About the book:
Unlike most kids, teenage Katie Parker never got a fair shot at a normal life. With a mother in jail and a missing-in-action dad, she's never known what it's like to truly be loved. Low on options and family members, she's soon shipped off to a foster home. Now in an unfamiliar town, Katie's rebellious attitude is at odds with her new family, school, and classmates. And after falling in with all the wrong people at school, things go from bad to really bad after she takes the blame for vandalizing the local performing arts theater. But in the midst of a dark situation, Katie finds light in the most unexpected places: through her new friendship with an eccentric senior, the commitment of her foster family, and a tragic secret that changed them forever. And as she inches closer to acceptance and forgiveness, she finds that God has been there all along.
My Review:
This story is incredible! It took me nearly a year to find this book in my pile and now I'm asking myself why I didn't search for it sooner. This story is addicting and funny and a total delight to read. Loaded with laugh-out-loud moments on nearly every page, In Between also has a lot of depth and tenderness within it's pages. I've rarely seen fiction this interesting and well-done. For an author to capture the mind of a teen foster child and package it so precisely is amazing by itself, but then to create the right mix of characters and believeable situations to bring out the best in this girl is nothing short of sheer genius. That psycho grandma is so hilarious! And Katie's personality and inner "voice" are a scream.
As far as craft goes, inner dialogue does NOT get any better than this. Sweet and sarcastic, Katie managed to grab my heart from the first chapter because she was so genuine and so lost. But this book is not a downer at all. It choked me up at the end, but also made my heart soar. This is what Christian fiction should be...real enough to make you "get it" and insightful enough to change your heart. And the character arc of this teenager who didn't know anything about church or Jesus was so believeable and well done that it is probably the best thing about this book. That, and the psycho grandma. As for me, I am now officially a Jenny B. Jones fanatic. This is one author I will not miss. I plan to read everything she writes. Not kidding!
In Between was published by NavPress Th1nk Imprint and was released in March 2007.
2 comments:
This is a fantastic series - the second book in the series is even better!
The author, Jenny B. Jones, writes a blog that is hilarious.
What? No give away!
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