Between Two Ends - David Ward

Publisher:  Amulet Books (May 1, 2011)

Pages:  304

Source:  I received a  copy from Net Galley

Genre:  Middle Grade Adventure, Fantasy

Blurb from Amazon

When Yeats and his parents visit his grandmother's creepy old house, Yeats reunites a pair of pirate bookends and uncovers the amazing truth: Years ago, Yeats's father traveled into The Arabian Nights with a friend, and the friend, Shari, is still stuck in the tales. Assisted by the not-always-trustworthy pirates, Yeats must navigate the unfamiliar world of the story of Shaharazad--dodging guards and tigers and the dangerous things that lurk in the margins of the stories--in order to save Shari and bring peace to his family.

David Ward has created a fantasy rich with atmosphere and full of heart-stopping drama.

Every child who loves stories wishes at least once in their lifetime the ability to be a part of the story.  In the book "Between Two Ends" we find this is exactly what has happened.  Yeats Trafford has returned to his grandmother's house with his mother and father.  His parent's marriage is falling apart because of his father' depression.  Yeats learns that his father and a young girl had entered the story of The Arabian Nights when they were children.  Her father wished himself out of the story but Shari stayed. This has been the source of his father's depression. Twenty years have passed.  Yeats finds a missing pirate bookend in the garden and reunites it with its mate in the library.  From here his adventures begin.  He wishes to be taken to Shari so he can convince her to wish herself home.  Once in the story things don't go as smoothly as he hopes and he finds danger everywhere.  This was a very quick read for me.  I read it in under 2 hours and sat on the edge of my seat the entire time.  I wondered if he would be successful, how he would get out, how he would convince someone who didn't remember the past he told her about.  Would he be killed?  The ending was quite satisfying and the action non-stop.  I received this book from net-galley.  I will however need to purchase a copy for my school shelves because this was a wonderful book.