Between the Lines

Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer
Expected Publication Date: June 26, 2012

Young Adult, Ages 12+

ARC ISBN 978-1-4516-7557-3 used for review.

Personal Ranking 3.5 out of 5


"What happens when happily ever after ... isn't?"

Delilah is just like everyone other 15 year old girl, just trying to survive high school and find her place in the world. One day, she finds a misshelved book in the school library and decides to check out the fairy tale for herself. Feeling a connection to the book, she finds she can't put it down. Having read it over and over, she begins to notice little changes and wonders if there is more to the story then just the words on the page.

Oliver is just like any fairy tale prince, any prince that knows he is just a character in a book that is. He is not in love with the fair maiden, and is tired of living the same story over and over. For him, there is no happily ever after because there is no "after" and he wants out. When he and Delilah realize they can hear each other, they begin plotting to get Oliver out from between the lines and into Delilah's world. But can love really conquer all?

I read Between the Lines straight through, only stopping for meals, and found it wonderfully breezy. Would have made a great beach read, and hopefully will be published in time to be one for this summer. This would also probably be a good place to admit that I have never read a Jodi Picoult book before, so I had no preconceived notions of writing style or content. This will be an easy book to recommend to tweens and their mothers who are worried about language and content.   

But two things kept jumping out at me as I was reading it. First, it reminded me of one of my favorite series because I love the concept of what happens when a book is closed. I am sure that the idea of a character knowing that they are just a character in a book will make some wonder what on earth the author was thinking. For those non-believers, I encourage you to discover the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde. Meet Thursday and get lost in bookworld for a while:) The second thing is that every once and a while, you are lucky enough to find a story that speaks to you. You feel like you are a part of it and that every time you open up its pages it is like returning home. For Delilah, that is exactly what happened. No matter what else one can say about this book, the lesson that a love of books and reading is one that any librarian can agree with!