Pages & Co.
Book 1: The Book Wanderers
Recommended Ages: 8-11
“Stories enhance our lives; they shouldn’t replace them” (138).
Have you ever gotten lost in a book? What if it happened to you for real?
If you have a young bibliophile in your home, then this book series is sure to be a hit. I’ve just finished book one, so I will have to get back to you on the others in the series. This book mentions great classic and contemporary literary classics that readers will enjoy, especially if they are familiar with those story lines. The novels more central to the development or events in this book include Anne of Green Gables, Alice in Wonderland, A Little Princess, and Treasure Island.
As you can imagine, this is a fantasy novel and definitely deals with the idea or concept of magic. However, the magic is related more to the magic of reading and the connections readers made to stories. It is this deep magic that allows some people to wander in books. “In short, yes. We are talking about book magic. Bookwandering is, at its core, the magic of books and imagination pushed to its limit, and then tipped over a little bit farther...I’m afraid there aren’t any spells or magic words, and limited numbers of dragons and witches, but we are definitely dealing with magic” (143). Additionally, the power of stories, adventures, and friendship is sprinkled throughout this delightful story.
Matilda “Tilly” Pages lives at Pages and Co. with her grandparents who are her guardians. Tilly has never known her father and her mother “disappeared” not long after her birth. The family dynamics of this book are what create a significant portion of the storyline and the character Tilly. As readers discover, Tilly’s father was actually a fictional character from a book. The story simply describes it as Bea (Tilly’s mother) falling in love with the man and then when finding out she was pregnant, she returns to the real world to give birth to Tilly. This type of relationship certainly does not align with a biblical worldview, and it is explained to others in the book as “normal for their time period.” Additionally, Oskar, another central figure in the story, has divorced parents and spends time between London and France. Despite being divorced, his parents appear to be cordial, but Oskar does share his difficult experiences and feelings about the arrangement.
Tilly and Oskar are on a holiday from school, and it is during this time that Tilly discovers her ability to bookwander. Through a series of twists and turns, Tilly uncovers what really happened to her mother and is determined to save her.
While there is magic and an unusual family dynamic with a fictional father, the story does have positive messages for readers through the loving grandparents and Tilly’s struggle with friendship and uncovering the truth about her parents.
“I just think being brave comes more naturally to some people than others,” Tilly said.
“Often it’s the things that don’t come naturally to us that are most important,” Grandma said. (3)
“I’m not sure best friends are a one-size-fits-all sort of situation, Tilly,” Grandad said carefully. “Sometimes a person who becomes a friend is the least likely person you’d expect. Friends should bring out the best in you, not be the same as you. I’m sure you’re someone’s perfect fit.” (6)
“Books can change minds and change worlds, open doors and open minds, and plant seeds that can grow into magical or even terrifying things. Stories are things to be loved and respected at the same time; never underestimate the power of them. It’s why books are often casualties of censorship; those who ban or burn books are those who are scared of what can be found among their pages” (137).
“Our stories are how we will be remembered—so we’ve got to make sure they are worth telling” (279).
This novel is full of the wonders and joys of reading. Tilly is a relatable character that desires adventure and friendship. She ultimately discovers that it will not fall into your lap, but that you must seek it out.
Book 2: The Lost Fairy Tales
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Pages and Co.: The Lost Fairy Tales by Anna James is the second book in the Pages and Co. series, the first being The Bookwanderers. This story opens with the drama of Amelia, the head librarian of the Underlibrary losing her position due to the situation with Enoch Chalk from book one. Readers may remember that he is a fictional character that trapped Bea (Tilly’s mother) in a book for several years. Currently, no one knows where he is, which is a problem for Amelia.
An election is being held for the new head librarian position and a mysterious man, Melville Underwood, who has been gone for some time reappears and wins the position. While he speaks eloquently in front of others to win the new role, he quickly becomes altogether different behind closed doors with the Pages family where he bans Tilly’s grandparents from the Underlibrary, calls for them to all be “stamped” (meaning they can be traced where they bookwander), and has plans to bind books so only those with permission can actually bookwander. He claims it will make things safer for children.
Tilly is beyond upset about the entire situation and her inability to actually change or do anything. She is sent on a holiday with Oskar to visit his father in France. Her grandparents hope it will be a delightful change and ask Tilly not to do any bookwandering while she is away. Unfortunately, other characters, Oskar included, convince her to defy her grandparents’ instructions, which almost leads to Oskar’s demise.
Aside from Oskar’s attempts to convince Tilly to actually bookwander while away from London, a new character Gretchen is introduced. As later revealed in the story, Gretchen used to work closely with Tilly’s grandmother in the underlibrary where they mapped Fairy Tales together. They had a falling out and haven't seen each other in over thirty years. While in France, Tilly and Oskar go to her book shop where she actively encourages them, along with Oskar’s grandmother, to wander in fairy tales, explicitly forbidden by Tilly’s grandmother.
“That’s exactly my point!” Gretchen Said. “Find your own path! Don’t just blindly follow the one laid out in front of you.”
[Oskar asks about following the rules of the Underlibrary]
“Of course you don’t,” she said. [...] I only recognize the authority of the Archivists–who don’t meddle in individual people’s lives” (91).
Tilly’s been told by her grandmother that fairy tales are dangerous to wander in. Gretchen tells her that they are “a little wilder” but she should use common sense and she should be fine (92). Tilly continues to challenge Gretchen with more of what her grandmother has told her, and at each turn Gretchen has a response that makes Tilly question her grandparents and their protective role in her life. She becomes more combative towards her grandparents as a result. This takes place in chapter 12.
Tilly and Oskar proceed to go into the fairy tale and soon discover that the dangerous, unstable issues that her grandmother warned of were in fact true.
“Why hadn’t she listened to her grandparents? It wasn’t like she hadn't been told that fairy tales were dangerous. But just then Tilly remembered what Clara and Gretchen had said, and she stood a little more upright. If her grandparents didn’t think she could cop here, then it was up to her to prove them wrong” (132).
However, despite the truth, Tilly is still angry towards her grandparents because she feels like they treat her as if she can’t do things and Gretchen treats her like an adult able to make her own decisions - Tilly is only eleven.
Tilly and Oskar manage to make it back to an Underlibrary in France and talk with two librarians there who are familiar with Gretchen. To say they are not fans of her would be an understatement. On page 165, the children are told of Gretchen that she is rumored to have had “many love affairs in books, but-”. Gretchen wants bookwandering without rules. However, one of the French librarians tells Tilly and Oskar, “There is not that way or her way only. Gretchen is just as dangerous as Melville Underwood, but in different ways. I do not agree with either of them. There is not place for these extreme points of view. There must be a middle way” (165).
Other notes of mention/ quotes:
“Word can mean much more, or less, than they seem, and we can put them to such creative uses” (39).
Tilly and Oskar come across Rapunzel in their wanderings. She mentions on page 142 that she is 17 and doesn’t want to marry someone older than her dad.
On page 156, Rapunzel mentions needing to get a witch to help keep the princes away. Jack (from Jack & the Beanstalk) mentions that he would stay with her and have fun. “Rapunzel needs a witch and I do love a bit of fancy dress.” To Americans, they can come off as odd, but I looked it up and in the British it means essentially getting to dress up in costume. So Jack is referring to just putting on a costume.
Tilly is exploring the legitimacy of the story about the Archivists. She is hoping they can swoop in and save the day. However, some people do not believe that the Archivists really exist. One lady tells Tilly “They are just a story to provide hope” (166). There seems to be a bit of a spiritual/religious parallel one might be able to make about the role or existence of the Archivists, but that seems to be a storyline that will continue into book three.
I would encourage parents to take a look at chapter 21 in this book, particularly page 181. Gretchen speaks more openly about her past to Tilly and Oskar. She mentions her own escapades of falling in love with fictional characters. She even states “I’ve been taken out to dinner by several iconic heroes and heroines in my time” (181). This could be innocuous, but it could also be taken a different way that is meant to make a statement related to unbiblical relationships. Parents should take time to look it over for their inference and interpretation to determine what they want for their reader.
In chapter 22, Tilly calls her grandparents and tells them the truth of everything that had happened. Her grandparents are clearly upset, but Tilly is not remorseful about her choices. Instead she is very combative and argues with her grandparents. Tilly defends Gretchen because Gretchen trusted her to make her own decisions. Her grandparents are obviously concerned about the influence and what could have happened, but Tilly does not empathize with them at all and has taken on Gretchen’s attitude of not liking the rules. She wants to explore and deal with the bad stuff as it happens. She wants to be useful. Ultimately, she hangs up on her grandparents and doesn’t speak to them again until she arrives home.
I think this can be a concerning point of the text, but also good. Teenagers want to push boundaries and rebel in little ways. Ultimately, readers can possibly empathize with Tilly, but it becomes clear at the end of the book that Gretchen has her own agenda and it isn’t for the well-being of the children.
Bea also explains to Tilly that her grandparents care for her more than Gretchen does (223-224).
“Tilly felt as though she kept having to make big decisions about who she was and what she believed in, when she didn’t really know either of those things” (196).
In chapter 26, Gretchen shows up at the home of Tilly and her grandparents. She wants to speak to them and include Tilly. The grandparents do not budge and send Tilly out, but of course she stays and listens from the otherside of the door.
In chapter 27, Gretchen uses manipulation to get the children to go wandering in a book with her, which they discover after the fact is a fairy tale. This is where Enoch Chalk, Melville Underwood, and Decima Underwood (Melville’s twin) appear and claim they need Tilly’s blood to save the fairy tales from being lost, but ultimately, they are trying to use her blood, mixed with ink, to keep Mr. Underwood immortal.
“[...]I think that, whatever age you are, you should be allowed to pursue what is right, and try to find the truth” (228).
The word “dammit” appears on page 249.
Overall, I really didn’t like Gretchen as a character; however, I think she is an important character that reminds parents (who are hopefully reading this before giving the book to their reader) to have conversations with our children about the purpose of the boundaries that we set and their need to honor and trust our authority. That there will be people out there who try to undermine our authority and try to harm our children with ideas and opportunities that go against what is best for them. Book two is engaging and readers will be quickly whisked away in the fantasy world, I know I was. I’m ready for book three.
Book 3: The Map of Stories
Pages and Co.: The Map of Stories by Anna James is book three in the Pages and Co. book series. Melville and Decima are still up to the antics of trying to make themselves immortal by binding and destroying Source Editions of books. In this magical world, when the Source Edition is destroyed, all other copies of the book are removed from the world. Before Tilly realizes fully that they are destroying books, she is determined to find the Archivists to gain their help in stopping the Underwoods from keeping others from bookwandering itself. However, when she finds the Archivists, much of what she was hoping for does not come to fruition.
The story essentially picks up where book two ended, but Bea in an effort to help Tilly find the Archivists sends Oskar and Tilly to America. The children are to be met by one of Bea’s old friends and his husband. You heard that right. The children are to be met and cared for in their attempt to search the Library of Congress by a homosexual couple - Orlando and Jorge. These two are present throughout the first portion of the book - up until page 103. After that, there are only mentions of them and their safety. Now, while I am not a fan of this introduction and it is entirely unnecessary, there aren’t any messages about the justification or ideals of such a relationship like one would see in Katherine Applegate’s One and Only Bob. It is stated as a matter of fact and the two are working to help the children as they take them to their bookshop and then the Library of Congress. They are very active characters guiding and helping the children in the first part of the book, so there is no way of getting around the inclusion of their relationship status. To a secular worldview, I am sure this doesn’t even register a blip, but for those holding to a Biblical worldview it is something you need to consider. I personally, put this in the caution category and do not recommend it. While a quiet inclusion, it is an inclusion nonetheless that is unnecessary and certainly normalizes behavior abhorred in scripture.
Other than the relationship of Orlando and Jorge, the book doesn’t have any other cautionary material or profanity. Tilly and Oskar are just seeking to protect stories and imagination. New characters are added, Tilly and Oskar solve the problem of Source Editions to stop the Underwoods and Will Shakespeare makes an appearance for the second half of the book before he sacrifices himself to unbind and release the source editions. That is the story in a nutshell.
Other notable mentions/ quotes:
“People are scared and so they’re believing the lies that the Underwoods are spewing about progress, or whatever they’re dressing up their power grab as” (22).
The first mention of Orland and Jorge is on page 31 when Bea tells the children, “You’ll meet one of my old university friends, in fact! He owns a bookshop and his husband is a librarian at the Library of Congress, [...].”
Godforsaken does appear a few times within the text. Jorge is one of the first to use that word and one of the Underwoods uses it as well.
On page 72, Orlando mentions that he and Jorge met because of a book and conjectures that if that book was destroyed then they would never have met.
A new character Milo appears in this book. Milo’s parents died bookwandering, so he lives with Horatio on a train in Story. In his work with Horatio, they find/ steal particular books.
“Every book that is read and loved and shared strengthens the magic of bookwandering, surely you know that. And every book that gets lost or forgotten means the magic of stories loses a tiny bit of its power. We help keep imagination in balance” (136).
Readers learn that Gretchen from book two is alive and safe back in France (142).
Will explains a bit of what has happened to the Archive over centuries when people were able to find them more easily,
“‘[...] it happened by such small moments,’ Will said. ‘But there were those who wished us to solve all the world’s ills and would not take to heart that perfection is an impossible goal. We had not the power to solve what was brought before us, and those we wander in books become disillusioned and angry, and sought for power and opportunity, not wisdom and solace’” (181).
“Where would the world be if everyone just sat back and said, Oh, this too shall pass? No one would have invented anything, or traveled anywhere, or written anything. Did you write your plays because you didn’t care” (186).
The word “damnably” is used on page 277.
“You’ve always got to think about who is making the rules,” Horatio said. “And who for. People with power often want to control things, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best way to do something. In act, that’s rarely the best way to do something” (290).
I wanted to like and heartily recommend this book. I mean what book lover doesn’t love a book about the power of stories and the written word. However, if the standard is aligning with Biblical truth, then this book is going to be a no. There are three more books in this series. I will keep you updated if I play to read any of them at all. There have been times when readers could skip a book in a series due to inappropriate content and still keep up with the series and storyline - The Blackthorn Key series is one that this would apply to.
