Parents' Guide to

Off the Page

By Kate Pavao, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Strong (but long) sequel about book characters come to life.

Book Jodi Picoult , Samantha Van Leer Fantasy 2015
Off the Page Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

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age 11+

Based on 1 parent review

Health_teacher_mom
Health_teacher_mom Adult
July 11, 2019
age 11+

Great transition book from kid fantasy to tween drama

I read both books before my 6th grade daughter did to make sure it was appropriate. She normally reads fantasy books so this was a great transition into middle school fiction and the teen drama. The main characters all ultimately care about each other and make positive decisions for the good of one another. My daughter liked the concept of what do her normal book characters do when she closes a book. Parents should know that the book does reference a character who is homosexual and brings his boyfriend to a party. Another student teaches a boy how to spell the word boobs on a calculator.

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What's the Story?

In OFF THE PAGE, Delilah is happy to be with Oliver, a dashing prince newly escaped from a fairy tale who becomes surprisingly popular in high school. Meanwhile, back in the fairy tale, Edgar -- the author's real-world son and his doppelganger -- is having a hard time keeping everything in order, especially as other characters and real people swap places, sometimes unintentionally, and as the book starts trying to revert back to its original story. When a fairy tale character dies in the real world, Delilah decides Oliver must go back so she can keep him safe. But when Edgar discovers his mother, the author, is really sick, they must all work together to find new endings for everyone.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (1 ):

This smart, sweet story mixes humor, romance, and deep thoughts about the risks we have to take to write our own stories, but it's very long, with many characters going in and out of the fairy tale. Readers will have to be pretty committed to work their way through it. Still, it's pretty impossible not to like a book with lines such as this one from Delilah, bemoaning her geometry homework: "So in spite of the fact that I am having possibly the worst Tuesday of my life, and my boyfriend is trapped in a fairy tale, and my best friend is hooking up with his clone, I have to prove that two triangles are congruent."

Pretty, classic illustrations of the fairy tale world are interspersed in the story, adding a bit of magic to the book and giving readers a good sense of what it's like to live in the idyllic -- but limited -- world.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the premise. Would you rather live in a beautiful story with limited options or take your chances in the real world where you're mortal?

  • If you had to live in a book or movie, what kind of story would you choose?

  • Off the Page is the second book in a series (after Between the Lines). Do you think there will be more books? If so, what will happen?

Book Details

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