''Between the Lines'' is a young adult (YA) fiction novel co-written by the American author

Jodi Picoult Jodi Lynn Picoult () is an American writer. Picoult has published 28 novels, accompanying short stories, and has also written several issues of Wonder Woman. Approximately 40 million copies of her books are in print worldwide, translated into 34 ...

and her daughter, Samantha Van Leer. ''Between the Lines'' is Picoult's first YA novel, and Van Leer's first published work. The novel was published on June 26, 2012 by

Simon Pulse Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest pub ...

, an imprint of

Simon and Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest pub ...

. Picoult and Van Leer authored a sequel called '' Off the Page'', which was released in 2015 by

Delacorte Press Dell Publishing Company, Inc. is an American publisher of books, magazines and comic books, that was founded in 1921 by George T. Delacorte Jr. with $10,000 (approx. $145,000 in 2021), two employees and one magazine title, ''I Confess'', and so ...

. ''Off the Page'' continues the story of Delilah and Oliver.

Synopsis

Delilah, a 15-year-old teenager,

bookworm Bibliophilia or bibliophilism is the love of books. A bibliophile or bookworm is an individual who loves and frequently reads and/or collects books. Profile The classic bibliophile is one who loves to read, admire and collect books, often ama ...

, and social outcast is obsessed with a fairy tale story about Prince Oliver called ''Between the Lines''. No one is able to understand Delilah's obsession with a book written for children. Delilah's parents are divorced, and her best friend is a punk-rocker named Jules, who is an outcast of her own choosing. Delilah feels caught between her erratic family life and her loneliness at school. While Delilah loves her over-protective mother dearly, she also wishes for something more. Delilah creates a vision of what her father must be like, as she has never known him. All she knows about her father is that he left when she was a baby, and that he has his own life. Delilah's nemesis is the most popular girl in school, Ally McAndrews. Delilah confides her worries to Prince Oliver and is shocked when he suddenly begins to talk back to her. Before long, Delilah and Oliver forge a bond neither have experienced before, and they begin to fall in love.

Recognition

''Between the Lines'' garnered several achievements on the

young adult fiction Young adult fiction (YA) is a category of fiction written for readers from 12 to 18 years of age. While the genre is primarily targeted at adolescents, approximately half of YA readers are adults. The subject matter and genres of YA correlate ...

market. ''Between the Lines'' was a #1

New York Times bestseller ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...

, and a

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

Bestseller. It was nominated for the Young Adult Library Services Association's 2013 "Top Ten Teen Award" (TTT).

Adaptation

''Between the Lines'' was adapted into a musical in 2017 at Kansas City Repertory Theatre. It premiered Off-Broadway for a limited run at the Tony Kiser Theater beginning June 14, 2022 with an official opening on July 10, after being postponed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. The show closed on September 11, 2022.

References

External links

Jodi Picoult's Website
{{Jodi Picoult American young adult novels 2012 American novels Collaborative novels Novels by Jodi Picoult Simon & Schuster books