A century-old diary could change everything for Juliana.
Fourteen-year-old dancer Juliana and her parents move across the country to care for an ailing grandfather. Cut off from her friends and overwhelmed by the sea of family members she hardly knows, Juliana escapes one night to her grandfather’s basement. There, hidden among old books and boxes, she discovers a glimmer of hope: a diary full of sketches from a teenager who lived long ago…
Deep down, Juliana knows that the stories contained in the drawings can help her get through this move. But the only person who knows these stories is her grandfather, and Alzheimer’s is locking away his memories with each passing day.
The Move is the first book in Lori Wolf-Heffner’s contemporary/historical series, Between Worlds. If you like Louisa May Alcott and Judy Blume, start a series about two teen girls who search for the courage they need to face their new worlds.
Buy The Move today and begin a journey that spans generations.
Landmarks in Waterloo Region
I wanted to write books that take place in Waterloo Region because this is my home and I want to tell the world about it. I settled on an area with a number of fond memories for me: Belmont and Belmont Village in Kitchener.
Juliana’s Neighbourhood: Belmont
Juliana–the main character–and her family live on a street that’s bordered by Union, King, Westmount, and Glasgow. The house does exist, but I won’t give away the address here; it would invade the current owner’s privacy. My mom’s family lived there, with my grandmother enjoying over 40 years in that home. Needless to say, I have a lot of memories there.
Belmont Village
Because the first three books deal with Juliana’s move from Calgary to Kitchener, I needed to get the reader comfortable in Juliana’s new world before I could dive into the details that make Belmont her home.
In Between Worlds 4: What Friends Do, though, I begin to branch out, with two scenes that take place in a fictional café in Belmont Village. Belmont Village is on Belmont Avenue, Kitchener, which is lined with businesses on both sides of the street. North of Belmont Avenue is the neighbourhood of Westmount, and south of it is the neighbourhood of Belmont, where Juliana lives.
The Waterloo Region Rubber Industry
Juliana’s grandfather, whom she calls “Opa,” used to work at a local rubber factory. For my information there, I currently rely on Greg Mercer’s exposés in The Record. However, in July 2020, I received a grant from the Waterloo Region Arts Fund to interview former rubber workers in Waterloo Region.
I am searching for people in who used to work in the rubber plants here in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. My grandparents who lived in Belmont worked at Uniroyal on Strange St. (my grandfather in the factory, my grandmother in the canteen), so I’d like to bring this aspect of Waterloo Region’s history to life. Adding real stories (anonymously) will help readers all over North America and beyond experience the disappearing industrial sector in our region.
What Are Readers Saying about Between Worlds?
A friend introduced this series to me and my daughter, we read a chapter every night, we love the two worlds, the one world so familiar to a 12 year old and the other world something so very unfamiliar yet intriguing! Real life. We love this local author Lori Wolf-Heffner and we are excited to work our way through the series, about to break open book 4!
4-star Amazon review
As the story goes on, some lovely surprises occur that include connections of the two story lines. A very educational story about empathy, family bonds, the effects of War, deep friendships, loss, grief, acceptance and maturity. A very worthwhile read!
4-star Goodreads review
i started to read it when i went to bed as that is when i enjoy most of my reading, thinking that it wouldn’t be long before i got tired. well as a surprise to me when i started reading this story, i couldn’t put it down till i was finished the book.
5-star Goodreads review
Between Worlds is a young adult series where each book takes place half in Belmont, Waterloo Region, and half in post-WWI Eastern Europe. Begin a new journey today that spans generations, continents, and centuries.
Where to Buy Between Worlds
This series about Juliana and her great-grandmother Elisabeth is available in softcover, ebook format from all major platforms, and large print through all major national and international book retailers. Here are some Canadian links:
