Averil Offline

December 1, 2023
Two kids rebel against intrusive surveillance. Averil's a computer whiz who excels in the Tech class that she and her friends Priya and Max are taking, but even she feels suffocated by Ruby Slippers, the app that her parents use to keep tabs on her. Max learns that the app will soon allow parents to turn on the camera and microphone on their kids' smartphones, and he wants to meet its creator, Rider Woollyback, who has a lab at the local university, and convince him to stop the increased surveillance. Max needs Averil's tech smarts to enter Woollyback's inner sanctum--to get in, visitors must win games and provide "interesting" answers to questions posed by his assistant. Max and his multimillionaire father have already failed to gain admittance, and he thinks that successfully getting in will raise his dad's opinion of him. He proposes that he and Averil ditch their upcoming coding camp and instead attempt to meet Woollyback while Priya covers for Averil. While the plot is a bit far-fetched, Averil and Max's burgeoning friendship is well developed and will pull in readers. Parks also deftly grapples with relevant issues, such as the sexism that women and girls in STEM often face, the overwhelming presence of technology in our lives, and young people's need for autonomy. Most characters are cued white; Priya is of Indian descent. An absorbing tale of determination, friendship, and tech gone wrong. (Fiction. 10-12)

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February 2, 2024

Gr 4-7-Middle school tech whiz Averil attends public school in her upscale neighborhood with her best friend Priya. Despite her brilliance, the tech class is an uncomfortable place for Averil and the few girls there; the teacher, Mr. Ballinger, has created a hostile environment for them, and Averil responds by trying to go unnoticed. However, her skills catch the eye of new kid Max McClaren. Max is no tech genius but his father is, and he recognizes and admires Averil's capabilities. Max needs Averil's help to pull off a "cyber caper" to meet with famous young tech wizard, Rider Woollyback. Woollyback's Ruby Slippers app has created a mildly dystopian world of stifling parental oversight that has fractured the relationship between parents and children, eroding any trust. Max hopes that he and Averil can plead their case and put a stop to it. But it's a puzzling and suspenseful path to get to Woollyback, and when Averil sees the consequences of capitulating to the Mr. Ballingers of the world, she has a tough choice to make. This is a good fit for those who appreciate stories where kids have plenty to teach, and it's the adults who should sit down and listen. Averil's struggle to find her voice is a connection point, even for readers whose lives don't look like hers. VERDICT Parks expertly paints a picture of how gender discrimination affects students, while also illustrating the power of advocacy and autonomy wrapped up in a thrilling tech adventure.-Jill Shepard

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