Book Review: Averil Offline by Amy Noelle Parks

Publisher’s description

A fun, fast-paced story about a girl determined to cut the cord with her helicopter parents.

Twelve-year-old coder Averil can’t do anything without her parents knowing. That’s because her mom uses the Ruby Slippers surveillance app to check where she is, who she texts, and even what she eats for lunch. Averil wonders how she’s ever going to grow up if she’s not allowed to learn from mistakes. When she learns that Ruby Slippers is about to become even more invasive, she teams up with Max, a new kid at school dealing with overbearing parents of his own. Together they figure out an almost foolproof way to ditch their parents and run away to the college campus that’s home to the quirky Ruby Slippers creator. It’s an extreme challenge just getting to meet with him—but the two kids cleverly figure out a series of puzzles and get their meeting. What they find gives them pause—and gets them thinking about the value of honesty in a new light. After all, isn’t trust at the heart of their parents’ need to know?

Amanda’s thoughts

Averil, 12, is never really alone. Her worrywart mother tracks her every move on an app called Ruby Slippers. Her mom will even call to check in on her if she sees the Averil dot on the app stop moving on her walk to school. Her mom argues that she just likes to know her kids are safe (Averil has an older sister, Delia). Averil knows that this stems from the fact that both she and Delia were born super premature and had long hospital stays. So while it makes sense that her might be prone to leaping to the worst possible outcomes of any scenario and consumed with safety and precaution, it’s a bit much. But, Averil puts up with it, diligently doing whatever check-ins her mother requires (like snapping pictures of her partially eaten lunches at school to show she’s eating her fruits and vegetables). Delia encourages perpetual rule-follower Averil to talk back, rebel a little, get a little space. Their mom is loving them to death. It’s smothering. But for Averil, it just seems easier to put up with it all.

That is, she thinks that until she sees her mother reading her notebook. Averil uses it as a journal and sketchpad and feels it’s the only place she can really have any privacy. Her mom tells her she’s reading it for her own “safety.” Sigh.

Enter Max. Averil has a tech class with him. She’s brilliant at coding and one of the few girls in this class (helmed by an exceedingly sexist teacher). Rich kid Max, whose dad is a computer whiz, has some inside info: the next Ruby Slippers update will let parents turn on their kids’ cameras or mics whenever they want. Max hopes super smart Averil can help him figure out a way to stop this. He proposes a wild plan to ditch their upcoming coding camp and hang out at the local college, where Rider Woollyback, the Ruby Slippers inventor, has an office. Maybe the kids can tell him how his app is being used and how bad it is for kids. Max knows Woollyback has soft spot for kids and has been quoted saying that if he thought app was hurting kids and not helping, he’d shut it down. Averil, sick of being constantly monitored and never actually seen, agrees to help.

This fast-paced story is a compelling look at technology and surveillance. Max and Averil are determined to show their parents just how important it is for kids to have the space and freedom to make mistakes and to be autonomous. A great read.

Review copy courtesy of the publisher

ISBN-13: 9780593618646
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date: 02/13/2024
Age Range: 10 – 13 Years

Filed under: Book Reviews