Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Between the Lines
Between the Lines
Between the Lines
Ebook356 pages4 hours

Between the Lines

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

()

Read preview

About this ebook

Soon to be an off-Broadway musical!

In this delightful companion novel to Off the Page, #1 New York Times bestselling authors Jodi Picoult and her daughter and cowriter, Samantha van Leer, present the YA novel that started it all! Filled with romance, adventure, and humor, the magic jumps off the page (literally) in a story you’ll never forget.

What happens when happily ever after…isn’t?

Delilah is a bit of a loner who prefers spending her time in the school library with her head in a book—one book in particular. Between the Lines may be a fairy tale, but it feels real. Prince Oliver is brave, adventurous, and loving. He really speaks to Delilah.

And then one day Oliver actually speaks to her. Turns out, Oliver is more than a one-dimensional storybook prince. He’s a restless teen who feels trapped by his literary existence and hates that his entire life is predetermined. He’s sure there’s more for him out there in the real world, and Delilah might just be his key to freedom.

A romantic and charming story, this companion novel to Off the Page will make every reader believe in the fantastical power of fairy tales.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJun 26, 2012
ISBN9781451635829
Author

Jodi Picoult

JODI PICOULT is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-six novels. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the New England Bookseller Award for Fiction, the ALA’s Alex Award, the New Hampshire Literary Award for Outstanding Literary Merit, and the prestigious Sarah Josepha Hale Award in recognition of her distinguished body of written work. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband. They have three children. You can visit her website at wwww.jodipicoult.com  

Read more from Jodi Picoult

Related to Between the Lines

Related ebooks

YA Books & Libraries For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for Between the Lines

Rating: 3.7313432835820897 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

67 ratings49 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Magical story for book lovers

    Best YA story I have ever read. Mind-stretching, wonderful romp that breaks through the theatrical fourth wall to bring reader and author together in the magic of storytelling.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    So am I the only one who thinks this is a poor knock off of "The Great Good Thing"?
    Also I'm halfway through the book and find a glaring error- at the beginning Delilah explains that she is hugely unpopular because during gym she swung a bat and accidentally broke the knee of a popular cheerleader. Her best friend Jules moved into town the next week and became her best friend because she thought it was funny and was the only one who would speak to Delilah. Now halfway through, Jules is asking why Delilah is neglecting their friendship and she says when Delilah accidentally tripped the cheerleader during the hundred meter dash during field day and broke her knee, Jules was the first to know and talk her out off running away to Mexico. Whaaaaat? I hate errors in punctuation and grammar, but errors such as the characters not even knowing their own back story is just laziness by the authors and editors and contempt for the reader.
    Just found another one- Oliver earlier in the book mentions that the Dragon has new red bands on his braces during downtime from the story. Later on he says the Dragon's braces disappear every time the book is closed.
    While I'm at it, another thing that bugs me is everyone's insistence that it is abnormal for a teenage girl to read fairytales. Yeah, right. So then why are YA fairytale retellings so popular? I read the complete works of Hans Christian Anderson and the Grimm Brothers several times through in high school. Those are two LARGE books to lug around, let me tell you.
    Still, I might read the sequel just to see how they work it out. Hopefully the editing will have gotten better? Maybe?
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Having read a number of paranormal and dystopian novels recently, "Between the Lines" is a breath of fresh air. It's cute, romantic and very entertaining. I love the different perspectives and how the actual fairytale is woven between Prince Oliver and Delilah's alternating viewpoints. The premise is extremely clever, and the beautiful illustrations and black and white silhouettes throughout add to the book's overall charm. Having always been a fan of fairy-tales, I found this a magical read with a delightful happily-ever-after ending. While this won't appeal to everyone, I loved it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Fun story concept!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Have you ever fallen love with a character in a book? Has a character in a book ever fallen in love with you?

    In this book, Prince Oliver wants to not be part of the fairy tale, which he is written...and Delilah is addicted to the same book, and her life is torn upside down, when Oliver begins to talk to her from the book...

    Much of the story is their journey to get Oliver into Delilah's world, and their failed attempts... Oliver finds a way to bring Delilah into the fairy tale, only to discover that she didn't want to leave her world.

    Will they get her back into her world? Will Oliver be able to come with her?


    Loved the tale, the ending left me with too many loose ends...but you have to read the book in order to know what I'm talking about.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Delilah is a loner, a misfit, and a dreamer. She prefers spending her time buried in a book - Between the Lines - which is a fairy tale that has captured her imagination. The main character Prince Oliver feels so real to her. Then one day he talks to her...Oliver is tired of repeating the same series of events over and over whenever anyone opens the pages of the book. He really isn't at all enchanted with the princess that his is destined to save. While lovely, Seraphina isn't very bright and, besides, his best friend Frump who was magically turned into a dog has a major crush on her.This was an imaginative and engaging story. Who hasn't thought that the characters in books had a secret life when the covers were closed? I liked Oliver's determination in finding a way to get out of the story and Delilah's determination to help him. I liked what this book said about the power of story.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Okay, so characters in a book being alive on their own when the story isn't being read and wanting to leave the story? This is one of those things that is really hard to write believably, but the mother-daughter team pulled it off. I guess the thing that amazes me the most about this story is the fact that they made it work. The love story is cute, the fairy tale within the story is pretty good on its own, and the way everything is woven together works well. I'll definitely be hunting for more of Picoult's books (that's how I ended up reading this one), but I'll also be watching for Van Leer.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book is about Delilah who is obsessed with a fairy tale. In fact, she is so obsessed with it her mum thinks she has depression or some other mental illness. Especially when she starts talking to Oliver, the prince in the story. Except she isn't crazy, because Oliver talks back. Overtime, they fall in love but will they ever be able to truly be together? That is the question that dominates the majority of this, admittedly not very long, book. The characters are gorgeous although there is a bit of the typical 'shy girl obsessed with books with the weird best friend' cliche but overall, it was quite good. This being said, Delilah's life does fall apart without this book as she is obsessed with it (in a medical all-consuming kind of way) and eventually this does have a lot to do with Oliver but it is more than that- she relates to his character due to the passing of her father and his 'father'. In conclusion, there are a few hit-and-miss things about this book and it won't be for everyone but I personally really enjoyed it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The story doesn't really focus on love stories and the adventure part of the story is very exciting. There is a lot that can be learned from this book, I feel like I can relate to the characters. I loved it ?
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I was given Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer by the PR company in England who is promoting it in exchange for an honest review.

    The book is written by the best selling author Jodi Picoult and her teenage daughter Samantha Van Leer. The idea for this book was actually Van Leer's, and what a fantastic idea it was!

    What happens after you close a book? What happens to the characters in the book? What if they actually had their own lives which went on after a book was closed?

    Oliver is a character in a children's fairy tale. However, he wonders if there's something more out there. He wants to escape into the Otherworld which is the reader's world. He is sick of being stuck in a fairy tale doing the same things over and over with the same people.

    Delilah is a 15 year old girl who just doesn't fit in. She daydreams about falling in love with her prince charming. However, her prince charming is a character in a children's fairy tale.

    To sum up the plot, Delilah and Oliver try to find a way to get Oliver out of his fairy tale book. You are shown the struggles of which they try to do this. Will Delilah ever get to be with her prince?

    I loved this book. Everything about it was great. The plot was well thought out and very original. I actually felt like I was part of the story. What also makes it great is it kind of feels like you are getting two stories for the price of one. The reader is told the actual fairy tale for the most part as well as the actual story.

    The actual story is told from Oliver and Delilah's point of view which I love! That way you can get how each character is feeling.

    Also, the other character is this book are very well thought out and say some amazing things! My favourite supporting character was the trusty steed Socks. He was always worrying about how he looked and would come out with some funny lines!

    One other thing I enjoyed about this book was the illustrations. They are beautifully drawn, and I believe it makes this book that much more interesting.

    If you are looking for something a bit different to read, don't pass up this book. It is amazing, and you won't be disappointed.

    I give it a 5 out of 5.

    (This review is also posted on my blog).
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This was such a fun, light-hearted and feel-good story. It carries Jodi Picoult's name as its author, but it was actually written by her young daughter and was probably intended for younger than the YA age group that its advertised for. Delilah seems like your typical teenage girl who happens to love a certain fairytale. Yet when she reads the fairy tale, she notices that certain things are changing within the fairy tale itself. The characters are very different within the fairy tale itself, and they have roles that they are intended to play withing the story they are a part of in the book. They're lives are very different. Then we find that Delilah and Oliver can communicate with each other. At first Delilah think she is losing her mind but soon learns that Oliver wants to get out of the book. As Delilah and Oliver try to find different ideas to accomplish this, they find that none of them are working out very well. I won't go any further with the plot because it will ruin the outcome for anyone that may read it.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I can't decide if I adore this book or am disgusted/disappointed by this book. It depends on how I feel. I'd much rather see strong female characters able to be fine without a guy, yet I do enjoy old fashion romance mixed in.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Delilah is in high school and obsessed with a fairy tale she finds in the school library. While reading the book one day she notices something drawn onto the sand on Everafter Beach, something that was never there before. Delilah's observation gives Oliver the courage to carve a plea for help into the cliff he's climbing on a page in the fairy tale where he's all alone. He wants out of the book and needs Delilah's help. Together they brainstorm ways to get him out of the book and into her world.

    I really like the concept for this book, but the whole thing was boring and forgettable with a somewhat disappointing ending.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I don't know what's better - this sweet, magical story or the fact that it's a mother-daughter collaboration. Have you ever read a book that you enjoyed so much you wish that it wasn't fiction? Did you ever fall in love with a character in a story that you wish he/she is real? I think we all have, I for one wished I was one of Nancy Drew's friends when I was young, or that I was a librarian at Hogwarts:) Well, this book explores those questions. Fifteen year old Delilah is struggling socially at school and life in general. She tries to escape her troubles by reading her favorite fairytale - Between the Lines. However, she starts noticing something weird about the book. It was subtle at first, until one day she discovers she can actually interact with the main character of the story - Prince Oliver. Soon they find themselves falling in love, but will their feelings be strong enough to transcend the tremendous barrier between them? I like how the story was written alternately in Delilah's and Oliver's pov. Pages from Oliver's actual tale are also interspersed, it's like reading a book within a book. I like that the text color changes depending on who is narrating and that the book also has illustrations.I found Delilah's character annoying at times, she strikes me as a tad selfish (which she admits on page 293). But all in all I enjoyed reading this book and I'm looking forward to reading its companion book - Off the Page.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Intresting plot. Sappy YA romance tendencies. Not sure I would go through all that effort myself. Read the entire book so it must have been good.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A very cute story with a great ending. I loved the twist!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It was an enjoyable read and what I thought was an implausible plot became very intriguing by the end of the book.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    After anxiously awaiting this year's new Picoult book, I was pretty bummed to see that it was a YA novel, filled with pictures and a fairy-tale plot, and half-written by somebody that didn't write as gloriously as my favorite author of all time, ever.

    AND YET.

    It wasn't all that bad. It was pretty damn good, actually, for what it aimed to be. It's a story for teenagers--falling in love for the first time, coming to accept and love yourself despite your flaws. With that said, nothing of significant importance was imparted to me upon my quick read of this at Barnes and Noble today (a comfy seat in the cafe, a large Hot Chocolate and I wiped this bad boy out). It didn't pack anywhere near the amount of punch that Jodi's best novels sometimes do, but it was sweet. I laughed out loud a few times--to the disapproval of my Cafe neighbors--and read my sister full paragraphs that I thought were cute. But that's about the extent of it.



  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I read this mostly to see what the authors would do at the end.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a very interesting story about what the characters in our favorite books are doing when the book is closed, and how one of the characters is searching for a way out the book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Definitely going to buy a copy of this book at the first opportunity I get!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    In this story we have a lonely 15 year old girl who's only comfort is books. Delilah, through no fault of her own, does not seem to fit in at school and a string of accidents involving one of the popular girls leaves her an outcast for good. She does have Jules, her only friend, but upon discovering a the book Between the Lines in the school library, Delilah has now found another friendships of sorts with the characters in this book for kids much younger than her self.Delilah's obsession with this book is getting out of hand, her mother is worried about the amount of time she spends reading, but she doesn't understand the connection she has or the spark she felt when she first held it. For Delilah, its how the story stays the same that draws her in but the prince Oliver who keeps her coming back for more. She knows the story is for children, but the she cant help but see her self in Oliver, someone who like herself grew up without a father. She loves the familiarity of knowing what's going to happen and how things stay the same, until one day everything changes. She soon finds out that where she longs to jump into the story, Prince Oliver is desperate to get out.She's gone crazy, or isn't far of. That's the only explanation as to why the characters, or one in particular, is now talking to her right?. Oliver needs her help to break free of his role, they are all actors he tells her, every time the book closes they go about their life waiting till their next performance, the next time the book is opened and read. But Oliver is not happy any more, he longs for a different life and he believes Deliah can give it to him.She was focused on the book before, but now its completely consumed her life. She's stopped taking notice of anything going on around her, even her best friend, her sole purpose now to help Oliver. But in doing so she finds her self more alone than she was before, no one can hear him talking other than herself and when her mum forces her to get help, believe she is just crazy, she starts doubting her self. Everything she's trying to do in order to help Oliver is falling, and its looking more and more like he will forever stay apart of this book despite what he wants. I have been a fan of Jodi Picoult since I was 18, I have read 9 of her books ( I have to start reading her books again) and I have felt wowed after every single one, so when I first heard she was doing a YA I was partly worried and excited. I was worried because I thought that it wouldn't be as good as her others and that it just wouldn't work and that's why I put of this book for so long. I wish I hadn't though, I wish I didn't doubt her.I love everything about this story. I love the character's, I love the story within a story, I love the little illustrations I just love it. But what I love the most about it is I really feel like I connected with Delilah. How many of us have read a book and become so obsessed with it that we wished to pluck a character out or just jump in ourself? I know I have and I think you'd be lying if you said you hadn't felt it even once. The way a connection between the reader and book is captured in the story is amazing. Yes I saw the ending coming but it didn't take away the joy I felt having read it.The characters were lovely, even the sub characters. Each of them had their own story to tell and each of them got to tell that in one way or another. The only character I felt we didn't get enough about was Jules so that was a bit of a let down but I'm happy to say it was the only one. The idea behind this story was just so unique and brilliant that it leads me to ask the question, why hasn't anyone thought of it before? and if they have and I'm just missing the books where can I find more like this? I know some people had grievances about the book, not everyone can like it. But I for one am not one of those people :).
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    3.75 stars. I think this is a fun book to recommend for younger teen girls. And I thought the multiple view points and use of color and illustrations added a nice feel to the story. I didn't have any expectations for this going in so I may have enjoyed it more than those expecting more.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    My love of reading and books started with the classic fairy tales, which found their natural progression into books by Enid Blyton. I remember being fascinated with toys which came to life in the nursery, at night or when no one was there. (Before there was 'Toy Story', there was Amelia Jane.) I often imagined about the lives of Saucepan Man and Moon-Face atop the Magic Faraway Tree, and when I was not reading about them, I wondered what they were up to and dreamt about joining them on their adventures. But I digress...

    It is on a somewhat similar premise that this book is based: a book character wanting to be more than just the role he plays in the story, and of a teenage reader who reads between the lines and sees beyond the printed page, who attempts to set him free.

    Despite being marketed as a teenage / young adult read, there are some morsels of philosophical food-for-thought. (WARNING: *Some* disclosure (not spoiler) which you might not want to read before the book, in which case, skip the rest of this paragraph) -------- When the book is closed, the characters in the fairy tale live lives outside of the plot written for them in the story. They are imbued with abilities and personalities not evident or contradictory to the roles cast for them in the fairy tale. The observation was made (by one of the protagonists) that when the creator (author) penned those words, the characters were also woven with abilities and knowledge inherent in the author. This made me think of us mere mortals 'programmed' with innate gifts and talents (blessings) from our Creator, to be actualized outside of the day-to-day roles we play.

    I picked up this book because I am a fan of Jodi Picoult's and was curious to see how different this one would be, being that it was co-authored with her daughter, and a deviation from her usual genre. For a book with such a simple premise, it certainly had enough twists and turns -- which while I was reading, I kept thinking that I would not have thought about that (twist).

    I say this book is for the young-at-heart, for those who dream of stories coming alive, or for those who find themselves easily lost in the stories they read.

  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    This book was okay. It took me a while to read it. I thought the ending was crap. I was expecting more from the ending and it just left me flat. The whole story was all over the place. I think I would rather read the book that inside the book. It sounded more interesting than this story was.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I enjoyed this book and devoured it within 24 hours, but overall it is quite a shallow read. The fairy tale nature to it is delightful - and the illustrations are gorgeous and I also rather liked the concept. The idea that the characters in a book are desperate to escape is an original one. However, the storyline was instrinsically stagnant - the entire book is devoted to finding ways to get Oliver out of the book, with the majority of them failing miserably, when I think the more exciting story would be: what happened next? How is a prince from a fairytale kingdom where nothing ever chances, going to adapt to life in the vast and strange world that is Earth?

    Also, whilst I did initially like Delilah as a character - the lonely outsider that seeks solace in books, and would rather fantasize about imaginary "perfect" boys than real world (and thus imperfect) ones, her selfishness and stubborness grated on me after a time. She becomes so obsessed with Oliver, a fictious character, whom she barely knows, that she abandons her best friend, upsets her mother and skips out of school. Still, she is a teenager.

    Overall, the story was interesting enough to keep me reading and had some quite amusing moments. A decent read, but nothing to rave about. It felt kind of fluffy, the sort of teenage fantasy that one might develop should one be a teenage girl with few friends and a love of literature. Oh wait, it is.

    There were some cute quotes and nice observations about books too - that once the book is written it ceases to be the author's and becomes the reader's, for example.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Between the Lines is perfectly balanced with romance, action and modern day problems. What caught my attention was the first paragraph, about Oliver not having a dad growing up, then in the next chapter when he says, 'You know when they say happily ever after? It's not.' It was that line that caught my attention entirely! This book reminds me on what drama to expect in High School. Truthfully I really like Jules' attitude on the popular people and horror movies. I nearly cried when Oliver got hit in the chest with fire from Pyro. Frump, by all was the greatest friend Oliver has.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I loved this story! What an intriguing plot line. What if the characters in the books you read were real, and they were just putting on a show each time you read the words? What if those same characters had a desire to escape their pages and become a part of your world. Oliver is stuck inside the pages of a fairy tale he was written to, never thinking he could be heard, until one reader, Delilah, sees him as a person, not a fictional character. Their lives intertwine as they search for a way to get Oliver to escape his pages.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I think just about every little girl out there loves a good fairy tale. One that has the typical happy ending where the prince and the princess ride off into the sunset together. Wouldn't it be interesting though if the fairy tale were just a little bit different? What if you opened up a fairy tale and the characters came alive? In fact they had there own unique world when the book was closed and considered themselves actors when it was opened? This book is one such story about a girl named Delilah. A girl that finds herself abandoned by her father and a burden to her mother. Trying to forget her pain she buries herself in a fairy tale and begins to imagine the main lead character come to life. Is she having a nervous breakdown or is there something really special about the story? I truly enjoyed this book! It was such a different spin on the standard fairy tale story that it was very refreshing. I loved the concept and it was incredibly unique. The illustrations in the book are fabulous and really add something special to the story. I found myself really rooting for Delilah! I have to recommend this story and would actually say that if you do not read this book then you are missing out on a new genre. It was very different from most young adult novels that I have read and would love to see more stories like this. I think if there were more books like this than they would be bought up. Great job authors!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book is sweet and funny. A girl falls in love with the handsome prince in a fairy story, and has to work out how to free him from the book.There is nothing hugely unexpected about this story, and it felt slightly longer than it needed to be. I also felt sorry for Edgar - he runs away deeper to live in a fantasy world, as the price of Oliver's freedom. The love is very teenage, OMG Emotions - Oliver doesn't do much to make Deliah fall for him other than be handsome and in need of help. Well, I guess story-Oliver is clever and daring, but the whole point of the book is that story-Oliver is not real-Oliver, so that doesn't help. It's a nice analogy if you view it as someone who falls in love with a character in a movie getting together with the movie star though.

Book preview

Between the Lines - Jodi Picoult

contents

Dedication

A Note from Jodi Picoult

The Beginning

Oliver

Delilah

Page 11

Oliver

Delilah

Page 27

Oliver

Delilah

Page 31

Oliver

Delilah

Page 32

Oliver

Delilah

Page 37

Oliver

Delilah

Page 40

Oliver

Delilah

Page 44

Oliver

Delilah

Page 52

Oliver

Delilah

Page 58

Oliver

Delilah

Page 60

Oliver

Acknowledgments

Off the Page Excerpt

About Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer

To Ema,

Who will always be

the hero in my story.

Love,

Sammy

To Tim,

Because sometimes

fairy tales do come true.

Love,

Jodi

A Note from Jodi Picoult

I was on a book tour in Los Angeles when my telephone rang. Mom, my daughter, Sammy, said. I think I have a pretty good idea for a book.

This was not extraordinary. Of my three children, Sammy has always been the one with an imagination that is unparalleled. When other kids were playing stuffed animals, Sammy would scatter her toys around the house and create elaborate scenarios—this teddy bear is wounded and stuck on top of Mt. Everest and needs a rescue dog to climb to the top and save him. In second grade, her teacher called me to ask if I’d type up Sammy’s short story. Apparently, it was forty pages long. He sent it home with my daughter, and I fully expected a rambling stream of words—instead, I wound up reading a very cohesive story about a duck and a fish that meet on a pond and become best friends. The duck invites the fish to dinner and the fish says he’d love to come. But then the fish has second thoughts: What if I am dinner?

That, ladies and gentlemen, is called CONFLICT, and it’s the one thing you can’t teach. You are either born a storyteller or not, and my daughter—at age seven—seemed to have an intrinsic sense of how to craft literary tension. Sammy’s creativity continued to blossom as she grew up. Her nightmares are so vivid they’d give Stephen King a run for his money. As a teenager, she has written poetry that made me hunt down my own poetry journals from way back when—only to realize she is a much better writer than I ever was at that age.

So… when Sammy told me she had an interesting idea for a YA book, I listened carefully.

And you know what? She was right.

What if the characters in a book had lives of their own after the cover was closed? What if the act of reading was just these characters performing a play, over and over… but those characters still had dreams, hopes, wishes, and aspirations beyond the roles they acted out on a daily basis for the reader? And what if one of those characters desperately wanted get out of his book?

Better yet, what if one of his readers fell in love with him and decided to help?

Mom, Sammy said as I languished in Los Angeles traffic. What if we wrote the book together?

Okay, I told her, "but that means we’re writing it. Not me."

What ensued were two years of weekends, school vacations, and evenings spent side by side at my computer, diligently crafting a story together. I think Sammy was surprised by how much hard work it is to sit and imagine for hours at a time; for my part, I learned that if you think it’s hard to get your daughter to clean her room, it’s even harder to get her to stay focused on finishing a chapter when it’s nice outside. We took turns typing, and literally spoke every sentence out loud. I would say one line, then Sammy would jump in with the next. The coolest moments were when we tripped over each other’s sentences and discovered we were thinking the same thing—it was sort of like we were having the same dream, so that in the act of writing, we were telepathic.

Sometimes when I’m reading a great book, I think, Wow, I wish I’d been the one to think up that story line. It has been an honor to have that same reaction when the story line was conceived by my own daughter. When Sammy first called me with her idea, I thought it was a great one. I hope, as you read Between the Lines, you think so too.

the beginning

Once upon a time in a land far, far away there lived a brave king and a beautiful queen, who were so much in love that wherever they went, people stopped what they were doing just to watch them pass. Peasant wives who were fighting with their husbands suddenly forgot the reason for the argument; little boys who had been putting spiders in the braids of little girls tried to steal a kiss instead; artists wept because nothing they could create on canvas came close to approximating the purity of the love between King Maurice and Queen Maureen. On the day they learned that they were going to have a child, it is said that a rainbow brighter and grander than anything ever seen before arched across the kingdom, as if the sky itself was waving a banner of joy.

But not everyone was happy for the king and queen. In a cave at the far edge of the kingdom lived a man who had sworn off love. When you have been burned by fire once, you don’t leap into the flames again. Once upon a time, Rapscullio had expected to be living his own fairy tale, with his own happy ending, with a girl who had looked past his scarred face and gnarled limbs and had shown kindness to him when the rest of the world didn’t. In his mind, he replayed the day he had been shoved roughly into the mud by schoolmates—only to find the most slender white hand reaching out to help him up. How he had grabbed on to her, this angel, imagining her as his lifeline! He’d spent days composing poetry in her honor and painting portraits that never did her beauty justice, waiting for just the right moment to confess his love—only to find her in the arms of a man he could never be: someone tall, strong, and destined for greatness. Rapscullio had then grown darker and more twisted by his own hate every day. His portraits of his beloved had given way to intricate plans for revenge against the man who had single-handedly ruined his life: King Maurice.

One night, a roar rose from outside the gates of the kingdom, unlike any other sound heard before. The ground shook and a streak of fire shot through the sky, burning the thatched roofs of the village. King Maurice and Queen Maureen ran out of the castle to see a monstrous black beast with scaled wings the size of a ship’s sails, its eyes as red as embers. It stormed through the night sky, hissing sulfurous breath and spitting flames. Rapscullio had painted a dragon onto a magical canvas, and the demon had come to life. The king looked at the panicked faces of his subjects and turned to his wife, but she had fallen to her knees in pain. The baby, she whispered. It’s coming.

Torn between love and duty, the king knew what he had to do. He kissed his beloved wife where she lay in bed with her maids attending her, and promised to be back in time to meet his son. Then, with a hundred knights armored in glinting silver, he raised his sword high and rode out across the castle drawbridge on a wave of bravery and passion.

But it is no easy feat to best a dragon. As he watched his loyal soldiers being torn from their mounts and flung to their deaths by the fiery beast, King Maurice knew that he had to take matters into his own hands. He grabbed the sword of a fallen knight in his left hand and, holding his own sword in his right, stepped forward to challenge the dragon.

As the night grew deeper, and the battle raged outside the castle walls, the queen struggled to bring her son into the world. As was the tradition for royal babies, the kingdom’s fairies arrived bearing gifts just as the newborn was delivered. They hovered, incandescent, above the queen, who was out of her mind with pain and worry for her husband.

The first fairy sent a spray of light over the bed, so bright that the queen had to turn away. I give this child wisdom, the fairy said.

The second fairy sprinkled a flash of heat that surrounded the queen where she lay. I give this child loyalty, she promised.

The third fairy had been planning to gift the royal child with courage, because every royal child needs a healthy dose of bravery. But before she could offer her gift, Queen Maureen suddenly sat up in bed, her eyes wide with a vision of her husband on the battlefield, in the fierce clutches of the dragon. Please, she cried. Save him!

The fairies looked at each other, confused. The baby lay on the mattress, silent and still. They had attended plenty of births where the baby never drew its first breath. The third fairy tossed aside the courage she had been planning to give the child. I give him life, she said, the word swirling yellow from her lips into her palm. With a kiss, she blew it into the mouth of the newborn.

It was said in the kingdom that at the very moment Prince Oliver cried for the first time, his father, King Maurice, cried out for the last.

*   *   *

It’s not easy to grow up without a father. At age sixteen, Prince Oliver had never really been given the chance to just be a kid. Instead of playing tag, he had to learn seventeen languages. Instead of reading bedtime stories, he had to memorize the laws of the kingdom. He loved his mother, but it seemed to Oliver that no matter who he was, he would never be the person she wanted him to be. Sometimes he would hear her in her chambers, talking to someone, and when he entered there would be nobody with her. When she looked at his black hair and blue eyes, and remarked on how tall he was getting and how much he resembled his father, she always seemed to be on the verge of tears. As far as he could see, there was one critical difference between himself and his heroic late father: courage. Oliver was smart and loyal, but he was a complete disappointment when it came to bravery. In an effort to make his mother happy, Oliver overcompensated, spending his teenage years trying to do everything else right. On Mondays, he held court so that the peasants could bring him their disputes. He conceived of a way to rotate crops in the kingdom so that the storerooms were always full, even in the harshest of winters. He worked with Orville, the kingdom wizard, to create heat-resistant armor just in case there was ever another dragon attack (although he nearly passed out with anxiety when he had to test the armor by walking through a bonfire). He was sixteen, fully old enough to take over the throne, yet neither his mother nor his subjects were in any hurry to make that happen. And how could he blame them? Kings protected their countries. And Oliver was in absolutely no rush to go into battle.

He knew why, of course. His own father had died wielding a sword; Oliver preferred to stay alive, and swords didn’t figure into that plan. It would have all been different if his dad had been there to teach him how to fight. But his mother wouldn’t even let him pick up a kitchen knife. Oliver’s only recollection of mock violence was at age ten with a friend named Figgins, the son of the royal baker, who would pretend to fight dragons and pirates with him in the courtyard, but one day Figgins vanished. (Oliver, in fact, had always wondered if his mother might have been behind this disappearance, in an effort to keep him from even playing at battle.) The only friend Oliver had ever had after that, really, was a stray dog that appeared the very afternoon Figgins disappeared. And although Frump the hound was a fine pal, he couldn’t help Oliver practice his fencing skills. Thus Oliver grew up nursing a colossal secret: he was thrilled that he hadn’t ridden off into battle or jousted in a tournament, or even punched someone during an argument… because deep down, he was terrified.

This secret, however, could last only as long as peace reigned. The fact that the dragon that had killed his father had slunk over the mountains and lain dormant for sixteen years didn’t mean he wasn’t planning a return visit. And when that happened, all the law Oliver had memorized and the languages he spoke wouldn’t do any good without the sharp blade of a sword to back them up.

One day, as dispute court was winding to a close, Frump started barking. Oliver peered down the length of the Great Hall to see a lone figure, wrapped in a black cloak from head to toe. The man fell to his knees in front of Oliver’s throne. Your Highness, he begged, save her.

Save who? Oliver asked. Frump, who had always been a good judge of character, bared his teeth and growled. Down, boy, Oliver muttered, and he held out his hand to the man to help him to his feet. For a moment, the man hesitated, and then he grabbed on as if he were drowning. Your grievance, good sir? Oliver asked.

My daughter and I live in a kingdom far from here. She was kidnapped, he whispered. I need someone who can rescue her.

This was very different from what Oliver normally heard—that a neighbor had stolen another’s chicken, or that the vegetables in the south corner of the kingdom weren’t growing as fast as the ones in the north. Oliver had a flash of a vision—himself riding out in armor to save a damsel in distress—and immediately felt like he was going to lose his lunch. This poor man couldn’t have known that of all the princes in the world, he’d picked the biggest coward. Surely there’s another prince who’s better suited to this, Oliver said. After all, I’m sort of a novice.

The first prince I asked was too busy with a civil war in his kingdom. The second prince was leaving on a journey to meet his bride. You are the only one who was even willing to hear me out.

Oliver’s mind was racing. It was bad enough that he knew he was timid, but what if news of his cowardice spread beyond the kingdom? What if this man went back to his village and told everyone that Prince Oliver could barely fight a cold… much less an enemy?

The man mistook Oliver’s silence for hesitation and pulled a small oval portrait out of his cloak. This is Seraphima, he said.

Oliver had never seen a girl so lovely. Her hair was so pale it shimmered like silver; her eyes were the violet of royal robes. Her skin glowed like moonlight, colored only by the faintest blush on her cheeks and lips.

Oliver and Seraphima. Seraphima and Oliver. It sort of had a nice ring to it.

I’ll find her, Oliver promised.

Frump looked up at him and whined.

I’ll worry about it later, Oliver murmured to him.

The man fell backward with gratitude, and for just the briefest of moments, his cloak opened enough for Oliver to see a twisted, scarred face, and for Frump to start barking again. As the girl’s father backed out of the hall, Oliver sank back down in his throne, his head in his hands, wondering what on earth he’d just agreed to do.

*   *   *

Absolutely not, said Queen Maureen. Oliver, it’s a dangerous world out there.

There’s a dangerous world in here too, Oliver pointed out. I could fall down the castle stairs. I could get food poisoning from tonight’s dinner.

The queen’s eyes filled with tears. This isn’t funny, Oliver. You could die.

I’m not Father.

The minute Oliver said it, he regretted it. His mother bent her head and wiped her eyes. I’ve done everything I can do to keep you safe, she murmured. And you’re willing to throw that away for a girl you don’t even know?

"What if I’m supposed to know her? Oliver said. What if I fall in love with her the way you fell in love with my father? Isn’t it worth taking a risk for love?"

The queen lifted her face and gazed at her son. There’s something I need to tell you, she said.

For the next hour, Oliver sat transfixed as his mother told him about a boy named Rapscullio and the evil man he’d become; about a dragon and three fairies; about the gifts that had been bestowed upon him at his birth, and the one gift that wasn’t. For years I’ve worried that Rapscullio would return one day, she confessed. That he’d take away from me the last bit of proof I have of your father’s love.

Proof?

Yes, proof, Oliver, the queen explained. You.

Oliver shook his head. This has nothing to do with Rapscullio. Just a girl named Seraphima.

Queen Maureen reached for her son’s hand. Promise me you won’t fight. Anyone or anything.

Even if I wanted to, I probably wouldn’t know how. He shook his head, smiling. I haven’t exactly worked out a plan for success.

Oliver, you were blessed with many other talents. If anyone can succeed, it’s going to be you. His mother stood up, reaching for a leather cord tied around her neck. But just in case, you should have this with you.

From the bodice of her dress, she pulled out a tiny circular disk that hung on the end of the necklace and handed it to Oliver.

It’s a compass, he said.

Queen Maureen nodded. It was your father’s, she said. And I was the one who gave it to him. It’s been passed down in my family for many generations. She looked at her son. Instead of pointing north, it points you home. She smiled, lost in her memories. Your father used to call it his good-luck charm.

Oliver thought of his bold and daring father, riding off to fight a dragon with this looped around his neck. Yes, it had brought him home, but not alive. He swallowed, wondering how on earth he could rescue this girl without even a sword by his side. I guess Father never got scared, he muttered.

Your father used to say that being scared just meant you had something worth coming back to, Queen Maureen said. And he used to tell me he was scared all the time.

Oliver kissed his mother’s cheek and slipped the compass around his neck. As he walked out of the Great Hall, he resigned himself to the fact that his life was about to get very, very complicated.

OLIVER

JUST SO YOU KNOW, WHEN THEY SAY "ONCE UPON a time"… they’re lying.

It’s not once upon a time. It’s not even twice upon a time. It’s hundreds of times, over and over, every time someone opens up the pages of this dusty old book.

Oliver, my best friend says. Checkmate.

I follow Frump’s gaze and stare down at the chessboard, which isn’t really a chessboard at all. It’s just squares scratched onto the sand of Everafter Beach, and a bunch of accommodating fairies who don’t mind acting as pawns and bishops and queens. There isn’t a chess set in the story, so we have to make do with what we’ve got, and of course we have to clean up all evidence when we’re done, or else someone might assume that there is more to the story than what they know.

photograph

I can’t remember when I first realized that life, as I knew it, wasn’t real. That this role I performed over and over was just that—a role. And that in order for me to play it, there had to be another party involved—namely one of those large, round, flat faces that blurred the sky above us every time the story began. The relationships you see on the page aren’t always as they seem. When we’re not acting our parts, we’re all just free to go about our business. It’s quite complicated, really. I’m Prince Oliver, but I’m not Prince Oliver. When the book is closed, I can stop pretending that I’m interested in Seraphima or that I’m fighting a dragon, and instead I can hang out with Frump or taste the concoctions Queen Maureen likes to dream up in the kitchen or take a dip in the ocean with the pirates, who are actually quite nice fellows. In other words, we all have lives outside the lives that we play when a Reader opens the book. For everyone else here, that knowledge is enough. They’re happy repeating the story endlessly, and staying trapped onstage even when the Readers are gone. But me, I’ve always wondered. It stands to reason that if I have a life outside of this story, so do the Readers whose faces float above us. And they’re not trapped inside the book. So where exactly are they? And what do they do when the book is closed?

Once, a Reader—a very young one—knocked the book over and it fell open on a page that has no one but me written into it. For a full hour, I watched the Other-world go by. These giants stacked bricks made of wood, with letters written on their sides, creating monstrous buildings. They dug their hands into a deep table filled with the same sort of sand we have on Everafter Beach. They stood in front of easels, like the one Rapscullio likes to use when he paints, but these artists used a unique style—dipping their hands into the paint and smearing it across the paper in swirls of color. Finally, one of the Others, who looked to be as old as Queen Maureen, leaned forward and frowned. Children! This is not how we treat books, she said, before shutting

Enjoying the preview?
Page 1 of 1