This book was okay. I liked some of the messages, but overall it ended in a really selfish way. I don’t think the dynamic Lisa builds is healthy. She takes everything on her shoulders, insisting she has to take care of her city. And that’s the problem. She keeps calling it “my city” and even though her friends call her out on it, she doesn’t listen to them. It’s basically a dictatorship. I get strictness and discipline is important for order, but this book tries to send the message that this is how you gain and keep order, and that’s just not the case. There are other, much better ways. She could have formed a council with the other children, not taken charge of everything like a monarch. I wish they’d chosen to take a different spin with this, but alas.

The artwork was pretty modern and sleek, with dark color and shading that fit well with the post apocalyptic genre. While it wasn’t my favorite style, it would probably appeal to its YA readers.

It had potential to be good, but overall I think the core theme is rather toxic (even though we do see Lisa’s foolishness, it’s never addressed and risks passing as “okay” and even “good”). I wouldn’t recommend this.

I have so many feelings right now.

On the one hand, this feels way too dark for a middle grade book. But on the other hand, this book addresses topics that are rarely brought up in kids lit, and it does so in a gentle, yet powerful way. We see so many hard things through the eyes of an 11—nearly 12—year old girl, and that helps younger readers too, while also allowing older audiences to understand what’s going on in the background.

This book talks about war. It talks about people who have suffered and the form that suffering takes in a human being. It teaches us not to be so quick to judge.

This book ... there are so many things I could say, and I feel so much right now. I want to hold it in my heart and never let it go. Above all, this is an important story, one I think everyone—young and old—should read.

Wow, this book.

It's hard to put my thoughts into words. This book is one of those books that you finish and kind of sit back and think "wow." It's one of those books that you can't stop thinking about days, weeks, even months after reading. It's one of those books that sticks with you for a very long time to come.

Within These Lines tells the story of a young Italian-American woman named Evalina Cassano who falls in love with a Japanese-American, Taichi Hamasaki. Set in the 1940's, the two are facing a lot when they begin seeing each other. But that doesn't stop them, not even when the "evacuation" of the Japanese-Americans places miles between the two of them.

This book is a wealth of important historical information. I had no idea about many of the things that took place in this book. I had a vague knowledge of the fact that some sort of Japanese-American concentration camps existed, but that was the extent of my knowledge. This book was an incredible eye opener to me. It's a book that everyone should read, especially Americans, as it's a very important, and often overlooked, piece of our country's history.

I think my favorite aspect of this book was Evalina. She was everything I would want to be, should a situation like this arise in my life. She was there for Taichi every step of the way, and she did so many things that I would never in a million dreams find the courage to do. Maybe, if we read enough books with characters like Evalina, we'll find ourselves getting a little bolder and braver as a result. No harm in trying, right?

Stephanie Morrill does a phenomenal job of putting us in the time period and making us fall in love with these characters as they fall in love with each other. It's a sad book, yes, but it's also beautiful. I definitely recommend it to YA readers. This is a story you'll walk away from thinking about for a long time to come.

I can't wait for Stephanie's next amazing historical novel!