The Book Jumper

Teenager Amy Lennox is spending her summer vacation on the Scottish island of Stormsay, where she meets her grandmother for the first time and learns she is a book jumper — someone who can “read” a book by physically being inside it. All they have to do is open a book and put it over their face. A book jumper’s sworn duty is to preserve literature, but someone has been jumping and stealing main ideas from the stories. It’s up to Amy and her friend Will Macalister to figure out who is committing the thefts, and how and why they are committed.

Mechthild Gläser is an award winning author in Germany. The Book Jumper is her first book that has been translated into English. It’s a page turner that will keep a reader up at night if they’re not careful. It’s full of drama both inside and outside the book world.

Amy is also a relatable character; she’s more comfortable in the company of books than people, which is definitely understandable. Books can be frustrating, but they don’t really hurt anyone and they always come to an end at some point. Drama with real people, however, can sometimes seem like it will never end.

The book world itself is a cool concept. Pathways that start in one book lead the way to others. It would’ve been nice to see the characters explore each story more, but with the thefts going on in the book world, they don’t have time to waste.

While Gläser definitely taps into something magical, it helps if the reader is familiar with some of the books Gläser’s characters jump into, such as The picture of Dorian Gray and The Little Prince.