Les passeurs d'histoires

by Mechthild Gläser

Amy a un don fabuleux : elle peut plonger au cœur des livres !
Le Petit Prince, La Belle au bois dormant, Le Portrait de Dorian Gray, Le Livre de la jungle, Peter Pan, Le chien des Baskerville, Alice au pays des merveilles, Orgueil et Préjugés... Lorsque Amy se rend compte qu’un grand danger menace ces chefs-d’œuvre, elle fera tout pour les protéger et vivra une aventure hors du commun.

Une intrigue haletante qui montre les plus grands héros de la littérature tels que personne ne les a jamais vus !

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Fiction, Books About Books, Mystery, Young Adult Fantasy

432 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 16, 2015

About the author

Mechthild Gläser wurde im Sommer 1986 in Essen geboren. Auch heute lebt und arbeitet sie im Ruhrgebiet, wo sie sich ihrem Studium widmet und ab und an unfassbar schlecht Ballett tanzt – aber nur, wenn niemand hinsieht. Sie hat früh mit dem Schreiben begonnen und ihr Laptop steht noch immer auf der rosafarbenen Schreibtischunterlage, auf der ihre ersten Geschichten entstanden. Inspiration findet sie überall, am besten jedoch bei einer Tasse Pfefferminztee.

---

Rough translation: Mechthild Gläser was born in Essen in the summer of 1986. She lives and works in Ruhrgebiet, where she is dedicated to her studies and now and then dances ballet badly – but only when nobody is watching. She started writing at an early age, and her laptop is still on the rose-coloured desk pad on which she wrote her first stories. She finds inspiration everywhere, but best with a cup of peppermint tea.

Reviews

[Emily May]

Oh god. It's like every bibliophile's wet dream came true. This book can't possibly be as good as it looks, can it? I tried to read the reviews but I only got a 'B' in high school German and that was eight years ago. Screw it, I must find out!

[Joshua Gabriel · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's the same everywhere in the book world: Readers are not allowed to intervene. Under no circumstances. You must always stay in the margins, between the lines. —Shere Khan

Raise your hand if you also bought this book because of its absolutely gorgeous cover! I love everything about it: the old-fashioned font, the smooth texture of the jacket, and the whimsical illustration. If I were to judge this book by its cover alone, I would happily give it five stars! <3

In regards to its content, The Book Jumper is practically fan service for bookworms. How so?
Amy Lennox, the main protagonist, has the wonderful gift of literally jumping into books. I'm sure all of us here wish that we could visit or live in the books we enjoy and love. What we wouldn't give to be able to interact with our favorite characters, who are as real to us as people outside the book world. Raise your hand again if you are also jealous of Amy. Hahaha.

Unfortunately for Amy, the book world is gradually entering a state of chaos. Someone is stealing the ideas of the stories she visits, causing major plot holes and even killing a number of characters. With the help of a Scottish lad named Will and her new fictional friends, Amy hunts for the villain before literature becomes messed up for good. The plot does seem juvenile or middle-grade, but the content as a whole is more appropriate for us young adults. :)

Since The Book Jumper was originally written in German, I cannot evaluate the author's writing style. However, I can say that the translator did a fantastic job. Romy Fursland's written voice was very descriptive but easy to comprehend. In fact, it was one of the reasons why I finished the book relatively quickly. I can't speak German, but I want to believe that Romy Fursland was able to retain the essence of Mechthild Gläser's work.

Even though I was inevitably jealous of Amy, I genuinely enjoyed this book because it was so relatable. I loved that Amy and the rest of the characters lived and breathed literature. I loved that they wanted to protect literature at all costs (as silly as it sounds). If I had their gift, I would jump into this book and make them my best friends. I'm sure that I'm not the only bookworm who has no bookish friends outside the Internet. Ugh. I hate the geographical distance that separates us. xD

I also enjoyed this book because it was predominantly unpredictable. It definitely kept me on my toes. Actually, I lost patience when I couldn't find out the identity of the villain; I became restless enough to read the last chapter and spoil myself. And lo and behold, all of my guesses were wrong! Harharhar.

I would have given this book five stars if the ending weren't unsatisfying and quite convenient. Something unfortunate happened, but I immediately had a hunch that it was only a false alarm. Hence, it didn't affect me that much. Furthermore, some of my questions about Amy and her mother's history remained unanswered. I was a little sad that I didn't get to know more about their supposedly problematic life in Germany.

Nevertheless, I recommend The Book Jumper to every bookworm out there because it's the perfect expression of our deepest, bookish wishes. This book really made me happy and wistful, and I hope that it will do the same thing to you.

[Pang · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm Pang, the Book Jumper!! *Geeeeeez* 📚 Oh Goshhh The concept of this book is amazing! I just love the plot and the world-building! The heroine Amy, is so funny just like I am. lol that several times It's like I am her, and jumping into the book world!! Hahaha 📖🤣🤣

🏰 It also has Gothic Feels!! Anyone who love reading 'Classic Literatures' would enjoy this book very much, I can tell as they mostly jump in them. I'm very happy with this author's work since The Forgotten Book. Why didn't translate more books of Mechthild Gläser? Why? Why? WHY???

[Zyra · Rating 1 out of 5]

this could have been so interesting. full of adventures. there was so much potential but it just stretched & got so boring. for a book where a person can go in to a book it was so disappointing.it felt like i was reading a middle grade book not young adult.

[aly ☆彡]

DNF at 45%

The book is written in simple prose, which makes this an easy read but the whole plot isn't interesting enough to move forward. I zoned out more than I am digesting the story.

Will try to finish the book by the end of the month tho (if I feel like it).

UPDATE:
Seems like I am still not feeling it :(

[emi · Rating 4 out of 5]

How many adventures were hidden in here in paper and ink, how many great love stories, how many epic battles? I’d fallen in love with the place already.

If you're looking for something entertaining, atmospheric and calming - you'll hit the jackpot with this one. It was a pleasure to read, and the concept was immaculately creative and congenial, and addictive like popcorn, or chocolate, or fries or whatever it is that you can consume in huge amounts.

This was one of those books, that contains aspects on both sides of the 'atmosphere' spectrum. On one hand, it was like a basket full of sweetness and adventure, and on the other hand, filled with dreariness, murder and mysteries. A perfect balance between what's dark and spooky, and a light-hearted, fun, romantic adventure.

BE WARNED.THE FOLLOWING POINTS WHERE NOTED AT AROUND 10.30PM, BY WHICH TIME MY BRAIN IS USUALLY DEAD AND I CAN'T ACTUALLY THINK PROPERLY.

You've been warned.

What I liked:

✔︎ - The concept. Jumping into books? Exploring literature from a completely different perspective? Getting to meet characters? Yes, please. This was 100% one of my favourite aspects of this novel, and I'm sure most people, who love reading, will feel similarly to me. The book follows a girl who can literally place a book on her face and travel to the marvelous land of books. Her job is to protect the plot line, and assure that everything runs smoothly and corresponds with the original plot created by the author. Reading about Amy travelling to all these different books was like reading every single book on your endless TBR shelf: AMAZING AND SO INTRIGUING, because although it will never happen (never say never ;)), it's so interesting to read about people who actually have that magical ability. Okay, but now moving on... the book characters actually had lives outside their original plotline, and it was incredibly enjoyable to read about that.

✔︎ - Stormsay. I am in love with the setting of Stormsay. It's this little island with around 14 inhabitants, and everyone's lives there revolve around literature. Does an island like that exist somewhere? Because I am so up to give live there for a while, and travel to different stories. You know, me and my family would live in a beautiful mansion, and a few of my closest friends would live there too, and my crush (yes, lmao, I'm lame af) and my favourite teachers would teach me... and life would be good. At least during summer, and then I could return back to our world.

✔︎ - The atmosphere. I feel like this book would be the equivalent of a great rainy day story. The storms (I just realised it now: Storm = Stormsay. Ten points for Gryffindor) and the rain and the descriptions of the ancient library and the fireplace, and all the grand rooms in the Lennox's mansion - the atmosphere was created masterly. If you like getting immersed whole heartedly in books, and atmosphere - this is for you.

✔︎ - Books, books and more books. There are so many wonderful references here to classic literature and children stories, take for examle, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Jane Eyre, Heidi, The Jungle Book or The Little Prince. It was brillant, especially because I am a huge admirer of classic literature. Also, the book characters were just 100% great as well. Werter and his wimpiness was such an important part of this book. I LOVED HIM. And, remember that tiger in The Junge Book - you know the notorious, killing... Shere Khan. He was such a cutie in this book, and so sassy too. He helped Amy in her adventures, and was so intelligent and carried Amy and Werter on his back during a chase. Ah, so much good stuff.

✔︎ - The fairytale. There was a fairytale told in fragments between each chapter. Just a sentence or two, but it added so much more charm to the book. It's little details like this, that make a book stand out. And, then as you progress through the book, the actual plotline and the fairytale intertwine, and it was, to me, very impressive, although the ending had me shocked. It was crazy, but did actually make sense in the larger scheme of things. Wow, that ending... And there was one character that just ... UGH ... no, no, no. I HATED THE LITTLE... I'm going to stop there. I loved Will though. He was so precious.

✔︎ - It was calming and enjoyable to read. If you're stressed or going through a difficult time, I definitely recommend that you pick this book up. Something, about travelling to the world of literature and the mixture between reality and books was, strangely, so comforting.

What I didn't like:

✘ - Some stupid decisions. I don't feel the need to expand this point. I just felt a little irritated with the characters for continuously repeating actions that led to nowhere. A little more intellectual planning and thinking would have made matters much more simpler. But, then again, I did enjoy the way the characters got to explore the world of literature, and I don't think that would have been possible if not for the slightly 'dopey' actions.

✘ - The holes in the plot. The were times, where I thought more explanations were needed. Not all the loose ends were tied, and I had a ton of questions bubbling in my mind after finsishing. I like when everything is clear and tidy. However, I also do enjoy when books leave you at a cliffhanger, forcing you to reflect and figure things out for yourself. But, only a few books can actually do that well. Unfortunately, I felt like there were a few things that needed answering, and some previous events that had no correlation to the final ending and outcome, so I was left a little confused with a bunch of question marks flying around. I think a sequel would definitely help clear the air, and explain a few important things, but from what I know, no sequel is planned. That's kind of sad, I would have happily reached for a second book and continue following the lives of the characters, but I fully respect the author's decision.

All in all, a very enjoyable book that I would 99.9% recommend, but do keep in mind, that, as almost every book, it does have its faults.

[Maria Clara · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/No soy de leer sinopsis, prefiero que la historia salga a recibirme, pero está vez la leí. Y me encantó. Era como un gran cuento de los hermanos Grimm, donde un montón de maravillosas historias aguardaban expectantes a sus lectores. Sin embargo, en esta ocasión, no había ninguna magia en las palabras. Las letras se mantenían fijas en el papel, al igual que mi imaginación.

[TL *Humaning the Best She Can* · Rating 2 out of 5]

Idea of the story: Loved... how many of us have wished we could jump into the worlds of our favorite characters and hang out with them?

If I were a mutant, maybe this would be my super power:)

So I was super exicted to see how this would play out.

Execution: lacking.

I can't help feeling that if this wasn't a YA book, it would have been done better. Maybe I'm wrong but it was a feeling that kept popping up whenever certain elements of the story came up.

Clever and creative elements seemed overruled by lack of building up of the world of book jumpers and characters that never fully came alive for me.
Even the book characters themselves lacked a presence.

(And yes, part of it is probably due to problems in the book world going on but they still felt like throaway characters)

The romance: I felt nothing for it.. more telling than showing. I felt no chemistry between the two at all.

The reveal and purpose of the thefts was well done in general and the end fight did have me on the edge of my seat but everything after that felt rushed.

It felt like the book had just stopped in the middle of.. something. Like it had abandoned whatever it was doing and went off elsewhere.

[Scottsdale Public Library]

Sweet, nostalgic, and delightful.

Amy and her mother run from an unfortunate past in Germany and run toward a hopeful haven in Scotland. But what Amy does not know is her family clan’s secret: they are book jumpers, defenders of the written word and aim to keep the realm of literature safe and as it should be.

Amy immediately falls into the life of a jumper (quite literally, she “falls” into her e-reader and into The Jungle Book) and finds a mystery and a murder to solve. She must learn the ways of a jumper first, but that does not stop her from doing what she can to save all of literature from a seemingly devious plot against it.

I adore Gläser’s “The Forgotten Book,” and this novel was also a breath of fresh air.
A great weekend read between the deeper tomes. - Sara S.

[Amy Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a creative and exciting read! It's a book about books with a magical island focused on books! I loved the characters and the idea of book jumpers and their ability to get to know the characters from stories we've grown up on. This book did leave me with some questions and I don't know how to feel about the ending yet, I'm still processing.

Amy's mother had her young and left her home to move to Germany to start over. Now Amy is older and wants to go on a getaway trip herself but she has no idea just how far she will get to travel. They go to stay with her grandmother in Scotland where she insists Amy read more. Amy is delighted since she is a bookworm until she finds out her grandmother doesn't mean conventional reading.

Amy is a book jumper. She has the ability to hold a book to her face and enter the world of that book. She has to moderate every story she enters to make sure the focus starts the plot but it isn't easy as she gets to know the characters. Will, another book jumper, joins her but will he be helpful or distract her from her responsibilities?

[Mango · Rating 3 out of 5]

“It was full of whispered words, the lure of stories waiting to be read, a rustle of promise that hung in the air. How many adventures were hidden here in paper and ink, how many great love stories, how many epic battles?”

~3.5 stars~

This book was pretty good, but it did have some flaws. I think this book would have had great potential if the author fixed a couple of things. I found the concept the author invented pretty interesting and engrossing. However, the way it was executed was not as good as it could have been.



Let's start with the plot:

The plot was honestly my favorite part of this book. I loved the concepts Glaser put in this book. It was quite unique and interesting. Unfortunately, there were some flaws which should have been fixed.

Amy, the main character, lives with her mother Alexis. When some personal problems occur, Amy and Alexis flee to a small island called Stormsay, to spend the summer with Amy's grandma (Alexis's mother).

There, Amy discovers she has this ability of actually jumping into fictional books. Like she is able to interact with the characters in there. She is then informed that only her family and her rival clan have this ability. Their jobs are to keep the fictional world safe from harm.

However, someone is going around stealing these story ideas. This causes disasters like Sleeping Beauty only waking up after 50 years, instead of 100. It even made the cyclone from The Wizard of Oz go missing.

So it's up to Amy, and a boy from her rival clan, Will, to figure out who is behind these events.

I actually really liked the concept of this story, and I think it was very creative. Glaser weaves in your childhood fairy tales into a riveting, darker plot. It was quite enjoyable.

However, it started off very slow. I was pretty bored the first 100 or so pages, and I had trouble paying attention to it. But, it definitely picked up around the middle though. The middle was when the plot twists emerged, leaving me open-mouthed.

I did not expect Amy to be half fictional or Desmond to be Amy's father and a book character.



So, I really liked the plot twists. They were really unpredictable. But, a couple more things to nitpick at are the romance and the ending.

The romance was very rushed. One minute Amy's just friends with Will, the next moment they are lying on the couch kissing. I did not see any development in the romance, and I found it too sudden for my taste. Not as sudden as insta-love, but the transition was rocky.

The ending was also quite abrupt and a bit unsatisfying. I can't specify it without spoiling it for you, but it ended way too fast, and I was a bit disappointed.

MAJOR SPOILER:
So Will dies...becomes a fictional character. The story ends with Amy wondering whether she will stay in the story world with Will, or let go of Will and stay in the real world. I found that quite abrupt and incomplete.

So to conclude, the plot was decent. I loved the concepts, but it could have been executed better.


Moving on to the characters:

The characters were mediocre. I don't really think they were great. These characters were a bit bland. It did improve towards the end, but otherwise I found the characters boring and robotic. I am only going to talk about the main character, Amy, since I literally have nothing to say about the other characters.

Amy: This is going to be a short paragraph. I didn't love her, but I didn't hate her either. But, she was bland. Very bland. Honestly, I can't come up with one word to describe her (except bland). She did improve towards the end though, and I did get to see a glimpse of conflict in her, feeling like an outsider. But honestly? That conflict was never cleanly resolved. I also didn't see much growth in her. So, I don't have much to say about her...she was okay I guess.



Basically I felt the same way about the other characters, so I won't waste my time typing up different paragraphs, since they will be saying basically the same thing.


Finally, the writing:

The writing was actually decent. It had a lot of pretty quotes, which I found quite inspiring. Unfortunately, I don't think I will ever get the full power of Glaser's writing, since this book was originally written in German, then translated to English. So I don't know if all this book was Glaser's actual writing, or if some things were tweaked to make the translation cleaner.

But, I think this translated copy was quite nice. Very detailed, poetical, and beautiful. I thoroughly enjoyed it.



But, one of my pet peeves in the writing was that there were exclamation marks. Many, many exclamation marks. I wouldn't go to say that they got me angry or anything, but just mildly annoyed me. I feel quite hypocritical saying this, since I use a LOT of exclamation marks. But I don't think this many exclamation marks should be used in a book.

Overall, I really did like this style of writing. I would have appreciated if they had cut back on the exclamation marks though.

I took off 1.5 stars, because of the bland characters, and the excessive exclamation marks (1 star for characters, 0.5 for the exclamation marks).

To conclude, this was a mediocre book to me. It had a pretty good concept in it, but I wish it was executed better. This was definitely one of the more unique concepts out there (in a good way), and it definitely had great potential. Though I was a bit disappointed, I still enjoyed it very much, and I will keep my eye out for more of Glaser's works! :)


---------------------------------------
Not bad, but not my favorite. Review to come!

[Scrill · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I spent most of the weekend reading - reading in the traditional sense, that is, without jumping into the book world. I was itching to jump, but I felt much too weak to go clambering through jungles or chasing after white rabbits or even to spend the day at a magical boarding school."

I don't know what I was quite expecting out of this book. All I really knew was that a girl can jump into stories and things started going missing. And that is essentially what happens in the story. I mean there is more that is actually going on, and I can't really divulge into that without giving away plot points.

With that being said, I can say that I liked the way the book jumping actually works. It's not as if it's just some random power, its a family thing. It's not like they can just hop right into the story and become the characters and get to experience the story first hand. It's more like the book jumpers are observers. Mind you, it's like a movie of your favorite book, but instead of the plot and important things being left out on a screen, you get to see it first hand as the story plays out. The best part I loved about the book jumping world was that the characters were very real. As in, when they aren't playing a certain part in the book they are just hanging out in the margin world of the book. So as a book jumper you actually get to interact and hang out with the characters when they are...on a break so to speak.

I liked the idea of the book, but it wasn't incredibly exciting or had anything grabbing about it. Which is why I only gave it 4 stars.

[Yousra]

أخذت وقتا أطول مما ينبغي في القراءة رغم أنني كنت متحمسة لها جدا
.
.
أولا اعتقدت أن من الممكن قرائتها لاحقا مع أبنائي لكنني ومن الصفحات الأولى رأيت أن شيئا ما فيها لن يمكنني من ذلك وصدق حدسي ... فالبطلة آيمي لا تعرف والدها وهناك مفاجأة بخصوصه، وقد هربت مع والدتها بعد أن ساءت أمور والدتها مع حبيبها بينما آيمي تم التنمر عليها من قبل أصدقائها بعد تصويرها عارية وتداول صورها، ثم هناك قصة حب آيمي على الجزيرة التي التجأت إليها فبالتالي لن أقرأها مع الأولاد فقد وجدتها لا تصلح لمراهقينا
.
.
القصة نفسها شيقة وإن عابها المط وانكشاف الحبكة، أو اكتشافي لها، سريعا
.
.
الترجمة عجيبة، جيدة في مواضع قليلة، لا بأس بها وإن كان من الممكن أن تكون أفضل في أغلب الرواية وسيئة في مواضع عديدة
.
.
التنسيق والإخراج كانا في منتهى السوء ... فنجد المسافات بين الكلمات بشكل عشوائي، ونجد جملا مظللة بلا هدف، وكأن أحدهم أخذ ملف وورد وطبعه فعلا دون ادني مراجعة أو تنسيق
.
.
النهاية كانت ��ئيبة فعلا! وللبطلة أسوأ الحظوظ في رأيي
.
.
أول قراءة لي للدار وللمترجمة وللكاتبة وأعتقد أنني لا أرغب في تكرار التجربة مع أي منهم

[Jessy MelodyofBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meine Rezi ist ab jetzt online: https://youtu.be/M_rIYTrITDY

[Manybooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Mechthild Gläser's 2015 young adult novel Die Buchspringer (called The Book Jumper in English translation, and I do wonder why the English title shows only one single book jumper, whereas the original German title of Die Buchspringer is clearly showing a grammatical plural, and that Gläser's presented story does indeed feature not just one but multiple book jumpers), main protagonist and teenaged Amy Lennox is living with her single and expat Scottish mother Alexis in Bochum, Germany and has always had a deep-down suspicion and feeling that both she and her mother are somehow different (but just to say that while I do appreciate the close relationship Amy and Alexis have in Die Buchspringer, personally speaking, I kind of wish Alexis would be more like Amy's parent than her best friend and would as such also be more practical regarding the bullying her daughter is experiencing at school, would actually officially complain and get those mean girls some actual and uncomfortable consequences and repercussions instead of just leaving Germany for the summer, to escape romance based heartbreak for her and the above mentioned bullying scenarios for Amy). And yes, when Amy arrives with her mother on the remote Scottish island of Stormsay and meets her formidable grandmother Lady Mairead, she soon discovers just how very much different she, her mother and in fact Alexis' entire family actually are. For Amy (and Alexis) come from a long line of so-called book jumpers (people who have the ability to jump into any book and are as such able experience the stories first-hand, are able to personally meet up and interact with literary characters and can even take them along to explore other books and even the world outside of books, although deliberately changing plot elements etc. is of course and naturally strictly against the rules of book jumping, although it seems to rather often happen and be a pretty huge temptation).

And at first Die Buchspringer has Gläser simply show and joyously describe bookish and totally into reading Amy's absolute delight at being a book jumper and then using her newly discovered ability to for example visit some of Michael Ende's children's novels (such as Momo), explore with Shir Khan as her guide Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, drink tea with Lewis Carroll's Mad Hatter, rescue Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Werther from the witches of William Shakespeare's McBeth and to also visit Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's Little Prince with said same Werther (who like in The Sorrows of Young Werther is a bit whiny and lovelorn but is thankfully also much more likeable, much more active and less of a narcissist in Die Buchspringer, which totally makes me smile, since I find and have always found Werther how he is depicted and presented by Goethe rather insufferable and pathetic, but to be honest, a more active, less self absorbed and no longer mentally ill Werther could of course if being completely logical totally change much of the story of The Sorrows of Young Werther and probably make the novel's ending be considerably more positive and with Wether therefore also not committing suicide). But well, when in Die Buchspringer the body of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes (who had been missing from his novels after book jumper Will McAlister befriended Holmes, took him into the "real" world and then basically lost sight of him) is found drifting off the island of Stormsay, every reader of Die Buchspringer immediately realises that something is definitely very very wrong (and with this sadly also being just the beginning of the book related potential horrors to be encountered).

For Mechthild Gläser's main presented and to be solved mystery in Die Buchspringer is that someone (or something) is jumping into books and then deliberately stealing and altering major plot elements from the canon of world literature, and that once plot devices have been "booknapped" and changed, copies of said tomes in the real world also end up reflecting this. So readers and book-buyers (in the "real" world of Die Buchspringer) are thus complaining about Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice never having Elizabeth Bennett meet and fall in love with FitzWilliam Darcy, that there is no longer any evil in Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights and that L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz seems to be missing the tornado which takes Dorothy to the land of Oz, and with Amy Lennox and her new friend, the above mentioned Will McAlister joining forces to retrieve stolen plot-lines, to prevent further thefts and also finding out who or what killed Sherlock Holmes. And while all of this is both interestingly and equally nicely engagingly, enjoyably penned by Gläser, as someone who is not all that much into mysteries, I (and both my inner teenaged reader and I as an adult reader totally agree) would definitely both like and equally appreciate Die Buchspringer considerably more if there actually were no plot devices being mysteriously stolen and both a monster and a villain controlling said monster to defeat (and just to furthermore point out that I also find the romantic drama of Die Buchspringer and that Will McAlister and Werther are basically competing for Amy's hand so to speak both rather tacked on and also totally and completely unnecessary, well, at least in my opinion, as is that short subplot of Amy finding out that her father is a book character, since this is just briefly mentioned by Machthild Gläser and not really expanded upon either and that I kind of do wish Amy's father would simply remain completely and wholly anonymous in Die Buchspringer).

Now I do consider Amy Lennox as the main protagonist of Die Buchspringer generally likeable, personally relatable and as such how Gläser presents her in Die Buchspringer is majorly textually delightful for me (and that I equally very much enjoy Amy's first person voice and as such kind of wish that the parts of Die Buchspringer presenting Will McAlister's point of view would also be penned by Mechthild Gläser using first person and not third person narration). Yes, Die Buchspringer does certainly demonstrated how Amy has the tendency to be a bit arrogant regarding her getting good marks at school, but frankly, her boasting sort of reminds me of myself as a teenager and how I sometimes if not even often tried unsuccessfully bragging about my bookishness and my good marks in French, English literature and history because I felt awkward and tried to cover-up my clumsiness and coordination issues by bragging a bit about what I was good or at least decent at. And therefore, Amy Lennox as a character is absolutely kindred spirit material for and to me, so that albeit I have found the mystery and having to locate and conquer villains and monsters elements of Die Buchspringer and even more so that tacked on and artificial seeming teen romance drama rather frustrating (see above) and also think that the ending and who the actual villains of Die Buchspringer are not all that satisfying in and of themselves, yes, I have certainly enjoyed Amy Lennox and Will McAlister as characters and the book jumping element enough to rate Die Buschspringer as a novel with four stars (and to also consider trying more of Mechthild Gläser's oeuvre).

Finally, just to say that I have only read Die Buchspringer in German, that my review is based only on Gläser's text and that I am as such also not at all qualified commenting on the English translation and how The Book Jumper textually compares to Die Buchspringer (although I would assume that thematics and contents should of course be the same).

[Shannon Miz · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
This is such a hard book to review, because there were parts of it that I really liked and parts that I really wish had been more developed. So... let's just give it a shot. Definitely doing a good versus not so-good for this one because it was really split for me.

The Good:

It is a book about jumping into other books. That is fabulous! Who wouldn't want to pop into their favorite stories?! Yes, please, sign me up! I loved reading about Amy's adventures through her favorite stories, meeting characters in "the Margin", it was so fun and clever!
I loved the characters from the books. Even those I wasn't familiar with were so fun to read about. We got to see them out of the context of their original stories at times too, and it was entertaining.
I liked the romance. Even if it was a little too quick for my taste (don't worry, we'll get to that), it was so adorable. I liked Amy and Will, actually, I think I liked Will more than I liked Amy, so I was rooting for them for sure.
The three generations of women was great! It was almost Gilmore Girls-esque, with the snobby grandmother, the sometimes flighty teen mom mother, and Amy, the quiet one who enjoys reading. Anyway, I liked their dynamic, and their interactions with each other.
The atmosphere of Stormsay was perfect for the story. It was quaint, and old, and even a bit drab, but it worked in the context. I would have liked to know more of its history, but what we did see worked quite well.

The Not-So-Good:

This is a wee bit spoilery, so... beware. The ending was wholly unfulfilling.  This is absolutely my major qualm with the book. Now this next part will be definitely spoilery so again..caution, friends. I won't fully spoil the ending, but there are characters who are completely unaccounted for, TONS of ends not tied up or even hinted at conclusions for. It was almost like there should be another book but I don't think one is planned? I would re-think my rating and revise my review if there WILL be a second book, but for now, the ending wasn't just displeasing, it was like "wait, why did I even bother, I have NO IDEA what happened to anyone or anything".
The romance was so insta-love. Like, I guess since they are the only teens on this island not related to each other it makes sense but... they have one kiss and she's declaring her love. Really? I know she is young but... calm down, sister.
The world-building was lacking. I needed more answers to my questions. How did any of the book-jumping things work? What about the outside world, why were they so cut off? And I had lots more questions, but they're all quite full of spoilers so I will just say that I wanted to know stuff and I didn't. I needed rules, and I had none. Obviously this is magical and such, but there still should be a rule system within that, yes? Also, I would have liked a bit more background on Amy in general to connect to her better.

Bottom Line: It's imaginative and often charming. I enjoyed reading it, but I was also left frustrated by some major things. All in all, I liked it, but I do wish some things had been explained and fleshed out more. And maybe a sequel.

*Copy provided for review

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 2 out of 5]

Amy and her mom leave their home in Germany to go to her mother's childhood home on a Scottish Island. Lady Mairead, Amy's grandmother, insists that Amy read while she's there. Not in the usual way, though, because Amy learns that she's a book jumper. That means she can jump into books and interact with their characters and their world. As great as that is, it's also dangerous as someone is stealing things and ideas from the books - and they may also be gunning for Amy, too. Amy has to team up with Will, a fellow book jumper, to get to the bottom of things.

The Book Jumper by Mechthild Gläser has so much potential and the concept behind this novel is excellent. It was actually one of my most anticipated reads, but unfortunately it didn't live up to my expectations. This is one of those times when I liked the idea at the heart of the story more than the actual execution of the book. How it actually turned out, it's more of a mess of YA tropes than anything, but it does have that cool hook. The two main detractors for me in this story are the lack of world building and the instalove. To keep it short, even by the end there's so much we don't know about book jumping and how it works and I ended up having more questions than I started out with. Then, in regards to the instalove - Amy, our special snowflake, immediately has to fall in love with the only other teen boy on the island because of course she does. On that note, all of the characters in this story are pretty flat and have too little character development for my liking.

Overall, The Book Jumper by Mechthild Gläser has a premise to immediately hook any book lover. I mean, who wouldn't want to read a story featuring characters who can actually jump into books and interact with their worlds and characters. However, the story's ultimately disappointing and that premise is the best part. Perhaps something is lost in German to English translation. I can't say that I recommend this 2017 release (in the English language), but if you'd like to avoid this mess yet still want to read a story that pulls off the concept of book jumping in an awesome way try the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde instead.

[Silvia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I´m doing something I usually don´t do, and that is writing a review of a book I´ve read a long time ago. For this book, that time happens to be almost exactly one year later. (I was also in Germany at that time, as I am now actually -so that´s funny. Also please pardon the weird apostrophes coming from a German keyboard.)

Still I feel like I need to explain my rating because many people love this book.

To give you a little bit of context, this was the very first book I read in German. I was extremely slow reading it and I spent more time that I´d like to admit looking up words that I didn´t know.

I don´t own this book anymore because I got it through an online library thing, so I can´t look up details like names etc (and I´m literally the worst at remembering plots and names), but I still remember my thoughts while reading this.

The idea sounded so cool. A book about people that can jump into books? Sign me up for it. Sadly, I ended up liking the idea of it much more than the execution itself.
I want to be completely honest though, and say that a lot of my disappointment might have to do with the fact that it wasn´t a language I usually read in, and reading over such a long time period (it took me one month to read???) is just something that I hate. I like to devour my books, thank you very much.

The plot wasn´t very original, except for the book-jumping thing. And even then, it felt a lot like fanservice. All of the books the MCs jumped into are very famous, as if the author wanted to make sure that as many people as possible got the references. I could have done with a little bit less books mentioned and a little more depth to the story. Which, again, I don´t remember that well, but I trust the gut feeling this left me and the rating I gave it back then.

With that said, I was still very glad I chose this book to be the first one I read in German, because, despite having some difficulties, I found it overall an easy book to start with. The fact that it´s also a standalone is also a plus point in that regard, and I´m grateful that, because I took the courage to read this, I eventually ended up reading other books in German that I found more enjoyable (and the language barrier wasn´t as high).

So overall I think this is still a book worth reading if you´re looking for a short, light read, whether you read a translation or the original version if you´re German, and I would also recommend it if you, like me, want to start reading in German. Just don´t expect anything that will knock your socks off.

[Elwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Welcher Leser träumt nicht davon in seine Lieblingsbücher springen zu können? Also mir würden da einige Orte einfallen, die ich gern mal besuchen möchte. Dass es für solche Magie Regeln geben muss, ist klar. Nur erfahren wir sie leider nicht oder nur bruchstückhaft. Denn natürlich ist Amy so speziell und ach so besonders, dass für sie alles möglich ist. Der Grund für ihre Gabe wird zwar später noch erklärt, aber in sich schlüssig war da so einiges nicht. Trotzdem bin ich gern mit durch die Literaturklassiker gesprungen. Das Rätsel war angenehm knifflig und mit schönen Twists. Dazu der flotte Schreibstil, der auch über eher flache Charaktere gut hinwegsehen lässt und schon fliegt man fast genauso schnell durch die Seiten wie die Springer an ihren besten Tagen.

[Ms. Smartarse · Rating 2 out of 5]

Translated into English as The Book Jumper.

Meet Amy: 16-year-old, book-loving, smart, so-called "giraffe-child", with low self-esteem. She is currently on 'the run', following the disastrous end of her mother's latest relationship. We have to give the girl credit for her packing motto: "Better a cardigan too few, than doing without one of my favorite [books]."



Mother dearest chooses the absolute best hiding place for the summer: a forgotten Shetland island. It's remote enough that no one is likely to find them there, plus grandma lives there, so lodging's free. Yay for finally meeting long estranged family, right?

It turns out that lodging is not quite free: Amy will have to earn her right to stay there... by reading. Being a complete bookworm, that's hardly a chore for our heroine. Finding out that she's a 'book jumper' (roll credits) deters our heroine even less so. Well sure, there seems to be something rotten afoot in Den- erm... the literary world, but that just makes everything even more interesting, right?



You know that book that everyone seems to love? The one you decided to actually buy because your favorite reviewers are praising it to high heavens? That's Die Buchspringer for me.

I love the idea of readers entering books, heck if it were possible for real I'd definitely be... among the first 50 in line. Unlike in Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series, I actually read/heard of the books being mentioned. I even liked the mysterious little fairy tale that gets told in bits and pieces at the beginning of each chapter. The creepy anticipation that it created was excellent.

The characters on the other hand, were a mess. And I don't mean that in a "maaaaaaaaaan these people need a shrink" manner, but rather "maaaaaaan this author sucks at writing character development".

1) We have special snowflake Amy: perpetually self-esteem challenged, while basking in her amazing book jumping talents.

2) Then there's Betsy the make-up addicted, mini-skirt-wearing fellow book jumper, whose instant dislike of the heroine marks her as persona non-grata for all eternity.

3) And we can't forget Will, the handsome, constantly bored, fellow co-star book jumper, whose first inner thought we witness is his insta-love for Amy.

If you thought the adults were better off, you're sadly mistaken. They're hardly present, and even then, they're either classic soap-opera villains, or more irresponsible than the children.



And the ending... was just lazy. While I found the general idea refreshing, I just can't reconcile with not finding out the answer to why book jumping only last until the reader turns 26... for example.

While some people may enjoy a bit of mystery with their conclusion, my most pressing questions went unanswered.

Score: 2/5 stars

I really and truly wanted to like this book, if for no other reason than to justify the $15 I spent on it. Unfortunately, the utterly cheesy and predictable characters ended up annoying me so much, that by the last few chapters I could hardly wait to finish the book.

[Natalie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this! I did! Book jumping sounded like an interesting concept and I was excited to read it. But - no!!!!

Here's why -

1) The catalyst to get Amy and her mother to the island was extremely weak.

2) The mother's love story was just ridiculous and she was a pretty terrible mother to Amy. I couldn't stand her. She was very selfish and overall unlikable. Actually all of the adults are pretty ineffectual. I thought the grandmother would be a main character but she was barely there...other than her ridiculous side plot.

3) Amy's own love story - urgh. That's all I have to say about that.

4) The character of Amy. She's very klutzy and clueless and kind of reminded me of Bella Swan (not a compliment). She also made many bad decisions and chose to keep things secret that should have definitely been revealed.

5) Who in their right might would want to hang out with Werther from "The Sorrows of Young Werther"???

6) I don't get WHY there have to be book jumpers at all. I know it was explained, but why would stories need to be "protected" when it is apparently so easy to mess with them and ruin everything? And why can you only book jump until you're 26???

7) Don't get me started on Sherlock Holmes the clever, cerebral detective and...father? Yeah. No.

8) The ending was awful. All along I was thinking this would be a 2 (decent idea, didn't live up to the potential but still enjoyable) but then that ending happened. Extremely unsatisfying and didn't make much sense at all.

I could keep going but (a) I think a list of 8 reasons I hated the book is a lot and (b) I don't want to get too spoilery.

Hard pass.

[Natalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun and cute middle grade book.
The story follows Amy, a girl that finds out that her whole family has the ability to jump in books and interact with book characters. She finds out that someone is steeling ideas form the books and Amy has to try a save them.
The concept that someone is steeling ideas from books (literally, like someone steeling Summer from midsummer night's dream) might sound a bit weird it works in this book. While reading it makes sense and also is lots of fun.
I loved all of the books and stories that they visited. It was really fun.
The idea about jumping in books could've been better developed, the book was far from perfect, but honestly I liked that it was a bit weird.
Overall I really enjoyed this book.

[Christine Spoors · Rating 3 out of 5]

As this book was originally written in German, my review is of the translation of the story by Romy Fursland. This book was such an easy read and I loved that the main character could jump into stories. This book is definitely at the younger end of young adult, and so I think I would perhaps have enjoyed it more if I'd read years ago!

We follow Amy, and her mum Alexis, as they travel to the fictional Scottish island of Stormsay to stay with their Grandmother. They mention Mainland and Lerwick, meaning this fictional island is situated in the Shetland archipelago, however it didn't feel much like that. I was drawn to this book because of the Scottish setting however it felt like it could have been set anywhere, just with a few mentions of clans and kilts. The main character of course swooned when she spotted the love interest in a kilt... when will we move past this in books... WHEN?!

I liked reading from the main character Amy's POV, however she was infuriatingly stubborn at times. She also did the 'judging another girl for wearing makeup etc' thing that's always annoying. But, all in all, I liked her POV and the few chapters we got from Will's POV. The character development could have been a little more detailed for the others, but as the plot focused around stories it worked out okay.

The plot was really fast paced and I liked that they ventured into many different books, though I think I'd have gotten a little more out of it if I'd read them all first. It took me quite a while to guess where the plot was going, which is always a good sign. The conclusion was quite quick and I was glad that they didn't drag the story out. The world-building wasn't very strong, and there wasn't much explanation to make this book jumping plot realistic, so I was glad that the ending didn't tie itself in knots trying to explain everything.

I think this might be the first translated young adult novel I have reviewed, and literary translation isn't something I know a lot about, so I am not sure how much Fursland changed from Gläser's original story, or if anything lost its meaning due to it's translation! I'd definitely recommend this book to those who like younger YA books, I was pretty intrigued by the plot.

[Hussain Hamadi · Rating 2 out of 5]

القفز في الكتب
ميشتهيلد جليزر
ترجمة سندس جمال الحسيني
دار النشر صفحة 7
عدد الصفحات : 475
النوع : رواية خيالية
التقييم :🌟 🌟
.
.
من منا لا يعشق الكتب؟ ومن لم يرغب يوماً في ان يكون قادراً على الدخول للروايات التي احبها يحاور ابطالها يحذرهم من مشاكل قد تقع لهم؟! ماذا لو كان ذلك ممكناً ولكن شرط ان تكون قادراً على القفز داخل الكتب ولا تغير في الاحداث وتبقى فقط على هامش الصفحة!! هل ستقوم بذلك؟!!
.
بطلة الرواية آيمي عاشقة الروايات التي تعيش مع والدتها أليكسيس في المانيا وبعد انفصال والدتها عن زوجها تسافر مع ابنتها الى مسقط رأسها حيث تلتقي بجدتها مادريد التي تطلب من آيمي أن تقرا ولكن ليست قراءة عادية وانما قراءة من نوع آخر تكون فيها داخل الروايات التي تقراها!! وليس هذا فقط ولكن يتضح بان هناك شخص ما يقوم بالعبث قي الروايات ويغير من احداثها!!! فمن هو هذا الشخص يا ترى؟! وهل ستقف آيمي دون تدخل؟! لمعرفة ذلك عليك بقراءة الرواية.
.
.
التقييم
بدايةً أعجبتني فكرة الرواية وقد شاهدت الكتاب بنسخته الانجليزية سابقاً في مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي وفرحت حينما وجدت نسخة مترجمة من الرواية ولكن للأسف الشديد لم تعجبني كثيراً وقد يكون السبب هو الترجمة للرواية حيث فقدت حس الكاتب ولم تكن مشوقة بقدر ما كانت مربكة قي سياق السرد والت��جمة واحسست بالملل مما جعلني اركن الرواية لفترة ثم عدت مجدداً لها وانا بين خيارين اما ان اعطي الرواية فرصة جديدة او اتوقف عن قراءتها. وقد تابعت القراءة ولم تكن حتى النهاية مشوقة او مسلية بالنسبة لي!!
.
ان كنت قد قرات الرواية بالنسخة الانجليزية اخبرني كيف كانت تجربتك وهل اعجبتك ام لا؟
.
#القفز_في_الكتب #thebookjumper
#ميسشتهيلد_جليزر

المراجعة على الانستقرام

https://www.instagram.com/p/CYeSvHpsp...

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

What? Why don't people like this book!! I THOROUGHLY enjoyed it.

First, we MUST talk about the cover. This is gorgeous. And absolutely shows enough of what the book is about without giving too much away.

Basically, the main character is from a clan (a freaking clan!!!) and her and her rival clan are both families of "book jumpers". And they can LITERALLY jump into books at this certain location and interact with the characters, and help the story along. Like OMG I would love to do this.

A lot of the magic isn't really explained, and I kind of liked it?? Like we're basically just told that his ability has been in their families for years and that no one else but them can do it. And honestly, sometimes the explanation for how things work can be lost over hundreds of years. And it kind of left it open for the reader to hope to accidentally stumble upon this amazing ability.

And while the plot line was interesting, there were so many classics brought up and partially redone. And it was so cool. I absolutely loved the wild ride we went on. The main character was able to "talk" to characters, and their stories were partially destroyed at one point which put into perspective how integral certain elements were to a storyline. Also you can tell that the author really respected these stories and their writers by the way the story reads.

In addition, there was a part of a story told at the beginning of each chapter that was carried on throughout the book and that had tons of originality and intrigue. I almost wanted to keep reading so I could continue reading that story.

Minus one star, because the diversity was a little lacking. Most of the characters in the book come from two different (European) families. And so most of the diversity comes from the story characters. But even then, it was lacking.

[Olga Kowalska (WielkiBuk) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spotkania z ukochanymi bohaterami, aluzje literackie, mrugnięcia okiem i smaczki świata czytelniczego – to wszystko i jeszcze więcej znajdziemy w „Strażniczce Książek”. Kto czuje się niezwykle oczytany i zna podstawy klasyki, ten z powieści Mechthild Gläser może zyskać moc dobrej, poczciwej zabawy w młodzieżowym stylu. Kto sam jest młodym czytelnikiem i dopiero zaczyna przygodę z literaturą odnajdzie tutaj całe morze inspiracji literackich, czyli przede wszystkim listę lektur obowiązkowych, dzięki którym literatura stanie przed nim otworem.
To lekka i urocza powieść, kryjąca tajemnice i sekrety, miejscami szaloną akcję i zwyczajnie dobrą zabawę. Warto wstąpić do Tajnej Biblioteki i zanurzyć się w ten świat, tym bardziej, gdy dla nas to dopiero początek książkowej zabawy.

[Colleen Houck]

I love how the characters are able to just sink into literature. If I could jump into any book, I'd probably pick The Black Stallion. Think I could survive that one. Really like the story of the princess and the knight.

[Alaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was such a fun book!

The Book Jumper has been on my TBR for a while, like 3 years. No biggie. So when I saw the opportunity to dive into it, I didn't hesitate. It also didn't hurt that it worked for a challenge.

The whole entire plot of jumping into a story sounds amazing. If it were a real thing, I would definitely volunteer as tribute. Ugh, especially for the books that I already love and would love to be in. Hello Harry Potter - I'm looking at you.

Every character that I've met throughout this book brought me joy. I probably would've pooped my pants if I was in the Jungle book but Shere Khan just seemed like a normal cat. Oh lord, I loved him and he was completely adorable. If I liked cats I would totally adopt him.

If I could change anything, it would be the numerous stupid decisions made throughout this book. However, I can't so I will learn how to deal with it all. Other than that, I really enjoyed this book and I'm so happy I found the time to listen to it.

[Moe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jahrelang haben sich Amy und ihre Mutter Alexis allein durchgeschlagen. Doch dann wird der Alltag einfach zu viel für sie beide und sie flüchten über die Sommerferien nach Schottland, auf eine kleine Insel namens Stormsay. Die Familie, vor der Alexis ursprünglich geflüchtet ist, lebt dort und für Amy eröffnet sich mit diesem Besuch eine ganz neue Welt: Sie entspringt nämlich einer Familie von Buchspringern, die sich geschworen haben die Buchwelt zu beschützen. Und wie? Indem sie einfach in die Geschichten hineinspringen und dafür sorgen, dass alles vernünftig nach Plan läuft. Doch schnell zeigt sich für Amy, die von den Buchsprüngen von Beginn an unglaublich begeistert ist, dass momentan in der Buchwelt so einiges komisch ist.

Schon wieder ein Buch über Bücher? Aber ja, und zwar ein traumhaft gutes Buch über Bücher. Jeder Leser hat sich bestimmt schon mal darüber Gedanken gemacht, was die Figuren im Lieblingsbuch eigentlich tun, während sie gerade keinen Auftritt haben. Was machen sie in ihrer Freizeit? Mechthild Gläser gibt in „Die Buchspringer” zauberhafte Antworten auf diese Fragen. Die Buchwelten, in die Amy springt, sind sehr liebevoll ausgearbeitet und es macht viel Spaß mit Amy zu reisen. Auch die Draußenwelt, unsere Welt, bleibt trotz der vielen Möglichkeiten in verschiedene Geschichten zu springen interessant: Auf der Insel, auf der Amys Familie und eine weitere Familie von Buchspringern leben, scheint es trotz des kleinen Umfangs noch so einige versteckte Geheimnisse zu geben. Insgesamt ist es der Autorin gelungen diese beiden Welten geschickt und vor allem spannend miteinander zu verweben, sodass ich mit den Charakteren fiebern, freuen und leiden konnte und es vor lauter Spannung gar nicht aus der Hand legen wollte.

Die meiste Zeit über begleiten wir die Geschichte durch Amys Blickwinkel. Sie ist eine interessante und schusselige junge Dame, die sich nicht scheut mal aus der Reihe zu tanzen und ihre Umgebung neugierig erforscht. Mit Amy kann der Leser auf jeden Fall viele angenehme Stunden verbringen. Ein paar wenige Seiten weilt man auch an der Seite von Will, einem jungen Buchspringer, der auf Stormsay aufgewachsen ist und schon sein ganzes Leben lang springt. Auch diese Perspektive ist faszinierend, weil sie doch noch mal ein anderes Licht auf die Welt wirft. Zwischen den Kapiteln befinden sich zudem liebevoll aufgemachte, mysteriöse märchenhafte Texte, die sich nach und nach weiter entschlüsseln.

Für mich gehört „Die Buchspringer” zu den besten Büchern über Bücher, die ich je gelesen habe. Bücherliebhabern wird in der Buchwelt regelmäßig das Herz höher schlagen, schneller schlagen oder gar aussetzen, wenn sie lesen, was da plötzlich so geschieht, und da diese Geschichte auch in der Draußenwelt mit viel Spannung und liebevollen Details aufwarten kann, kann ich sie nur wärmstens empfehlen.

Herzlichen Dank an das Team von leserunden.de, die es mir und vielen weiteren Teilnehmern ermöglicht haben, „Die Buchspringer” schon vor Erscheinen zu lesen, um dann gemeinsam zu spekulieren und zu schwärmen.

[nettebuecherkiste · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 Sterne, aufgrund des Jugendbuchstatus aufgerundet auf 4.

Die sechzehnjähriger Amy lebt mit ihrer Mutter Alexis im Ruhrgebiet. Da beide gerade die Nase gründlich voll haben, Amy wegen eines erniedrigenden Erlebnisses mit sogenannten Freunden, ihre Mutter wegen der Trennung von ihrem Freund, packen die beiden und machen sich für die Sommerferien auf den Weg auf die Shetlands, woher Alexis stammt. Dort wartet mehr als eine Überraschung auf Amy: Nicht nur bewohnt ihre Großmutter ein Herrenhaus, sondern ihre Familie zeichnet sich auch wie die zweite herrschaftliche Familie der Insel durch eine Besonderheit aus: In jungen Jahren können ihre Mitglieder förmlich in Bücher, d. h. in ihre Geschichte “hineinspringen”.

Welchen Bücherfreak spricht dieses Setting nicht an? Wer möchte nicht einmal mit seinen liebsten Romanhelden sprechen und die schönsten Geschichten live miterleben?

Mechthild Gläser hat sich da ein faszinierendes, aber auch dankbares Thema ausgesucht. Vor allem die erste Hälfte des Buches leidet allerdings an gar zu vielen Logikfehlern. Alexis’ Gepäck geht während der Überfahrt zur Insel über Bord, aber dennoch packt sie in ihrem Badezimmer im Herrenhaus ihre ganze Naturkosmetik aus? Amy spricht natürlich Englisch mit ihrer Großmutter, auch wenn die Dialoge natürlich auf Deutsch wiedergegeben werden, aber woher nimmt sie im Englischen bitte die Unterscheidung zwischen “du” und “Sie”, die sie an einer Stelle macht? (Es ist wohl kaum anzunehmen, dass sie es mit dem altertümlichen “thou” probiert hat…)

Auch für ein Jugendbuch war mir die Geschichte stellenweise nicht durchdacht genug. Dies bessert sich allerdings im Verlauf des Buchs etwas und wenn man diese Fehler beiseite lässt, bekommt man ein schönes, fantasievolles Unterhaltungswerk mit Humor. Herrlich etwa, dass es in der Apotheke der Bücherwelt ein Mittel gegen schwache Verben gibt.

Eine Romanfigur wird in der realen Welt getötet und ein Dieb treibt sein Unheil in der Bücherwelt, wogegen Amy und die beiden anderen jugendlichen Buchspringer Will und Betsy (Betsy ist selbstverständlich eine Zicke) vorgehen möchten. So entwickelt sich die Handlung ein wenig Richtung Krimi.

Das Ende ist insbesondere für ein Jugendbuch angenehm offen gehalten, auch wenn es gegen Ende absehbar war, hatte ich da mit mehr Kitsch gerechnet.

Eine schönes, aber nicht großartiges Jugendbuch mit kleinen Schwächen. 3,5 Sterne.