Scan barcode
A review by aejohnson85
Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult, Samantha van Leer
4.0
I was excited to receive this Advance Reader Copy through Goodreads First Reads! Between the Lines is Jodi Picoult's first YA book, co-written with her daughter.
I was drawn to the book as I am a huge fan of fairy tales and the idea of characters coming to life was intriguing. The story is told through three point of views - Delilah (in the real world), Oliver (the fairy tale prince trapped in the story) and the fairy tale itself (aptly named Between the Lines).
Delilah is a fifteen year old outcast who would rather read than do anything else. She finds herself drawn to a fairy tale and the main character, Prince Oliver, who had also lost his father at a young age.
Prince Oliver is trapped within the pages of the fairy tale, forced to replay the story over and over again each time the book is opened. He wishes to find a way out of the story and into the "real world." What I found most interesting was the idea of the characters living on the pages even when the book is closed - however, the characters are not exactly the same as they are when playing their parts in the fairy tale - Oliver is NOT in love with Seraphima, the mermaids are not boy crazy, etc. This reminded me a bit of Toy Story - the idea that they have a life of their own when we're not looking.
Eventually Delilah notices something has changed within the illustrations of the book and is able to converse with Oliver. What follows is their attempt to get Oliver to the real world so that they can have their happily ever after.
This book is very sweet and also quite humorous at times, especially with the fairy tale characters (loved Frump and Socks!). I thought it was cute that Picoult played a bit with the readers as well, with Oliver suggesting that Delilah was naive to think that characters stop existing just because she closes the book. He questions how does she know that she's not part of a book and that someone could be reading her story - a cute little joke between Picoult and the reader.
Between the Lines was a thoroughly enjoyable read. My ARC copy had gorgeous black and white sketches of scenes from the fairy tale and I am quite eager to see what the final illustrations will look like! If you're looking for a good YA read with a relatable main character, make sure to check out Between the Lines.
I was drawn to the book as I am a huge fan of fairy tales and the idea of characters coming to life was intriguing. The story is told through three point of views - Delilah (in the real world), Oliver (the fairy tale prince trapped in the story) and the fairy tale itself (aptly named Between the Lines).
Delilah is a fifteen year old outcast who would rather read than do anything else. She finds herself drawn to a fairy tale and the main character, Prince Oliver, who had also lost his father at a young age.
Prince Oliver is trapped within the pages of the fairy tale, forced to replay the story over and over again each time the book is opened. He wishes to find a way out of the story and into the "real world." What I found most interesting was the idea of the characters living on the pages even when the book is closed - however, the characters are not exactly the same as they are when playing their parts in the fairy tale - Oliver is NOT in love with Seraphima, the mermaids are not boy crazy, etc. This reminded me a bit of Toy Story - the idea that they have a life of their own when we're not looking.
Eventually Delilah notices something has changed within the illustrations of the book and is able to converse with Oliver. What follows is their attempt to get Oliver to the real world so that they can have their happily ever after.
This book is very sweet and also quite humorous at times, especially with the fairy tale characters (loved Frump and Socks!). I thought it was cute that Picoult played a bit with the readers as well, with Oliver suggesting that Delilah was naive to think that characters stop existing just because she closes the book. He questions how does she know that she's not part of a book and that someone could be reading her story - a cute little joke between Picoult and the reader.
Between the Lines was a thoroughly enjoyable read. My ARC copy had gorgeous black and white sketches of scenes from the fairy tale and I am quite eager to see what the final illustrations will look like! If you're looking for a good YA read with a relatable main character, make sure to check out Between the Lines.