Book Review Extra: Between Two Ends

Between Two Ends
by David Ward
Amulet Books, 2011
Grades 3-6
Reviewed from copy provided by publisher through NetGalley.

Things aren't good between Yeats' parents and he doesn't know why.  They have come to visit his Gran to try to help his father come out of the depression that continues to plague him.  Yeats quickly discovers that there is more going on than he ever dreamed.  He finds a pair of bookends that allow him to travel inside any book.  When he learns that his father's depression is related to the disappearance of a girl into the Arabian Nights twenty years earlier, he determines that the only way to help his father is to bring the girl back.  But that means he himself must travel into the story, where anything could happen.

As a librarian, I passionately believe in the power of stories to change people's lives.  I enjoyed reading a story about the power of story, but also the power of our own seemingly insignificant lives.  As Yeats learns, stories have the power to change people.  The writing is quite good and Yeats' adventures prove engrossing.  This book is perfect for those who love to travel to other places and times through the words of a good book.