Between Two Ends: Review

Title: Between Two Ends

Author: David Ward

Release Date: May 2011

Published By: Amulet Books

Pages: 288

Goodreads Rating: 3.66 stars

Review: When Yeats and his parents visit his grandmother, he learns that twenty years ago, his father and a girl named Shari traveled into the Arabian Nights, and though his father got out safely, Shari was left behind. Now assisted by two pirate bookends, Yeats must go into the book and navigate the unfamiliar world, dodging dangers left and right, to rescue her.

BETWEEN TWO ENDS was a quirky and imaginative adventure reminiscent of the Inkheart trilogy without copying it in any way. Yeats is a brave, strong character that readers will root for throughout the entire story as he battles the obstacles that leap in his path, and there are many exciting elements that make for an excellent adventure, from swashbuckling pirates to talking panthers.

Humor is woven among the fantastic adventure, particularly from the exchanges between some of the characters, and though it didn't bring a laugh from me, it was certainly entertaining to read. A rich fantastical setting serves as the back-drop for all this, and it's very clear that David Ward put a lot of time into developing all the details.

This is exactly the kind of book I would have loved when I was in this book's intended middle grade audience, and even now, I really enjoyed it. BETWEEN TWO ENDS is a wild, fun adventure brimming with action, humor, and fantasy perfect for any reader who wants to get lost in a lovely world.


I received a free copy of this book for review from the publisher. This is no way affected my review.