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Chapter 1: Things You Keep in a Box
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in When You Reach Me, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Friendship
Coming of Age
Nonjudgment
Second Chances
Survival and Support
Summary
Analysis
From the office where she works as a paralegal, Mom “swipes” a calendar (for counting down to April 27, which also happens to be her boyfriend Richard’s birthday) and markers and index cards (for practicing). She also enlists Richard and Miranda to help her prepare. And so, instead of watching TV like a normal latchkey kid, Miranda now spends afternoons copying practice words onto index cards.
Mom has a boyfriend, Richard, but it’s clear that Mom is a single parent and that she’s doing the best she can to scrape by. She and Miranda don’t seem to have a lot of money—otherwise, Mom wouldn’t need to swipe the materials for practicing from work. Again, it’s clear how badly she and Miranda need the second chance represented by the money.
Active
Themes
Mom hates the term “latchkey kid.” Richard tells Miranda that she’s lucky she has the power of a key. Although he’s been dating Mom for two years, she still won’t give him one. He is a German expat and a lawyer whose hobby is sailing. Mom calls him Mr. Perfect, but he isn’t—as he’s always reminding Mom, he was born with one leg shorter than the other. His shoes are specially made with a platform on one, so he doesn’t limp when he walks.
Mom’s discomfort isn’t really about the term “latchkey kid” (meaning a child who is unsupervised between the end of their school day and the end of their parents’ workday) but about the situation in which she and Miranda live. It’s clear that she would like to give her daughter and herself a different kind of life that’s currently out of reach. Richard isn’t perfect, but he does seem to be devoted to Mom and Miranda, raising the question of why she’s unwilling to make a commitment to him. Readers should pay attention to the detail about the shoe, which will become important later.
Active
Themes
When Mom gets home, she offers to make Miranda a snack, but Miranda has already feasted on Cheez Doodles. Junk food is another fundamental latchkey kid right. Mom gives her a handful of brightly colored markers swiped from work. By the amount of stuff she’s stealing, Miranda knows she’s really unhappy. A lot is riding on her winning the gameshow.
Active
Themes
