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The Pages Between Us #2
In the Spotlight
BFFs Olivia and Piper star in this fun snapshot of middle grade friendship told in a sweet journal-style book packed with engaging art. This is a follow-up to The Pages Between Us, by beloved middle grade authors Lindsey Leavitt and Robin Mellom.
It’s time for the Battle of the Books!
When no one from their school signs up for the annual competition, BFFs Piper (The Drama Lover) and Olivia (The Bookworm) decide to put their talents to good use by creating a video to get their classmates excited about the contest.
Only things don’t go exactly as planned…
The video goes viral, thrusting Olivia into a spotlight she never wanted, while no one seems to remember that Piper wrote, produced and directed the video. And on top of everything, while their video motivated a lot of people to sign up to participate in Battle of the Books, no one seems to have any interest in doing the reading.
With the tournament approaching will Piper and Olivia be able to work together to save the day yet again?
It’s time for the Battle of the Books!
When no one from their school signs up for the annual competition, BFFs Piper (The Drama Lover) and Olivia (The Bookworm) decide to put their talents to good use by creating a video to get their classmates excited about the contest.
Only things don’t go exactly as planned…
The video goes viral, thrusting Olivia into a spotlight she never wanted, while no one seems to remember that Piper wrote, produced and directed the video. And on top of everything, while their video motivated a lot of people to sign up to participate in Battle of the Books, no one seems to have any interest in doing the reading.
With the tournament approaching will Piper and Olivia be able to work together to save the day yet again?
- GenresChildrensMiddle Grade
335 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2017
8 people are currently reading
439 people want to read
About the author
Lindsey Leavitt
21 books834 followersLindsey Leavitt is a Leo sun/Sagittarius rising, which makes her skilled at traveling, studying and sleeping in. She grew up in Las Vegas and now lives in the snowy mountains with her big, blended family. She is the author of over fifteen books for kids and teens. Lindsey had an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Visit her online at https://lindseyleavitt.com
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
January 9, 2017
BFFs Olivia and Piper star in this fun snapshot of middle grade friendship told in a sweet journal-style book packed with engaging art. This is a follow-up to The Pages Between Us, by beloved middle grade authors Lindsey Leavitt and Robin Mellom.
It’s time for the Battle of the Books!
When no one from their school signs up for the annual competition, BFFs Piper (The Drama Lover) and Olivia (The Bookworm) decide to put their talents to good use by creating a video to get their classmates excited about the contest.
Only things don’t go exactly as planned…
The video goes viral, thrusting Olivia into a spotlight she never wanted, while no one seems to remember that Piper wrote, produced and directed the video. And on top of everything, while their video motivated a lot of people to sign up to participate in Battle of the Books, no one seems to have any interest in doing the reading.
With the tournament approaching will Piper and Olivia be able to work together to save the day yet again?
It’s time for the Battle of the Books!
When no one from their school signs up for the annual competition, BFFs Piper (The Drama Lover) and Olivia (The Bookworm) decide to put their talents to good use by creating a video to get their classmates excited about the contest.
Only things don’t go exactly as planned…
The video goes viral, thrusting Olivia into a spotlight she never wanted, while no one seems to remember that Piper wrote, produced and directed the video. And on top of everything, while their video motivated a lot of people to sign up to participate in Battle of the Books, no one seems to have any interest in doing the reading.
With the tournament approaching will Piper and Olivia be able to work together to save the day yet again?
March 13, 2018
This sequel is every bit as good as the series opener and I am pleased that I already have them both at my fifth grade library. I will be adding them to my 4th grade campus asap and will actively promote them both with my readers of Dork Diaries, Max Crumbly, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Tashijian’s My Life As books. While The Pages Between Us has fewer doodles between diary style entries as those others, fans of epistolary type books will find much to grab their attention as best friends Piper and Olivia continue to find ways to carve out a niche in the midst of middle school drama. The realistic, excellent storyline, and well-developed and likable characters will certainly appeal to more than just DWK fans. Students in grades 4-7 will see student types straight from their own schools’ hallways and will make instant connections to both girls as they struggle to talk to parents, make friendships and generally just avoid embarrassing themselves. Parents and librarians can relax and know that neither book in the series contain any profanity, violence, or sexual content of any kind.
September 30, 2021
olivia and piper are two of the most relatable characters ever. i enjoyed both books and smiled so hard throughout them both. oh, and i loved the characters in this series.
April 24, 2017
So adorable. I love Liv and Pipes so much. It's so refreshing to read a book about every day stuff -and this book puts me right back into those early middle school years where kids live life in the extreme -everything is either so so awful or so so great! Life is an exclamation mark! All the time!!
My golden line:
"If you aren't wearing something literary, you're totally out of style!"
My golden line:
"If you aren't wearing something literary, you're totally out of style!"
December 26, 2017
I love this series so much. Two of my favorite authors writing a series together is just so great. I love the two main characters and their notebook interactions. I loved the concept for this installment- making a video for their school's Battle of the Books to drum up interest in it and the video becomes viral and the two of them get swept up in the newfound fame in their school and some light romance ensues too. This book was such a cute, fast read and I really enjoyed it. I can't wait for the next book to come out!!
February 18, 2020
Book two continues the adventures of Piper and Olivia as they learn to navigate Middle School without each other. This time, Olivia is entering her school's Battle of the Books, and when the promotional video she makes with Piper goes viral, chaos ensues. I liked this book because it was clean and innocent yet still very relateable to young girls. The "sexual content" is constrained to crushes on boys in their class and a so called "date" where the boy's parents take Olivia miniature golfing with their family. I also appreciated the positive portrayal of reading, books, and the school librarian, and found it easy to root for Piper in her attempt to break free from the dreaded "middle child syndrome."
June 17, 2024
An enjoyable story about two middle school girls. The two girls communicate through sharing messages that they wrote in a notebook and pass between them. Olivia is excited about Battle of the Books and Piper helps out by creating a video to promote the school event. So fun to read their story by reading their shared feelings and ideas that they write to each other. Middle grade fiction.
May 11, 2017
This was a wonderful sequel to the Pages Between us! I could really relate to Olivia and how she really loves books. I can also relate to Piper, and how she doesn't get much attention in her big family. this was a great book!
June 17, 2020
Loved this book better than the first one. I had a particular interest since this focused on a Battle of the Books theme. Great read for late elementary/ middle school students. And I love the encouragement to participate in Battle of the Books!
July 1, 2020
I bought this book at the dollar store without realizing there was a previous book. It's for middle schoolers, but I loved it. Two best friends, books, competitions, drama, misunderstandings, and laughter; it's just a fun read.
October 6, 2025
I felt like the characters should have been a couple of years older and this would have felt more realistic to me. Overall has aged OK as far as technology used, though using specific titles in the Battle of the Books list may leave it feeling more dated for younger readers.
S-N, L-N, V-N
S-N, L-N, V-N
May 9, 2017
AWesome! Went straight into my Little Free Library for the tween readers. Thank you!
November 27, 2017
Amazing. It's great to see two friendships in the form of a notebook.
January 12, 2018
This one spoke to me more than the 1st one. Love these books.
November 14, 2019
I did not understand when it recalled back to the past because I did not read the first book. however, I loved how it seemed realistic and I felt like it could happen to me.
February 12, 2022
this book brings back nostalgia because I first read it when I was 11 and now I am 15 oh my gosh I JUST LOVE THIS BOOK SO SO SO MUCH
August 23, 2022
Adorable!
December 1, 2017
I felt like there wasn't really anything special in this book. I mean I liked the first one, and this is basically the same thing with a different story. It was pretty much just another chapter to the first book.
It was fun, but I don't know. I probably prefer the first one, just cause it was the first one I read, and seems more original.
It was fun, but I don't know. I probably prefer the first one, just cause it was the first one I read, and seems more original.
September 8, 2016
Highly recommend this book! It's basically a big love letter to reading, libraries, and Battle of the Books. Fun, engaging story with lots of laughs.
May 3, 2017
Before you read this book, definitely read the first book. There were lots of little references back to the first book. You are expected to know every detail from the first book, and sometimes it gets a little overwhelming.
The first thing I liked about this story was the growth of the characters. In book #1, they started out as unsure middle graders who had issues with their family. Most of the family issues got resolved in that book. In In the Spotlight, I got to watch as the characters overcame their fears. Every little step does something to promote their confidence. I loved reading as they overcame challenges in their life, such as grades, boys and socializing. I learned about different ways to elevate my confidence, such as imagining best possible outcome. There were also lots of great quotes regarding this challenges that will help me. Sometimes the characters beat themselves up about a mistake, or wanted to quit. I think it will teach readers perseverance and an understanding of what we can do for others.
Olivia and Piper depended on each other to help them get through challenges and to help them understand and reflect what was going on. Piper would write something to Olivia, about something super urgent or awful or confusing, Olivia would respond with her opinions and thoughts, and then she would write something that needed attention...
All of the characters in this book are relatable, fun and creative. They're inventive and obsessed with lots of things. I really liked how the writing engaged the reader and made me feel a part of the story (letter-writing). I think the format of some of the writing (for example, screenplay) was hard to understand and confusing. I think lots of readers will enjoy it.
The boy drama is like... wow. It's cute and appropriate for middle school. The girls gawk at every single answer a boy gives them and try to break it down. I liked watching Olivia grow and learn how to better communicate with them. I think it would teach a lot of girls who struggle with the same thing (page 314 would help with that). There was a lot of drama. The person we've all expected to be perfect seems really flat, and the person who seemed obsessive about Olivia turns out to be pretty selfless and friendly. So, yeah... It was sweet, cute and it helped the characters' personalities grow.
There were some parts that seemed a little sketchy and hastily pulled together. For example, the possibilities of two different boys calling a girl in one night? In middle school? I don't about everybody else, but that seemed a little... forward. And also unrealistic.
I also didn't like how the family issue was resolved. One of the characters was experiencing middle child syndrome, and they spend a lot of the book feeling excluded. Even though the authors tried to make it seem as if all was right, I felt put off because it seemed as if the family wanted to do the character's hobby for their own benefit.
I think that the possibilities of a video going viral on YouTube because it's meaningful and all that just doesn't seem credible. Every three minutes, two more people watched it! Amazing! But inside, I was kind of like, Really? And because of this, Olivia becomes popular. After Olivia becomes popular, she ends up talking to boys and achieving all the things she wanted to. It implied to me that you had to be popular in order to achieve your goals, which I don't think is the right message to send.
In the Spotlight was a fun book that teaches a lot of good lessons and engages the reader by having a lot of relatable situations. It gets a seven out of ten. It was something I think would be a great beginning of the school year read. Something to make you smile and to take your nerves off the edge.
See my review at Reading Violet: http://librarymind.weebly.com/home/mm...
The first thing I liked about this story was the growth of the characters. In book #1, they started out as unsure middle graders who had issues with their family. Most of the family issues got resolved in that book. In In the Spotlight, I got to watch as the characters overcame their fears. Every little step does something to promote their confidence. I loved reading as they overcame challenges in their life, such as grades, boys and socializing. I learned about different ways to elevate my confidence, such as imagining best possible outcome. There were also lots of great quotes regarding this challenges that will help me. Sometimes the characters beat themselves up about a mistake, or wanted to quit. I think it will teach readers perseverance and an understanding of what we can do for others.
Olivia and Piper depended on each other to help them get through challenges and to help them understand and reflect what was going on. Piper would write something to Olivia, about something super urgent or awful or confusing, Olivia would respond with her opinions and thoughts, and then she would write something that needed attention...
All of the characters in this book are relatable, fun and creative. They're inventive and obsessed with lots of things. I really liked how the writing engaged the reader and made me feel a part of the story (letter-writing). I think the format of some of the writing (for example, screenplay) was hard to understand and confusing. I think lots of readers will enjoy it.
The boy drama is like... wow. It's cute and appropriate for middle school. The girls gawk at every single answer a boy gives them and try to break it down. I liked watching Olivia grow and learn how to better communicate with them. I think it would teach a lot of girls who struggle with the same thing (page 314 would help with that). There was a lot of drama. The person we've all expected to be perfect seems really flat, and the person who seemed obsessive about Olivia turns out to be pretty selfless and friendly. So, yeah... It was sweet, cute and it helped the characters' personalities grow.
There were some parts that seemed a little sketchy and hastily pulled together. For example, the possibilities of two different boys calling a girl in one night? In middle school? I don't about everybody else, but that seemed a little... forward. And also unrealistic.
I also didn't like how the family issue was resolved. One of the characters was experiencing middle child syndrome, and they spend a lot of the book feeling excluded. Even though the authors tried to make it seem as if all was right, I felt put off because it seemed as if the family wanted to do the character's hobby for their own benefit.
I think that the possibilities of a video going viral on YouTube because it's meaningful and all that just doesn't seem credible. Every three minutes, two more people watched it! Amazing! But inside, I was kind of like, Really? And because of this, Olivia becomes popular. After Olivia becomes popular, she ends up talking to boys and achieving all the things she wanted to. It implied to me that you had to be popular in order to achieve your goals, which I don't think is the right message to send.
In the Spotlight was a fun book that teaches a lot of good lessons and engages the reader by having a lot of relatable situations. It gets a seven out of ten. It was something I think would be a great beginning of the school year read. Something to make you smile and to take your nerves off the edge.
See my review at Reading Violet: http://librarymind.weebly.com/home/mm...
May 26, 2017
this is book 2 of the journaling between two friends who've moved to middle school. I liked the journal/scrapbook between the girls. but it really could have done with having more of a follow through from the first to the second (this) book. I was lost at the beginning, and I kept looking back thinking I missed the intro page. i caught up using a goodreads review for the first book. but, all in all, a fun story of new adventures in middle school.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews