The Blue Line Letters

by Steven Christiansen

Colorful locals, a smart girl from school, and an enigmatic character known as the Prophet. Seventeen-year-old Ty is stuck riding Portland’s MAX Blue Line every day of the summer before his senior year, but what could be a boring commute turns into a discovery of human nature, an exploration of Ty’s own inner thoughts, and opportunities to make new friends. Equipped with official summer assignments—to read Jane Eyre and write about what he learned over the summer—Ty also picks up a few unofficial assignments, including making astute observations about his fellow MAX riders and the colorful world around him, and recording what he sees in a series of letters addressed to his teacher Ms. Warne. Now, if he could only capture the attention of his high school classmate Janie who also rides the Blue Line.From one end of the Blue Line to the other, from old wounds to new love, and all the stops in between, Ty gains a deeper understanding of human behavior, community, and even the inner workings of his own heart. The Blue Line Letters is a coming-of-age story, a love letter to mass transit (and Portland), and a comical, heartfelt ride that readers won’t want to disembark.

Genres: Young Adult, Book Club, Fiction, Romance

128 pages, Paperback

Published April 8, 2025

Reviews

[*TUDOR^QUEEN* · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lovely short book that tracked the summer break from school as 17-year-old Ty approached his senior year in high school. He was a summer intern and had to take the "blue line" public transportation known as MAX back and forth every day during this time. His English teacher Ms. Warne had given a summer assignment to read the classic book Jane Eyre in conjunction with writing a report to be handed in upon return to high school. Ty incorporated the day-to-day story of all the sights and sounds experienced while riding on public transport. I can vouch for this from personal lifelong experience of taking buses to get where I needed to go. Aside from the discomfort and tension of waiting in all kinds of weather for the bus to arrive, I always found a bus ride an interesting and pleasant experience, from finding the right seat (the more isolating and private the better where you didn't have to look into the faces of other riders) to watching people from all walks of life get on the bus. Often times you would see the same people and make assumptions about their lives, while other times scary individuals would cause disruption or worse. Some people would get lost in reading while others enjoyed just looking out the window and watching the world go by.

It took me a while for Ty to draw me in with his daily observations, but he soon had me in the palm of his hand with his honest introspections of what he was going through personally as well as his take on other MAX riders. In particular, he greatly looked forward to meeting up with a girl he was drawn to from school. This book was very honest and touching, with some incredible experiences on the MAX and references to some very tough family situations. As Ty's book report progressed, it showed just how much you don't really know is going on privately in people's lives. This was a very nice read.

Thank you to the publisher Ooligan Press who provided an advance reader copy via Edelweiss.

[Renee Greco · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book as a part of the Goodreads giveaway and it arrived in transit packaging that matched the cover of the book along with a note from the author thanking me. All in which I kept because it was super cool and thoughtful. The chapter of each book looks like the front of a bus marquee which really personalizes this book and story. The Blue Line letters focuses on a young man observing life, his thoughts, as well as figuring out his way as he becomes an adult all on a bus. I really enjoyed this story and felt as if I was on the bus with him.

[Ella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, oh wow, did I love this book! As someone who is starting high school this fall, it was interesting to read about someone (Ty Clark) talk/reminiscing on ninth and other pervious grades l. I think this is an essential read either before or during high school. Also, I not only learned a lot about the tranist system, MAX but it really makes you reflect on something so simple as to riding on a subway day after day. Blue Line Letters had me laughing out loud at the crazy things that happened on the MAX but also is heartfelt and touches on some tough topics at the same time!

P.S I totally think this would make a great movie (iykyk)

[Darya · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's currently a giveaway for this book that I quite enjoyed as an ARC. Publication date April 8. Original review from last fall:

For the summer before his senior year in high school, Ty has got two assignments for AP English class: to read Jane Eyre and to write about what he learnt over the summer. He also starts a summer job on the other end of Portland metropolitan area, so he has to take the entire Blue Line of their local subway, the MAX, every day, for three hours total. On the train, he reads Bronte and writes the assignment in the form of daily letters to his English teacher, commenting on anything that happens on the MAX.

I know that sounds ridiculous, especially when you remember that I was sitting on a train that runs through Portland and I was looking directly into the face of a baby cow.

I must admit, it took a while for this book to grow on me. At first, it felt like the entries were too disparate, more like unconnected blog posts. Just like Ty opens Jane Eyre only because he trusts his favorite teacher's choice, privately believing it to be a silly book, until he gets to appreciate Bronte's narrative quirks to the extent that he starts a "correspondence" with the characters on the pages of his diary.

I am considering starting it over as soon as I finish writing this review. Going back to those first entries and looking at them again now that I already learned to appreciate the narrator's tone and his personality as the unifying principle behind those seemingly disparate observations. Another title that I suddenly felt like rereading after getting "acquainted" with Christiansen's character is Catcher in the Rye that I last read over a summer before my senior high school year - same age as Ty, that is. I never really understood the hype way back when but now I strongly felt some of those Holden Caulfield's vibes. A boy on the verge of young-manhood (if it a word?), trying to figure out his life - not coming from a particularly harsh circumstances or anything, but still struggling to make sense of it, to own it, to become the main character of his story. (Is that what Catcher in the Rye is even about? I am telling you, I need to go back and reread all these years later.)

There are different ways in which characters can express metaliterary awareness. One is when an authorial figure is winking from their backs: reader, dear, you know well that none of these people are real, they are markings on the paper, and you just hallucinated the rest. But there's also another type, and it is almost guaranteed to soften my heart when I read this motif: when someone reclaims the potential that a narrative arc can lead somewhere and there will be a feeling of more meaning once you pass through it. Because it's not limited to actual invented characters but something we real human can also use to take this very human thing - storytelling - to our advantage. We get to define meaning of our lives instead of just letting it happen to us. (Well, it still happens to us, anyways, but it's so much better to be at least in charge of meaning.) And that's exactly what we observe Ty doing, making him so real and raw.

I’m laughing out loud as I write this because I can hear you in class saying, “What is the dramatic question of this story? What drives the action of the novel?” Clearly, for my silly little summer assignment, it’s becoming, “What was Janie writing?”

What can I say? Loved it. Highly recommend. Don't get discouraged if the first several dozens of pages look like disparate blog entries.

4.5 stars. Publication date: April 8, 2025.

I am grateful to Ooligan Press for providing me with a free eARC through Edelweiss. The opinion above is my own.

[Lyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the epistolary format of The Blue Line Letters very charming. Ty has a strong voice that comes through his journaling/letter writing and his knack for observation is so fun to see. I love people watching, especially when I’m bored, so it made perfect sense for Ty to write down his observations while taking the MAX train to and from work. I will say, the dialogue felt stilted to me and read more like an academic paper at times than an actual conversation.

Having read Jane Eyre this year I also got a kick out of the inclusion of Jane and Mr. Rochester! It’s pretty clear that Christiansen has a love for literature and I’m glad he included it in this story. Also, the teenage angst was the perfect amount for high school. Not too over the top but enough to keep me hooked.

Thank you to Edelweiss for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Heidi Robbins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book for a couple of reasons. First, I grew up in the same town as the author (didn’t know him until very recently though), and I could easily relate to Ms Warne, the English teacher who introduced me to Jane Eyre (and helped inspire me to teach English). Also, I love the fact that the book is written as journal entries. I’m a sucker for a good story written in a non-traditional format. I also loved the simplify of the story. I think this is a hook my students will like. They will relate to the main character. They will laugh at the situations and side characters who bring levity. They will appreciate the hard things they read about. Overall, this was a great book that I will for sure be book-talking with students his coming school year.

[Alicia Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely, funny, engaging and good-hearted, a book that immediately feels like a friend. My one quibble with the book is that it took the protagonist a whole summer to read Jane Eyre (signed by the girl who finished the class book the day it was given because she had to know how it ended). In all seriousness, this book took me back to that liminal space adjacent to adulthood and made me feel 17 again. The Portland touches are special and a true love letter to my home town.

[Linnea · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit uneven and the dialogue was rather stilted, but overall very cute. And as an English teacher in Portland (my school even gets mentioned!) who loves public transit (and Jane Eyre), there was a lot of fun to be had in this book for me.

[Mim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun YA read, especially for lovers of public transit and Portland residents, of which I am both. Ty was an engaging narrator, and I really felt like I knew him and the people around him by the end of the book.

[Araliya · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Blue Line Letters is a fun, fast, and relatable young adult story. Ty’s experience on the MAX speaks to those familiar with public transportation, and the epistolary-style chapters keep the writing engaging and unique.

Ty’s voice is very clear throughout, and the author establishes him well as a dimensional character. I easily felt transported back to the time of summer reading assignments, writing journals, and the funny moments of young adult introspection. I enjoyed Ty’s immersion in his assignment and the parallels between his experiences on the MAX and the events in Jane Eyre.

I do wish there had been more detail or events given to the Prophet and his mysterious role in the plot, but overall, I enjoyed the limited perspective of the writing style and the in-the-moment feeling it created. This book is a great read for those looking for a coming-of-age story with a protagonist with a strong inner voice and a unique perspective on the public transit experience.

[Jasmine Buell · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a former MAX rider, I really enjoyed this book. I knew all of the stops listed as chapter headers and it's been a long time since I read or heard a lot of those names. I miss Portland so much so it was bittersweet to read this book and feel like I was there again for a little bit. I don't miss some things but I do miss a lot more. Like the feeling of community and being able to access transportation. I also like the note at the end about how Oregon got its name and the native peoples of the area. Life is certainly a lot duller and a lot less weird without characters like The Prophet roaming around the landscape of my life. Curse housing instability and being priced out of living in my home city.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars- the extra bump is for the pants pooping story. I enjoyed this short, quirky book with a lot of layers to it, using letters a high school student writes to his English teacher while riding the MAX in Portland. Ty is completing a summer school assignment while commuting to his internship and reading Jane Eyre. The former English teacher in me delights in this. The observations made about people and life were delightful. And the rap about MAX set to Baby Got Back? Yes, please. A few mild swears, some mild violence including otter bites, and hints of romance. 8th grade and up. And as a native Oregonian, loved the Portland references.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I loved Ty's curious, contemplative, clever voice and the author's choice to use letters to a teacher for a summer project as the format for the story. I think this would be a great choice for IBOB!

[Reevkah Hokanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just the sweetest coming-of-age novel, told by 17-year old Ty. If you’re a fan of Portland, Otters, Public Transit, AP English class, or John Green-style novels — you’ll love this book! 💙

[Paula Major · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a charming little book.

[Claire]

A super fun, wholesome love letter to public transit and Portland by a local author.

[Jimmy Schafer · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Blue Line Letters" by Steven Christiansen is a wide ranging story of a high schooler named Ty Clark spending most of his days ruminating in a journal for a summer time writing assignment. Ty spends his commute between home and an internship riding one of Portland, Oregon's transit rail lines and making observations and introspections in a journal about anything that comes to his mind: what happens on the train, the ways he feels about it, how he's processing it, what is going on in his life, and how people interact with each other in close proximity, as well as in far psychological distances. Along the way, he talks with many of the regulars on the train, and witnesses several events that show him a transitional yet-to-come of late teenage years to the beginnings of adulthood. None of this is more apparent than the developing feelings he has for one such girl from his school who is a co-commuter.

Christiansen's YA coming-of-age novel explores the intimacies of everyday commuter life, the sometimes unexpected detours of a teen's thinking and rationalizing, and how the public is forced to confront the realities of shared experiences, even if they are so fleeting as a train ride. Using this motif of riding back and forth, Christiansen--through the lens and language of teenaged Ty--shows the anxiety that sometimes can be manifested through ignorance, petty arguments, and the presence of occasional life altering violence and tragedy. The epistolary novel moves quickly and is a quick read, but it contains much inside it's 109 pages. Sometimes that can feel like a constraint, given as so much happens in so few journal entries, and can lead to questions of plausibility. But Christiansen makes up for that with a broad knowledge of the problems and crises not only the population of Portland faces daily, but those special few that teenagers universally face every day.

Another such issue of criticism that arose was whether or not Ty's sometimes underlined naivety would really be felt by someone of his age. As I continued reading, I realized that holding assumptions about people was precisely the point that Christiansen was trying to make: how could one know? Based on an observation? On over hearing a conversation on the train? On reading a few select journal entries? Christiansen shows us through Ty that sometimes the only thing to rely on is that none of us know how or what the other is thinking, despite being so close to one another, and that taking a leap of faith (and sometimes trust) is the only option we have. With that borderline between adulthood and childhood looming, Ty gets an upfront view into what those divisions can be: between the trusting of your eyes/ears/mind/heart, and the gamble of taking a risk in not knowing but engaging anyways.

[Selena · Rating 5 out of 5]

My professor recommended this book to me during a rough patch, and I’m grateful she did.

There’s an ADHD energy to how Ty thinks and writes that I recognized immediately. His observations bounce between the people around him, his Jane Eyre assignment, embarrassing moments, things he doesn’t understand, and it all flows without feeling scattered. It’s how my brain works when I’m out and about. I found it genuinely interesting that I, a thirty-year-old woman, think so similarly to this seventeen-year-old boy. But it might be instead that Christiansen captured something real about how certain minds work regardless of who they are.

What makes Ty engaging to follow is that he’s curious without being obliviously naive and observant without being cynical. He shares vulnerable and embarrassing moments without posturing. There’s no performance. The book quietly reminds us that younger people are more thoughtful and observant than adults give them credit for; Ty asks questions because he’s genuinely curious, not to be a smart-ass or show off. And when he opens up about losing his brother Dom at a waterpark, and his family’s decision to take him off life support a few days later, it’s handled with the kind of raw honesty that earns the reader’s trust. His line about losing a little part of himself reminded me of C.S. Lewis in The Four Loves: the idea that losing someone means losing the part of yourself only they could bring out.

As someone who’s ridden the Blue Line from Hillsboro to Gresham, the Airport, and North Portland, the commuter details feel accurate even though the experience the book draws from is decades old. And as someone with a background in music composition and piano performance who used to take jazz voice lessons, I appreciated Ty’s references to jazz. It added another layer of connection I wasn’t expecting.

Charming, engaging, and refreshing. I didn’t expect a ninety-minute commute to make such good material.

[Gideon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was way more entertaining than I expected! I thought the content was going to be very light and earnest (and it was) but it also had several emotional moments that were very introspective for Ty and a lot of exciting moments—more than I have personally experienced riding the MAX. Ty’s voice is so accurate to the people I was around at that age and you can tell that the author has experience as a teacher, since this book feels like an amalgamation or culmination of many students’ experiences and styles. Having Jane Eyre frame the letters works wonderfully to tie in references that many readers will catch, and seems like an apt summer reading requirement for an AP English class.

I generally don’t choose to read non-speculative fiction, but this book felt very genuine and refreshing, even as some of the situations were incredibly stressful or embarrassing. There are so many references to Portland and the surrounding area that were fun to catch, but I think a lot of the experiences are more universal—people choosing to stand so they don’t have to sit next to people, watching other people do things that are obviously against the rules and waiting to see if anyone will take initiative, spotting others on your regular route.

Overall, an earnest, introspective, and humorous short book with depth packed into a fun and digestible format.

[Patches Reddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Calling all daydreamers, book readers, and transit riders you need to read this book.
Blue Line Letters follows Ty, a 17-year-old riding Portland’s famous MAX specifically (and obviously) the Blue Line. Ty tells his story through a series of letters to his English teacher as a summer report. I’m a sucker for a good epistolary novel.
He shares his story in a series of vignettes packed with humorous observations, encounters that range from bizarre to heartwarming, self-discovery, and a budding romance at least three things anyone who’s ever used public transit has experienced. Ty spends his summer reading Jane Eyre, but don’t worry this book won’t take you that long. It’s free of Victorian English while still rich in depth.
I’d happily give this to my middle school cousin or my grandmother. In fact, I already lent it to a friend, and she loved it. (She’s a Boston Red Line regular to Alewife.)
It’s opened my eyes to what a beautiful thing transit is and what a place of community it can be.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Blue Line Letters was a beautiful and creative short book that allows us to live through seventeen-year-old Ty traveling along the Blue MAX line. We get an insight into his feelings and thoughts as he takes us along on his own journey of self-discovery while interacting with the different day-to-day personalities you can come across on Public transit. If you're familiar with the MAX, or have ever traveled on it, or even if you're a part of the Portland area, this book is a great read for you, as it feels really familiar and close to home!

[Bettina B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being from Portland, and having had the author as an English teacher when I was in high school, this was a fun read. I’ve actually “read” it twice now, one traditional and I listened to the audiobook. The book does a great job at encapsulating MAX experiences and how a teenager might perceive what’s happening there. The only negative is that now I feel obligated to read Jane Eyre, which I’ve been actively avoiding most of my life.

[Nancy Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt I was on the MAX as each stop unfolded! Interesting and thought provoking

[Alisha Christiansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun easy read (YA Lit) — with a next-level connection for those who know and love Jane Eyre (raising my hand). Setting an entire novel in a certain line of public transit makes for a tightly connected plot. Bravo for this debut novel by Steven Christiansen!

[Jeff Sessions · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. My boy Steve pulled off a really fun story. Good stuff for sure.

[Ginny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Having lived in Portland, I think made the book more personal. With short chapters, it was easy reading.

[Caitie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this should be required reading for high schoolers to make them love public transportation

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is exactly what you expect it to be. Series of "letters" written by a young man riding the MAX every day of summer in the voice of the counselor author.

[Pheobe Baird · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this book because of the humor and the spontaneity of the main character Ty.

[Ash Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Blue Line Letters" follows high schooler Ty as he rides the Portland MAX every day one summer to his internship. Told through a series of letters to his teacher, "The Blue Line Letters" takes him on an unexpected journey of self-discovery, love, and the weirdness that makes Portland so interesting. There’s a pair of somewhat bloodthirsty otters, a cow on the train, and a mysterious Prophet who seems to pop up exactly when Ty needs him—but perhaps most important of all: there’s a girl from his class who keeps catching his eye.

I read this book very shortly after moving to Portland, and it was such a fun way to travel through the city! Ty’s journey stretches all across the MAX Blue Line, and it was such a wonderful introduction to Portland. "The Blue Line Letters" is funny and heartwarming, but it also doesn’t shy away from the harsh and difficult realities that people can face, even before reaching adulthood. It even includes references to Jane Eyre! This is a great coming-of-age story and a perfect love letter to Portland, public transit, and classic literature.