Review Detail

The Pages Between Us

Middle Grade Fiction 217

Clever way to write notes at school!

January 01, 2016 (Updated: June 30, 2026)

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0

Characters

N/A

Writing Style

N/A

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

N/A

Middle school schedules can make or break a friendship, so when Olivia and Piper only have one class together, they decide to share notes in a notebook. Both are concerned about making new friends, so they attend different clubs-- the boring spelling club where they do worksheets, the Lego club that ends rather disastrously even though that's the club Olivia's crush is in, and chess club, where Olivia finds her people. This upsets Piper, who is still struggling to find friends, and when Olivia can't make a big event at Piper's church, and later has a chess tournament on the very same day as Piper's birthday party, the two have a falling out. Luckily, the girls have a friendship with a well-established base, and they are able to figure out a way forward.

Good Points

Middle school friend drama is such a huge issue that there can never be enough books covering the various ways that friends can fall out. Both Piper and Olivia were sympathetic, likable characters despite their flaws, and their voices, as well as the situations are very realistic. (Especially the obsession with Jackson!) The cover is fantastic, and this book will circulate very well among 5th-7th graders.