This was a wonderful twist on a modern fairy tale. I won this books through a First Reads giveaway. It was a title I was very interested in because of my fondness for Jodi Picoult books. This collaboration with her daughter did not disappoint me!

Delilah, our heroine, is a social misfit in her school. It seems she regularly does something to further alienate herself from the popular crowd. Her mother is convinced she needs psychiatric help because of her isolation and her fascination with one particular children's story.

Oliver, our prince charming, is equally flawed. In his fairy tale, he is not the brave hero we expect, but rather a timid young man who saves the damsel, Seraphima, through his cunning and some fortuitous luck. Yet when the book is closed, he confesses that he does not love Seraphima and he wants to escape the story. Only Delilah can hear him.

The remainder of the story consists of their attempts to free Oliver while fending off her mother's concerns.

Between the Lines would appeal to the pre-teen and early teen reader as it speaks to their social fears and their belief that all works out in the end. It contains a positive message of family love, rather than the cliched teen rebellion. I will definitely be passing my copy on to my ten year old niece. Well done, Samantha Van Leer! I see a writing career in your future.