I really enjoyed (belatedly) World Between Blinks and will be definitely putting it on my suggested list for incoming 5th & 6th graders for the summer. Jake and Marisol are well fleshed out and I really enjoyed how it was set up that both had reasons for wanting to go to the World Between Blinks and neither wanted to tell or blame the other. I loved all the little historical and "quasi-mythical" details and how everyone had different reasons for being in the World. The little added detail of literally everyone knowing about Oz was great. And the Administrator gave me the creeps. All in all, solid MG and I'll definitely be reading book two.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I was excited to receive a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

The World Between Blinks is set in such a creative and imaginative world. The concept is original and gives middle grade readers an entertaining way to explore a mishmash of historical people and places. It’s the ideal book for a history lover, and seamlessly weaves in just enough backstory to explain who or what the historical additions are.

Jack and Marisol were well developed and multidimensional characters. Their motivation matures throughout the book as they work through grieving for their grandmother and learn the importance of family and memory.

I did find that I had a hard time getting into the story, potentially because it moved so quickly from one thing to the next. Much like Marisol and Jake, the reader is tossed from one adventure to another. The pace of the story left me feeling a little disconnected from the characters and plot.

Overall, I definitely enjoyed this book and will be recommending it to readers looking for a fast-paced adventure.

Amie Kaufman did not disappoint! This book is reminiscent of The Library of Ever and The Phantom Tollbooth. The characters do not lack for depth and heart, and the historical figures introduced are nuanced and fun.

The World Between Blinks by Amie Kaufman and Ryan Graudin, 2021
Recommended for grades 4-8; Fantasy, Adventure

Brief Review:

In this series opener, cousins Marisol and Jake are helping their families pack up their recently-deceased grandmother’s personal belongings when they come across what seems to be a treasure map. Marisol has a knack for finding things, so she persuades Jake to take her treasure-hunting. But on their expedition, the kids suddenly get pulled into the World Between Blinks, a magical place where people, places, and things go when they disappear from the real world. After getting tricked by a con-man named Christopher Creaturo who has them steal a ledger from the curators of the World Between Blinks, Marisol and Jake are sent on a mission to track him down before they can go home. Along the way, they are helped by historical figures including Amelia Earhart and Nefertiti and they visit a Roman marketplace, the “quasi-mythical” Russian town of Ketezh, and the Amazon rainforest. With its immersive fantasy setting including a variety of sub-settings and lots of historical fun facts, this book is an exciting adventure perfect for fans of Rick Riordan and Peter Lerangis. Although characterization takes a back seat to world-building in the early chapters of the book, this minor flaw is essentially resolved by the feel-good life lessons about family and the value of memories later in the story.


Long Review:

After the death of their beloved grandmother, cousins Marisol and Jake both come with their parents and siblings to Nana’s beach house in South Carolina to pack up their grandmother’s personal items before selling the house. Marisol is absolutely devastated and can’t help hoping that the family can somehow find the money to keep the house. So when the cousins come across one of Nana’s old maps, which sure looks like a treasure map, Marisol convinces Jake to go treasure-hunting with her. She has a knack for finding things, so Marisol is pretty sure that the map is all they need to uncover buried treasure.

But the trip turns into a misadventure right away. Jake and Marisol take the family’s boat out to a nearby lighthouse, but the engine dies and the cousins barely make it to the lighthouse before the boat sinks, leaving them stranded. And then somehow, while exploring the lighthouse, the kids are suddenly transported to a whole different world. Luckily, they soon encounter a group of sailors, including Theodosia Burr Alston who mysteriously went missing in 1813, who are able to explain where they are. They have arrived in “The World Between Blinks”, a fantasy world where things (and people and places) go when they disappear in the real world. Unfortunately, people who arrive in the World Between Blinks will gradually lose their memories over time. Theodosia herself has trouble even remembering her name.

Theodosia’s job is to bring the “foundlings” as she calls them to a curator, who can explain the situation in greater detail and properly catalog them. But when she hands them over to one Christopher Creaturo, he explains that they’re going to “need to tackle this off the books” in order to get the kids back home quickly enough. Their names must be written in one of the curators’ ledgers, he explains, and in order to send them home, he has to cross their names out. So he sends them to get the ledger. They do so, but then Christopher takes off and the curators catch them. It turns out that Christopher is not a curator, but a con man who just wanted the ledger. What’s worse, by crossing items out from the ledger, he can send them back to the real world, thereby wreaking havoc in both worlds.

The real curators aren’t eager to admit to their superiors that a ledger disappeared on their watch, so they send Marisol and Jake after Christopher Creaturo. Thus begins a chase that leads them through a variety of lost places including a Roman market, the “quasi-mythical” Russian town of Kitezh, Queen Nefertiti’s palace, and a part of the Amazon rainforest. Along the way, they are helped on several occasions by Amelia Earhart.

The children eventually discover that Christopher Creaturo was responsible for bringing them to the World Between Blinks in the first place, but they also find out that his motives are not as sinister as they had thought. In the meantime, they each learn a valuable lesson about how to handle their problems back in the real world. Marisol is obsessed and overwhelmed with trying to find a way to keep Nana’s beach house, but she realizes that sometimes, “holding on” to something involves sacrificing the things that matter more. Meanwhile, Jake has moved so many times that he’s used to saying hard goodbyes. He thinks that it’s always better to make a “clean break”, and sometimes, he wishes he could just get rid of all the sad memories. But after losing one of his own memories in the World Between Blinks, he realizes that all memories are both good and bad and that it’s better to keep them.

At the end of the book, there is an extra chapter titled “Curators’ Files” which is a list of the people, places, and artifacts that have shown up in the World Between Blinks. Readers with an appreciation for history and geography will find this list to be a fascinating resource and will likely be motivated to do some additional research on some of these topics.

With its immersive fantasy setting including a variety of sub-settings, this book is an exciting story perfect for fans of Rick Riordan and Peter Lerangis. It also calls to mind the 64 Rooms series by Marianne Malone from 2010-2014 and has similarities to the Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osbourne despite being for an older audience. The thematic emphasis on memories and family add a feel-good tone that will appeal to adult readers as well as middle-grade readers. My only critique of the book was that the beginning moved a little too quickly. I didn’t really feel like I got to know Marisol and Jake before they were whisked off to a fantasy world, which meant that the first half of the book had a lot more world-building than character development. But for adventure and fantasy fans, that fast-paced opening won’t necessarily be a drawback.

A second book in the series is already scheduled for release on January 4, 2022.

I love Amie Kaufman's YA books so I am willing to give anything she writes a try. This book had the great imaginative world building her readers have come to expect but in a middle grade format. Two siblings go on an adventure any kid would be envious of as they search for literal treasure. The two get caught in a new world where forgotten things, like dinosaurs and more, go. I liked how the world allowed for bits of history to be weaved in as well, which I've noticed is more and more popular with readers in this age group. A cute, fun read for young readers trying out fantasy, especially enjoying portal worlds such as Narnia.

This magical book was really interesting and funny. I loved following Jake and Marisol's adventures with help from a few friends. It was a delightful book, mainly for kids ages 10-13.

I really enjoyed the fun little adventure. Maribel and Jake are cousins visiting their Nana's house after her passing. As they each deal with her passing and their families work at packing her belongings, Nana has one last adventure for the two. I loved the idea of the treasure map left behind for them to find. In a way it felt as if it was their last connection to the grandmother they both cherished and adored.
Their adventure leads them to a lighthouse and the World Between Blinks. The two meet all sorts of historical and mythical characters along the way. Of course there is a big bad villain thrown in the mix as well. The story switches point of view between the two characters. While normally I'm not a fan of this style, I didn't seem to mind. The story is fun and fast paced. I think this is a perfect journey and introduction for kids to fantasy and adventure books. In addition, even though this is a book written for a middle school audience, the writing is intelligent and doesn't dumb down the story for the audience. What really excited me was the Curators' Files at the end. I'm a sucker for little additions like this. This is a wonderful little go-to guide that teaches the reader about the different locations, creatures, and people in the book. Almost like a glossary of terms but so much more! I'm really looking forward to more additions to this series.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the advanced copy and the opportunity to read and review this fun adventure!

The World Between Blinks was a fun adventure which takes the question of "where do things go when they're lost" and gives it a fantastical answer. Cousins Marisol and Jake end up in The World Between Blinks, the place where people, places, animals, and everything else goes when it's been lost. But they weren't lost, so they don't belong there - do they?

Kids who like fantasy adventure novels will find a lot to enjoy in this book. Jake and Marisol are relatable protagonists, and the alternating perspective works well to help understand what each of them is feeling and going through while dealing with the loss of their grandmother and their sudden discovery of a world that they may be stuck in forever, without the rest of their family and friends. There are twists which could be predicted by sharp readers but which aren't too obvious. There are also moral dilemmas for readers to ponder.

The appearance of historical figures such as Amelia Earhart will be fun for a lot of kids, especially those who know who these people are. Eventually I got a little tired of the appearance of "real" people and places - it started to feel like the authors were just trying to be clever with all the lost people they mentioned - but I think I would have appreciated it more as a kid. The Curators' Files at the end, which explain who/what each of these lost people, places, and things were, was a nice addition.

Overall, a fun book that will have readers looking forward to a sequel.

This book was adorable!
I am no stranger to Amie Kaufman, but Ryan Graudin is a newer author to me and neither of these ladies has let me down yet. This book stuck with that rule.
After the passing of their Nana, cousins Marisol and Jake are helping the family clean out her beach house, when they find a treasure map. Knowing their Nana was one for adventure, they have no choice but to follow it and they land in The World. From there, chaos ensues. I loved the history and mythology peppered through the story as well as the very sweet relationship between the two cousins. The world was rich and the action never slowed. I'll definitely be gifting this one to my middle grade readers!

With thanks to NetGalley and Quill Tree Books for an early copy in return for an honest review.

The World Between Blinks is filled with everything presumed lost or missing from our world...like Atlantis, Amelia Earhart, the Loch Ness Monster, etc. A clever premise for the setting of a fantasy book...real people, places and things that have gone missing or are quasi-mythical. During one last summer trip to their Nana's house, Jake and Marisol decide to embark on an adventure. They decide to follow the treasure map left to them by their grandmother when she passed away. Soon they find themselves transported to the World Between Blinks and chasing after an evil villain. As they wrestle with the idea of retaining both good and bad memories they explore many treasures of the world and work to try and get back home.

For middle grade readers who enjoy fantasy, this will be a great addition to their 2021 reading list. And I am looking forward to reading more books in this middle grade fantasy series.

I have long been a fan of both Ryan Graudin's and Amie Kaufman's YA works. This middle grade novel is a beautiful collaboration that will delight readers. I love how the worlds of fantasy and science fiction are blended together. This would be an amazing book to book talk.

Cousins Jake and Marisol are helping to clean out the house of their recently deceased grandmother. Neither want the house sold as it holds so many memories, but it is not up to them. Their grandmother was always on adventures and she would share the stories with the family. This life of adventure was passed down to Jake and Marisol. They decide to take one more adventure when they find a map left by their grandmothers. This leads them to an almost lost lighthouse which in-turn leads them to the land between blinks. The land between blinks if where people, places, and things go when they are lost of forgotten. Think Atlantis, think dinosaurs, and so on. When Jake and Marisol get to the World Between Blinks they learn they are not meant to be there, but were drawn there and now they need to find out why and how to get back to their world. This is a middle grade fantasy book which appears will be a series. I love all things written by Amie Kaufman and would gladly enjoy seeing this as a series of adventures.