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River Heights #5
Between the Lines
Nikki Masters is struggling with her lead role opposite her boyfriend in the school play. Tim craves publicity, but Nikki wants no part of it. To make matters worse, Nikki is convinced that Tim is making a play for sophomore actress Lara Bennett. She will have to play her part to perfection if she wants to reach a happy ending.
- GenresYoung Adult
150 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 1990
56 people want to read
About the author
Carolyn Keene
992 books3,864 followersCarolyn Keene is a writer pen name that was used by many different people- both men and women- over the years. The company that was the creator of the Nancy Drew series, the Stratemeyer Syndicate, hired a variety of writers. For Nancy Drew, the writers used the pseudonym Carolyn Keene to assure anonymity of the creator.
Edna and Harriet Stratemeyer inherited the company from their father Edward Stratemeyer. Edna contributed 10 plot outlines before passing the reins to her sister Harriet. It was Mildred Benson (aka: Mildred A. Wirt), who breathed such a feisty spirit into Nancy's character. Mildred wrote 23 of the original 30 Nancy Drew Mystery Stories®, including the first three. It was her characterization that helped make Nancy an instant hit. The Stratemeyer Syndicate's devotion to the series over the years under the reins of Harriet Stratemeyer Adams helped to keep the series alive and on store shelves for each succeeding generation of girls and boys. In 1959, Harriet, along with several writers, began a 25-year project to revise the earlier Carolyn Keene novels. The Nancy Drew books were condensed, racial stereotypes were removed, and the language was updated. In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.
Other writers of Nancy Drew volumes include Harriet herself, she wrote most of the series after Mildred quit writing for the Syndicate and in 1959 began a revision of the first 34 texts. The role of the writer of "Carolyn Keene" passed temporarily to Walter Karig who wrote three novels during the Great Depression. Also contributing to Nancy Drew's prolific existence were Leslie McFarlane, James Duncan Lawrence, Nancy Axelrod, Priscilla Doll, Charles Strong, Alma Sasse, Wilhelmina Rankin, George Waller Jr., and Margaret Scherf.
Edna and Harriet Stratemeyer inherited the company from their father Edward Stratemeyer. Edna contributed 10 plot outlines before passing the reins to her sister Harriet. It was Mildred Benson (aka: Mildred A. Wirt), who breathed such a feisty spirit into Nancy's character. Mildred wrote 23 of the original 30 Nancy Drew Mystery Stories®, including the first three. It was her characterization that helped make Nancy an instant hit. The Stratemeyer Syndicate's devotion to the series over the years under the reins of Harriet Stratemeyer Adams helped to keep the series alive and on store shelves for each succeeding generation of girls and boys. In 1959, Harriet, along with several writers, began a 25-year project to revise the earlier Carolyn Keene novels. The Nancy Drew books were condensed, racial stereotypes were removed, and the language was updated. In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.
Other writers of Nancy Drew volumes include Harriet herself, she wrote most of the series after Mildred quit writing for the Syndicate and in 1959 began a revision of the first 34 texts. The role of the writer of "Carolyn Keene" passed temporarily to Walter Karig who wrote three novels during the Great Depression. Also contributing to Nancy Drew's prolific existence were Leslie McFarlane, James Duncan Lawrence, Nancy Axelrod, Priscilla Doll, Charles Strong, Alma Sasse, Wilhelmina Rankin, George Waller Jr., and Margaret Scherf.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 21, 2022
Between the Lines
Plot: Nikki Masters is slightly worried. They’re putting on a production of Our Town and she’s and Tim Cooper (her boyfriend) have got the lead roles. Tim doesn’t make it any better by bringing up fact that the press and radio want to interview them. Tim doesn’t realize that Nikki’s still camera shy because she just got out from under the fire of the cameras for a murder. Brittany (the school paper’s reporter) shows up and tries to seize herself someone on one interview time with Tim while calling Nikki out at the same time for avoiding her. Nikki says she’ll do the interview after school, but she can’t help but notice the way Brittany is flirting with Tim.
Brittany is also trying to manipulate her way into a membership into the cross-country club with her “friends” Jeremy and Kim who are now dating. Brittany leads us to believe she was trying to “help” hook them up, but Jeremy sees it another way. He comes up to her and demands to know what Kim’s favorite food is because if the moon-light picnic he planned doesn’t go well it’s bye-bye country club membership for Brittany. Brittany gives him a list of expensive foods from Kim’s favorite store.
Brittany shows up at practice and Nikki gets nervous and messes up the cue to one of her signs and can’t get back the flow. Brittany notices how close Laura (one of the cast) is leaning to Tim and thinks hmm... Just maybe there’s something there. How can I use this to my advantage? Brittany walks out (leaving a message she won’t be doing the interview with Nikki). The drama teacher calls Nikki over to speak with her. Jeremy meanwhile has his date with Kim. The setting is beautiful and she looks hot, but she acts spoiled and chills while he does all the work getting the picnic-ready. He starts to resent her and wonders if she’s worth it. Back at home, Brittany’s Dad says no to shelling out money for her to join the country club. So, she decides other than the job she has working at her mom’s flower shop, she’ll have to get another one. Right after she gets Tim back. She took him from Nikki once she can do it again! She calls Niki and gets her to agree to a phone interview.
Brittany tricks Tim and Laura into doing the interview together. When the article comes out it works. All the students think Niki and Tim broke up. It also makes Niki upset. Particularly when she finds out Tim skipped out on lunch with her and her friends to run lines with Laura. But on the plus side ticket sales will soar because people will come out for the drama.
Kim brags about her date with Jeremy to Brittany and another classmate. She’s asked if they’re coming to the play and she says yes. But she’s more concerned about the expensive restaurant she’s gonna get Jeremy to take her to. While on a date though, Jeremy’s car breaks down. Jeremy’s mechanic says it’ll take a few days to fix the car. His Dad says he’s not paying for it. Kim pressures him to have the car ready the night of the play. Nikki and Tim have an argument over the article. He doesn’t believe that Brittany’s intentions were to make Niki look bad. Not only that, he comes down hard on Niki for losing her connection to the character. The final straw is when he compares her being nervous to Laura’s audition and how great she’s doing now. Niki blows up and tells him that since Laura’s her understudy maybe he’d prefer she get the lead role on and off stage. Brittany gets the job working as a waitress. The next day on the bus, Lara is a little slow getting the big picture. Brittany offers to give her a make-over Saturday.
Jeremy hears about a poker game that some prep schoolboys are having but doesn’t do so well and at the end of the night he has a large debt and nothing to pay it off with. So, he causes a commotion and runs from the club to his car. When he gets home he looks for a job and finds there’s an opening for a dishwasher (at the same restaurant Brittany works at). Nikki and Tim do well on their television interview and Tim apologizes. Niki notices the change in Lara’s appearance immediately and she and her friends realize who and why this is. While at the restaurant Brittany realizes Jeremy is the new dishwasher. Jeremy also notices Brittany and they spend their shifts trying to avoid one another. Niki's performance gets back on track rehearsal night, but things hit a sour note Lara intercepts their date. Luckily Mrs. Burns (the drama teacher) needs to talk to her again so she tells Tim and Lara to go on without her. Niki gives a lackluster performance and gets written a bad review by a critic. Her parents encourage her to go out the next night and keep going.
Kim is home by herself on a weekend and decides to check up on Jeremy. When she gets there she sees he’s with a girl. She follows them to the restaurant and finds out it’s Brittany. Her mind is blown that they’re in this dump of a place, but maybe it’s the new spot. Maybe they’re now a couple. So she waits to confront them. Opening night goes ok. Nikki isn’t her best but she’s better. At the after-party, she and Tim are pressured to dance. Niki tries to apologize for her performance but Tim says it’s not that. It’s that she didn’t trust him and that showed in her performance. He walks off. At the end of the book, Kim walks in the restaurant and realizes what’s going on. Jeremy tells her the truth. She offers to pay off the gamblers and then says he can quit the job. But he likes the feeling of doing a good job. Niki leaves the party, sees Tim and Laura outside talking, and then drives off.
My Thoughts: This was very SHALLOW! Shallow plot. Shallow characters. Jeremy cared more about his IMAGE than he did Kim. He had more love for his Porsche. But because he was one of *those* guys, that's superficial he deserved for this girl to break him for everything he got. Kim was a snob. She cared more about what Jeremy could do for her than she did him. All she wanted him for was his car and for him to take her to that restaurant. I actually knew a Kim like this in high school. Lara was even WORSE. I know she and Niki weren’t BFF’s but COME ON. This is someone you were friendly with and your just gonna push up on their man practically IN THERE FACE! She’s *that* kinda female that KNOWS he got a girl but just doesn’t give a damn. Brittany was a USER! Then what kind of DUMB plan is getting another girl to steal another girl’s man so you can steal him from her? I couldn’t even give her any credit for getting a job because it was for something SHALLOW (a country club). Niki was DUMB! She bought right into Brittany's game. Instead of proving to Brittany that Tim was HERS and she wouldn’t play her mind games. What does she do? Practically GIVE Tim to Lara on a silver platter. And who is Samantha? Why is there a part about her at the end of this? There isn’t even a lead-in to the next book which I’m guessing was the point of her part. This leaves off so weird Niki leaves like she just saw Tim and Lara kissing, but they were just standing outside talking. I don’t know this is the only book I have in this series so I guess I’ll have to find more books in the series. But it felt just a little on the “soap” ish side
Rating: 5 The most exciting thing about this book was the mention of the lobster salad and caviar.
Plot: Nikki Masters is slightly worried. They’re putting on a production of Our Town and she’s and Tim Cooper (her boyfriend) have got the lead roles. Tim doesn’t make it any better by bringing up fact that the press and radio want to interview them. Tim doesn’t realize that Nikki’s still camera shy because she just got out from under the fire of the cameras for a murder. Brittany (the school paper’s reporter) shows up and tries to seize herself someone on one interview time with Tim while calling Nikki out at the same time for avoiding her. Nikki says she’ll do the interview after school, but she can’t help but notice the way Brittany is flirting with Tim.
Brittany is also trying to manipulate her way into a membership into the cross-country club with her “friends” Jeremy and Kim who are now dating. Brittany leads us to believe she was trying to “help” hook them up, but Jeremy sees it another way. He comes up to her and demands to know what Kim’s favorite food is because if the moon-light picnic he planned doesn’t go well it’s bye-bye country club membership for Brittany. Brittany gives him a list of expensive foods from Kim’s favorite store.
Brittany shows up at practice and Nikki gets nervous and messes up the cue to one of her signs and can’t get back the flow. Brittany notices how close Laura (one of the cast) is leaning to Tim and thinks hmm... Just maybe there’s something there. How can I use this to my advantage? Brittany walks out (leaving a message she won’t be doing the interview with Nikki). The drama teacher calls Nikki over to speak with her. Jeremy meanwhile has his date with Kim. The setting is beautiful and she looks hot, but she acts spoiled and chills while he does all the work getting the picnic-ready. He starts to resent her and wonders if she’s worth it. Back at home, Brittany’s Dad says no to shelling out money for her to join the country club. So, she decides other than the job she has working at her mom’s flower shop, she’ll have to get another one. Right after she gets Tim back. She took him from Nikki once she can do it again! She calls Niki and gets her to agree to a phone interview.
Brittany tricks Tim and Laura into doing the interview together. When the article comes out it works. All the students think Niki and Tim broke up. It also makes Niki upset. Particularly when she finds out Tim skipped out on lunch with her and her friends to run lines with Laura. But on the plus side ticket sales will soar because people will come out for the drama.
Kim brags about her date with Jeremy to Brittany and another classmate. She’s asked if they’re coming to the play and she says yes. But she’s more concerned about the expensive restaurant she’s gonna get Jeremy to take her to. While on a date though, Jeremy’s car breaks down. Jeremy’s mechanic says it’ll take a few days to fix the car. His Dad says he’s not paying for it. Kim pressures him to have the car ready the night of the play. Nikki and Tim have an argument over the article. He doesn’t believe that Brittany’s intentions were to make Niki look bad. Not only that, he comes down hard on Niki for losing her connection to the character. The final straw is when he compares her being nervous to Laura’s audition and how great she’s doing now. Niki blows up and tells him that since Laura’s her understudy maybe he’d prefer she get the lead role on and off stage. Brittany gets the job working as a waitress. The next day on the bus, Lara is a little slow getting the big picture. Brittany offers to give her a make-over Saturday.
Jeremy hears about a poker game that some prep schoolboys are having but doesn’t do so well and at the end of the night he has a large debt and nothing to pay it off with. So, he causes a commotion and runs from the club to his car. When he gets home he looks for a job and finds there’s an opening for a dishwasher (at the same restaurant Brittany works at). Nikki and Tim do well on their television interview and Tim apologizes. Niki notices the change in Lara’s appearance immediately and she and her friends realize who and why this is. While at the restaurant Brittany realizes Jeremy is the new dishwasher. Jeremy also notices Brittany and they spend their shifts trying to avoid one another. Niki's performance gets back on track rehearsal night, but things hit a sour note Lara intercepts their date. Luckily Mrs. Burns (the drama teacher) needs to talk to her again so she tells Tim and Lara to go on without her. Niki gives a lackluster performance and gets written a bad review by a critic. Her parents encourage her to go out the next night and keep going.
Kim is home by herself on a weekend and decides to check up on Jeremy. When she gets there she sees he’s with a girl. She follows them to the restaurant and finds out it’s Brittany. Her mind is blown that they’re in this dump of a place, but maybe it’s the new spot. Maybe they’re now a couple. So she waits to confront them. Opening night goes ok. Nikki isn’t her best but she’s better. At the after-party, she and Tim are pressured to dance. Niki tries to apologize for her performance but Tim says it’s not that. It’s that she didn’t trust him and that showed in her performance. He walks off. At the end of the book, Kim walks in the restaurant and realizes what’s going on. Jeremy tells her the truth. She offers to pay off the gamblers and then says he can quit the job. But he likes the feeling of doing a good job. Niki leaves the party, sees Tim and Laura outside talking, and then drives off.
My Thoughts: This was very SHALLOW! Shallow plot. Shallow characters. Jeremy cared more about his IMAGE than he did Kim. He had more love for his Porsche. But because he was one of *those* guys, that's superficial he deserved for this girl to break him for everything he got. Kim was a snob. She cared more about what Jeremy could do for her than she did him. All she wanted him for was his car and for him to take her to that restaurant. I actually knew a Kim like this in high school. Lara was even WORSE. I know she and Niki weren’t BFF’s but COME ON. This is someone you were friendly with and your just gonna push up on their man practically IN THERE FACE! She’s *that* kinda female that KNOWS he got a girl but just doesn’t give a damn. Brittany was a USER! Then what kind of DUMB plan is getting another girl to steal another girl’s man so you can steal him from her? I couldn’t even give her any credit for getting a job because it was for something SHALLOW (a country club). Niki was DUMB! She bought right into Brittany's game. Instead of proving to Brittany that Tim was HERS and she wouldn’t play her mind games. What does she do? Practically GIVE Tim to Lara on a silver platter. And who is Samantha? Why is there a part about her at the end of this? There isn’t even a lead-in to the next book which I’m guessing was the point of her part. This leaves off so weird Niki leaves like she just saw Tim and Lara kissing, but they were just standing outside talking. I don’t know this is the only book I have in this series so I guess I’ll have to find more books in the series. But it felt just a little on the “soap” ish side
Rating: 5 The most exciting thing about this book was the mention of the lobster salad and caviar.
September 11, 2012
Can I tolerate a book just because it is so fun to look back and laugh? Absolutely! Its like Babysitters club meets 90210. But worse!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews