their new friendship.

First appears in chapter 15

A classmate who joins Miranda and Annemarie at their lunchtime jobs in Jimmy's sandwich shop. Friendly and easygoing, he helps Miranda settle into life beyond her old exclusive friendship with Sal.

First appears in chapter 18

The elderly owner of a small neighborhood shop where Miranda often buys bread rolls. Belle treats Miranda with unforced kindness and provides a calm adult presence amid the girl's growing anxieties.