For much of the 20th century, books for children encouraged girls to be weak, submissive, and fearful. This book discusses such traits, both blatantly and subtly reinforced, in many of the most popular works of the period. Quoting a wide variety of passages, O'Keefe illustrates the typical behaviour of fictional girls - many of whom were passive and immobile while others were actually invalids. They all engaged in approved girlish activities: deferred to elders, observed the priorities, and, in the end, accepted conventional suitors. Even feisty tomboys, like Jo in Little Women, eventually gave up on their dreams and their independence. The discussion is interlaced with moments from the author's own childhood that suggest how her developing self-interacted with these stories. She and her contemporaries, trying to reconcile their conservative reading with the changing world around them, learned ambivalence rather than confidence. Good Girl Messages also includes a discussion of books read by boys, who were depicted as purposeful, daring, and dominating.

In this fascinating book, O'Keefe discusses more than eighty writers mostly from the past half century, and shows why their tales have proved so compelling, particularly in recent years. O'Keefe examines a wide range of children's fantasy books, and draws on her own experiences as a sympathetic reader as well as on the views of psychologists and social theorists, all in a writing style that has been described by Jane Yolen as "powerful and convincing." Readers in Wonderland ranges from William Steig's small picture books to J.R.R. Tolkien's epic series; from Utopias like L. Frank Baum's Oz to dystopias like Virginia Hamilton's Dustland; from less known works like Patricia Wrightson's to the phenomenon that is J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter; from time travel to parallel worlds; and from magical transformations and wishes that come true to lonely journeys and huge battles of good and evil. O'Keefe explains why the Harry Potter books are so popular, and why William Nicholson is the first great fantasy writer to start publishing in the twenty-first century. Writing in an informal style, she introduces the reader to many wonderful books, and provides insights into plot, character, theme and texture. In sum, she presents original ideas about individual books, about types of books, and about the world of what Dr. Seuss called "outlandish tales."