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!

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, All Henrico Reads 2012

One of the best things we do in Henrico County is our annual event, All Henrico Reads. This large event is a partnership between the Public Library, the Friends of the Library and the Henrico County Public Schools. I was thrilled to attend my third this week to listen to Garth Stein discuss our AHR title for 2012, his book The Art of Racing in the Rain.

What was great about Stein was that he really focused on the book, he read three passages from it and discussed the character creation and all the struggles he had to get it published.

Since with such a large crowd (easily around 900) it is really hard to answer questions from the audience, so he actually saved us the trouble and answered what he considered some of the top questions he is asked about this book.

1.       Where did the idea come from? No one place, it’s just like making a stew. Inspiration is everywhere and as long as you pay attention it comes together. As far as having the book narrated by a dog, that came from paying attention at an event he was at. He heard Billy Collins read his poem The Revenant, and the narrator is a dog that was just put to sleep. This was the inspiration to have the dog as the narrator for his upcoming book.

2.       How did the dog get the name Enzo? The original name was Juan Pablo, after a famous race car driver, but his wife said no. Later on when she was pregnant he wanted to name the child Enzo, after Enzo Ferrari, but she said no, but suggested that become the dog’s name instead! So Enzo it became.

I really appreciated how funny he was, yet made some great points and really championed the library!

Stein really highlighted the best thing about using a dog as the narrator is that you get to think about life from a very unique and bizarre perspective. For example, "imagine coming home and seeing your husband lying naked on the kitchen floor. You would kick his butt! But you come home to your dog doing the exact same thing? You shower him with love. "

One thing he mentioned that was key to getting the book published was an author dinner he attended in Seattle. There were 35 tables and 35 authors that rotated between all tables during the course of the dinner. Of course the authors got to eat dinner beforehand together. How great would this be if maybe the Virginia Library Association or even the Library of Virginia could get an event like this started in Virginia.

His publicist told him after reviewing the initial draft that there was no way he could ever get this book published. No one would ever be able to sell a book narrated by a dog. So he fired him. It was at this author dinner that he introduced himself as Garth Stein and that he was really frustrated. He had this great book but he couldn’t get it published because it was narrated by a dog. So another author at the table jumped right up and said, contact my publicist, he got my book published and it was narrated by a crow! So he did, and that is how The Art of Racing in the Rain got published. And I for one am glad that it did.

I will leave you with this, one of my favorite points that he made during the evening. "We should treat everyone more like dogs. Think about it. There would be fewer expectations of each other and more unconditional love." Now that is a world I think we would all like to live in!

Shakespeare, Remixed

Falling for Hamlet by Michelle Ray

Ophelia is just like any other teenage girl, who just happens to be in an on again, off again romance with the Prince of Denmark.  Falling for Hamlet is a modern day retelling of Shakespeare’s play Hamlet told from Ophelia’s point of view. Told in three parallel stories; Ophelia tells you what really happened, what she tells the public and what the government thinks happened. After the King’s death, Hamlet descends into madness, convinced that it was not natural causes that killed his father. As Hamlet spirals deeper out of control, Ophelia is torn between duty to herself and her family and her love of Hamlet.

        

Ray, Michelle. Falling for Hamlet. New York: Poppy, Hatchette Book Group, 2011. ISBN-13: 978-0-316-10162-2. (hardback). Ages 14+

Romeo’s Ex: Rosaline’s Story by Lisa Fielder

We all know the tragic tale of one Romeo and his Juliet. But while Romeo was falling in love with Juliet, there might have been more to the Capulet and Montague tale. Fielder takes the classic tale and uses the original plot as the side story to tell the story of Juliet’s cousin, Rosaline. Who wants nothing more than to be sworn off love and men so that she may focus on becoming a healer. Told from alternating points of view with Rosaline, Benvolio, Mercutio, Tybalt and Romeo narrating the story in a combination of attempted Elizabethan and modern day English, with a few original verses from the play mixed in. With so many versions of Romeo and Juliet around, it was refreshing to read one that didn’t end in death.

Fielder, Lisa . Romeo’s Ex: Rosaline’s Story. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2006. ISBN-13: 978-0-8050-7500-7. (hardback). Ages 12+

I enjoyed Falling for Hamlet much more than I enjoyed Romeo’s Ex, but I believe that if Fiedler was to update her story today, as a modern tale then it would have been much more interesting. What I did love was that she tried to update the Elizabethan English in such a way that it was easy to understand, and I really enjoyed the interspersing quotes from the play. Yes, it could have seemed silly, but since she followed the plot so closely, they provided nice reference points to the play. Unfortunately, there were just a few moments when I was left wondering, what on earth is she trying to do? No matter how hard an author tries, somethings are just not medically possible.

What I loved the most about Ray’s retelling is that she didn’t just take the story and retell it from a different point of view. She updated it to what it would be like if it happened today; with the paparazzi and the media, and the frenzy that follows the royal family. Those who are familiar with the original play will appreciate that Ray left the names the same. Having not read Hamlet before, I appreciated this because I was able to look up the story and compare it very quickly. A great story for a mother and daughter to share with each other! One thing I love to do is compare books with my mom, which is one of the reasons I am such an avid reader to this day. Her memory to remember stories and details, even from books she hasn't read since she was in high school amazes me. So when I handed her Falling for Hamlet, she was able to quickly give me a comparison. Who needs wikipedia when you have mom? I loved Ray's concept, and can't wait to see which stories she retells next.