In Between (A Katie Parker Production)

In Between by Jenny B. Jones is the story of a sixteen-year-old girl whose mother is in prison. She has been in a home for girls and is now taken in as a foster child by James and Millie Scott. The story is told by the teen Katie Parker in a snarky, sarcastic, non-trusting tone. She is, nevertheless, someone the reader identifies with, and she rings true. Katie wears black clothing and Goth make-up for her first day in her new school and promptly befriends the girl with a purple Mohawk. She soon finds she made the wrong choice. She’s in trouble with the police and the scapegoat for horrible acts of destruction. The Scotts give Katie a beautiful room, designer clothes, and love and discipline. She soon makes other friends and decides to try to win the respect of her foster parents. She even becomes friends with her flashy, energetic—to put it mildly—foster grandma. This is how In Between introduces the grandmother: “My mother is, um, different. I don’t want her to scare you, but she’s been compared to Judge Judy.” “Judge Judy?” “On crack.” It’s pretty accurate, though I think Judge Judy is mild compared to Maxine Simmons. The ending wasn’t what I expected—I love it when authors surprise me—and it’s perfect. Throughout, there are many profound spiritual lessons along with lots of fun. The writing is excellent. If you like a sarcastic tone and fun with a heart, you’ll appreciate this book. I thoroughly enjoyed In Between, laughing from start to finish. I would heartily recommend it to teen girls as well as to those of us who never quite grew up.

I love Katie Parker. She's every 16 year old who feels disconnected. As the story unfolds over the four book series, you'll see the why behind her cautious nature. Maxine, her foster grandmother is such a fun character – I picture her with fire red hair instead of blonde. What an adventurous soul! The story is funny, witty, even sassy and sarcastic at times. It's a well written, wholesome story–gospel centered without being "preachy" or judgmental. The later books are more evangelical. The story teaches love, acceptance and forgiveness. This is young adult fiction but can be enjoyed by all as a coming of age tale. I have read all four but loved In Between the most. The second and third books had a lot of grammatical errors and typos and were a bit drawn out and teetered on boring. The last book from the series was a bit too explicit with sexual flirting and innuendo for a Christian book in my opinion especially for the age genre category.

Thank goodness I had a long plane trip and layover so I had lots of time to read this excellent book. I couldn’t put it down! This was the first time I’ve read a book by author Jenny B. Jones but certainly not the last; she has a new fan! The story is about Katie Parker a foster girl who has been in the system awhile due to her alcoholic, bad mom. Katie is placed in the home of James and Millie Scott as new foster parents who have a secret of their own. James Scott is the pastor of the local church with Millie as the secretary. The story goes through the first few months of Katie’s life at the Scott’s house, a new student at the high school, and discovering the God. The author does a great job of developing the characters to be so real. I especially like the way she developed Millie Scott. She made me feel so connected to her as a woman and just wanted to reach out to her. The writing of Katie was also great. Katie’s emotions where put out there as real as it could be and you could really feel for her as a person. And then there was Millie’s mother Maxine who was totally crazy! The character was very well written and you could just picture the antics that she did. I laughed, I cried and I loved the book. When it was done, I was disappointed. I didn’t want it to end. I see room for another book, there is so much more that can be written with the many good characters in the story. I will be recommending this to my friends. Thank you Jenny B. Jones for such an awesome story!!!

So much is wrong in a young life...and so much is right after faith, trust & love evolve after much effort by those whose lives are touched & changes on relationships forged only with much effort & prayer. Kudos to foster families everywhere.

This book was a light and easy read. However I had a lot of trouble really connecting to Katie. I can't put my finger on what I don't like about her, but there is something I don't like. I also felt that the book was incomplete in a lot of ways. I'd like to find out more about Amy, I think that Maxine had a lot more growing to do, and I felt that the relationship between Millie and James needed a little more work. Then again this is the first in the series and I'm confident there is more of that to come. I think this book would be most appropriate for a younger audience (pre-teen to teenage). Some great lessons are learned and I really think someone of that age range can take a lot of out this book. It was at times funny, heartbreaking, and inspiring.

I'm surprised by the comments that it seemed like a self published book. I must be reading a different book because I never found even one grammatical error. This book is great for anyone who wants to read a clean YA book that still has humor. The author strikes the delicate balance between something that is realistic and funny and something that still honors God and is clean. That's incredibly hard to do, since conflict makes a plot and most conflict comes from some sort of wrong doing on someone's part. I'm always amazed when authors are able to do this. It's a fun, lighthearted read. It's somewhat predictable... okay, it's really predictable. Yet, I found myself not caring because the writing was that good. There were certainly points on the book where I thought Katie sounded more like an adult than a teen, however teens who grow up being "the parent" often do sound like snarky adults. The pacing was good. The character development was good. The plot was engaging. Really, there wasn't much to complain about with this book. I know everyone has different tastes, but it was one of the most well written, funny, and heart warming stories I've read in awhile- especially in the YA genre, which seems to be flooded with edgy books these days. I'll be recommending this one to the teens I know.

The first few chapters of this book were a bit slow for me. I considered putting it down because I wasn't that engaged in the story line. I attributed this to the fact that it really is a book focused on the life of a young adult. I am well past that age. I persevered because of all the favorable reviews and was so glad I stuck with it. After a few chapters I really began to enjoy the main character, Katie Parker. Katie has a very funny sense of humor and quick wit. The grandma in the story is highly entertaining and the situations she drags Katie into are hilarious. I think this is a realistic potrayal of what it must feel like to be placed in a foster home situation. I love the dynamics between the foster parents and how they not only help Katie feel like she is loved but how Katie helps them overcome some issues they are trying to sweep under the rug themselves. I do agree with some readers that the weaving in of the Christian elements of the story might be a bit in your face for a non-Christian reader. But if you are into Christian fiction I am sure you will enjoy these elements and grow from them. I mention this because I don't think I'd give this to someone I was trying to witness too. I think it would be a bit much. Although this is a young adult novel I was entertained enough that I may just read some of the other Katie Parker books.

In Between by Jenny B Jones Rating: ***** (5 stars) Book Length: 352 pages Genre: Young Adult, Christian, Fiction I did not know what I would get when I picked up this novel. It was a kindle freebie that looked interesting. What I got was a well-written piece of youth literature with a Christian slant. In Between is a coming of age story of a teenage girl who is trying to adjust to a new foster family. The novel is notably for young adults, however, is enjoyable for adults as well. If you are not big into a Christian slant to your literature you can still very much enjoy this novel. The main character is not all that sure about the Christianity either. However, it is nice to read a novel with a clean plot, clean language, and one that is focused on the love of a family instead of romance. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I could not put it down. The writing was refreshing. While it will probably not become a classic, it was a great read that had with depth. The characters were multi-layered, allowing the reader to connect to all of them from various points. Even the supporting characters were more than just cardboard cutouts. The humor and exuberance of the main character really adds to the story as well. As reviewed on The Book Recluse Review

I loved it! Couldn't stop reading!! so easy to follow along, and it was funny and full of hope and faith. :)

This is a light christian book. probabaly appealing to teenagers. it is sometimes funny bit has no real in- depth characters, issues are solved through a lort of prayers but solved anyway. Real life and feelings are just .. a little more complicated. About the writing in itself : too much unknown acronyms for non americans. Still ot remains an enjoyable oastime reading

this book is so goood. i havent laughed so much in ages READ IT …this will sure put a smile on your face

I made the very serious mistake of reading some of this book in a café while waiting for my order. Big mistake. Apparently a grown man laughing loudly at a book he is reading is not the done thing. Adults around me became very stiff and could be heard tutting. I carried on anyway because to stop would have required more will power than I have. Children (there were many of those) were fascinated by the idiot man chuckling every few seconds and one small boy stopped eating altogether and stared at me open mouthed even when my order came and began eating my meal. The humour in this story was in almost every page and didn't stop the far more serious story of Katie shining through. Katie is the daughter of a drug dealing mother who got caught and is doing a long stretch in prison. Poor Katie has endured 6 months in the Sunny Haven Home for Girls but is now sent to the Rev and Mrs Scott in the strange town of In Between. They will be her foster parents. The story of Katie's gradual progress is wonderful and totally credible. It isn't all plain sailing by any means. The characters in this book are so well described that they became friends. The Rev. James Scott who has many problems the not least of which is his mad mother in law Maxine. Maxine the totally eccentric foster grandmother. (oh how I wish mine had been like that) is a great character. Then their is Millie, Katie's foster mum. Enthusiastic, loving but no push over she is exasperated by her mother, unaware her mother has a 76 year old 'boyfriend' and grieving for her own daughter. Then there is Frances the school mentor for Katie who in spite of Katie's rebuffs hangs on in and proves to be a very good friend to Katie. Yes this is a Christian book but in no heavy proselytising way. It is gentle and realistic. No sudden conversions and Katie is still no believer at the end of the book. Naturally there is drama, sadness, pathos and a simply cracking ending. Great read if unexpectedly so. Recommended.

Un libro molto semplice che parla di una ragazzina adolescente con la madre in prigione che viene affidata ad una famiglia in cui il padre è il pastore della città. Narrato dalla ragazza con un linguaggio giovanile e spiritoso. Perfetto per chi vuole leggere un libro in inglese che non sia troppo difficile e per tenersi allenati.