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Ruby Redfort #1
Ruby Redfort n'a pas froid aux yeux
Everyone knows that Clarice Bean is exceptionordinarily keen about the Ruby Redfort books. Now in her own starring role, this genius code-cracker and daring detective, along with her sidekick butler, Hitch, work for a secret crime-busting organization called Spectrum. Ruby gets into lots of scrapes with evil villains, like being trapped in a giant hourglass or held over a flaming volcano, but shes always ice-cool in a crisis. Just take a classic screwball comedy, add heaps of breathtaking action, and multiply it by Lauren Childs writing genius, and what have you got? Only the most exciting middle-grade series since, like, ever.
Paperback
First published September 1, 2011
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4232 people want to read
About the author
Lauren Child
452 books839 followersLauren Child MBE is an English author and illustrator. She was the UK Children's Laureate from 2017-19.
Child grew up in Wiltshire as the middle child of three sisters and the daughter of two teachers. She has always been interested in the many aspects of childhood, from gazing into toy shop windows to watching American children's shows from the 1960s. After attending two Art Schools, she travelled for six months, still unsure about which career to embark upon.
Before writing and illustrating children's books Child started her own company 'Chandeliers for the People' making lampshades. It was only when she came to write and illustrate the book Clarice Bean, That's Me that she decided to devote her time to writing and illustrating books for children, which combines her fascination for childhood and her talent for designing and creating. Child gets her inspiration from other people's conversations or from seeing something funny happen.
Her book I Will Not Ever Never Eat A Tomato won the 2000 Kate Greenaway Medal. For the 50th anniversary of the Medal (1955–2005), a panel named it one of the top ten winning works, which comprised the shortlist for a public vote for the nation's favourite. It finished third in the public vote from that shortlist.
Child lives in North London.
Child grew up in Wiltshire as the middle child of three sisters and the daughter of two teachers. She has always been interested in the many aspects of childhood, from gazing into toy shop windows to watching American children's shows from the 1960s. After attending two Art Schools, she travelled for six months, still unsure about which career to embark upon.
Before writing and illustrating children's books Child started her own company 'Chandeliers for the People' making lampshades. It was only when she came to write and illustrate the book Clarice Bean, That's Me that she decided to devote her time to writing and illustrating books for children, which combines her fascination for childhood and her talent for designing and creating. Child gets her inspiration from other people's conversations or from seeing something funny happen.
Her book I Will Not Ever Never Eat A Tomato won the 2000 Kate Greenaway Medal. For the 50th anniversary of the Medal (1955–2005), a panel named it one of the top ten winning works, which comprised the shortlist for a public vote for the nation's favourite. It finished third in the public vote from that shortlist.
Child lives in North London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 737 reviews
July 9, 2021
3,5
Miło poczytać, ale brakowało mi lepszej ekspozycji i nieco mądrzejszych rodziców.
Miło poczytać, ale brakowało mi lepszej ekspozycji i nieco mądrzejszych rodziców.
June 24, 2014
Amazing!
I used to be a big fan of Charlie and Lola when I was little, then as I got older I’d started to read Clarice Bean. In the Clarice Bean books, Clarice is a big fan of a secret spy agent 'Ruby Redfort' I had always wondered about this young spy, and the adventures she had. Clarice thought she was brilliant. Now I have to agree with her!
I was really excited when Lauren Child brought out the book 'Ruby Redfort, Look Into My Eyes' and I'd gotten a hard back.
I started reading and I was instantly hooked. It was amazing. It had many unpredictable moments, twists and turns witch I liked very much, cool kind of font through out the book, a great story line and Ruby wore some really funny slogan shirts witch made me laugh. It took me about 9 days to finish, considering it was a big book with small font I was impressed.
Lauren Child is such a great author, I recommend this book to those who like mystery novels, adventure books and an interesting read.
Child has also written 3 other books to the series, 'Take Your Last Breath' and 'Catch Your Death' and 'Feel The Fear,’ Available soon.
Happy Reading!
I used to be a big fan of Charlie and Lola when I was little, then as I got older I’d started to read Clarice Bean. In the Clarice Bean books, Clarice is a big fan of a secret spy agent 'Ruby Redfort' I had always wondered about this young spy, and the adventures she had. Clarice thought she was brilliant. Now I have to agree with her!
I was really excited when Lauren Child brought out the book 'Ruby Redfort, Look Into My Eyes' and I'd gotten a hard back.
I started reading and I was instantly hooked. It was amazing. It had many unpredictable moments, twists and turns witch I liked very much, cool kind of font through out the book, a great story line and Ruby wore some really funny slogan shirts witch made me laugh. It took me about 9 days to finish, considering it was a big book with small font I was impressed.
Lauren Child is such a great author, I recommend this book to those who like mystery novels, adventure books and an interesting read.
Child has also written 3 other books to the series, 'Take Your Last Breath' and 'Catch Your Death' and 'Feel The Fear,’ Available soon.
Happy Reading!
January 1, 2012
Can I firstly just commend this book for it's AWESOME front cover? I love hardbacks (however ridiculously priced they may be) and the design is really brilliant. The actual book behind the cover is white, with a green fly on it.
I've been a massive fan of Charlie and Lola and Clarice Bean ever since I was really little. My parents would read me the picture books, and then when the first CB novel came out they read it to me as well. When I read it on my own it was the first chapter book I had ever read with no help at all, and I was immensely proud of myself. I bought the second book and waited avidly for the third and last. My best friend's mother used to work in publishing and she happened to be at Lauren Child's book signing, and bought me a signed edition of Don't Look Now. I've been waiting for Ruby Redfort books to come out for ages, and I'm so glad I got it for Christmas.
It looks like a thick book - 390 pages - but the print is quite big so actually it doesn't take that long to read. It's really, really worth it though.
Ruby herself is pretty damn awesome, the other characters are mostly brilliant, the plot is really, really well thought out, the puzzles are clever (good luck trying to read Ruby and Clancy's coded messages) and the villains, though slightly over the top (but it is a children's spy novel so what do you expect?) are more or less ~chilling.
I could write pages and pages on this book, but right now I really must go and look at rubyredfort.com
I've been a massive fan of Charlie and Lola and Clarice Bean ever since I was really little. My parents would read me the picture books, and then when the first CB novel came out they read it to me as well. When I read it on my own it was the first chapter book I had ever read with no help at all, and I was immensely proud of myself. I bought the second book and waited avidly for the third and last. My best friend's mother used to work in publishing and she happened to be at Lauren Child's book signing, and bought me a signed edition of Don't Look Now. I've been waiting for Ruby Redfort books to come out for ages, and I'm so glad I got it for Christmas.
It looks like a thick book - 390 pages - but the print is quite big so actually it doesn't take that long to read. It's really, really worth it though.
Ruby herself is pretty damn awesome, the other characters are mostly brilliant, the plot is really, really well thought out, the puzzles are clever (good luck trying to read Ruby and Clancy's coded messages) and the villains, though slightly over the top (but it is a children's spy novel so what do you expect?) are more or less ~chilling.
I could write pages and pages on this book, but right now I really must go and look at rubyredfort.com
August 10, 2021
THIS IS THE BEST DETECTIVE BOOK EVER WRITTEN!! It contains codes, thefts, kidnapping, snooping and a huge amount of sarcasm😂 And the best thing is that it is a middle grade!!❤️❤️
First of all the opening scene was “WOW” and the ending was quite decent as well!!💖 I LOVED the main character “Ruby Refort” , she acted very smart and saved everybody, her sarcasm was one of the best things after her brain and her sidekick super handsome butler/secret agent “Hitch” was my another favourite!!❤️❤️ He was one of the coolest, funniest, smartest and the most sarcastic character!! I just loved him so much! My another favourite was Clancy!! (Ruby’s best friend) , he was super funny and cool too! He helped Ruby a lot!!
So this book is about cracking codes and scnooping, it is about Ruby who gets a offer to work in a secret detective agency (just what I wanted😂) and she accepts it but can’t tell about it to anyone because it is a secret one❤️ She has to crack codes and do a whole lot of snooping and her sidekick agent Hitch as well as Clancy helps her💖
I love this book very much!!! Everything was just perfect!!! Unfortunately there were not much twists and turns but there was a small twist😊 The codes were quite difficult to crack but Ruby did solve all of them❤️ And one of my favourite things about this book was that how funny it was!!!!❤️❤️ It was full of sarcasm which made me laugh out loud a whole lot of times!!
I LOVED THIS VERY MUCH!!!!❤️
First of all the opening scene was “WOW” and the ending was quite decent as well!!💖 I LOVED the main character “Ruby Refort” , she acted very smart and saved everybody, her sarcasm was one of the best things after her brain and her sidekick super handsome butler/secret agent “Hitch” was my another favourite!!❤️❤️ He was one of the coolest, funniest, smartest and the most sarcastic character!! I just loved him so much! My another favourite was Clancy!! (Ruby’s best friend) , he was super funny and cool too! He helped Ruby a lot!!
So this book is about cracking codes and scnooping, it is about Ruby who gets a offer to work in a secret detective agency (just what I wanted😂) and she accepts it but can’t tell about it to anyone because it is a secret one❤️ She has to crack codes and do a whole lot of snooping and her sidekick agent Hitch as well as Clancy helps her💖
I love this book very much!!! Everything was just perfect!!! Unfortunately there were not much twists and turns but there was a small twist😊 The codes were quite difficult to crack but Ruby did solve all of them❤️ And one of my favourite things about this book was that how funny it was!!!!❤️❤️ It was full of sarcasm which made me laugh out loud a whole lot of times!!
I LOVED THIS VERY MUCH!!!!❤️
December 6, 2021
It's been years since I last read this series, and these used to be my most often read books. So I knew it was getting time for a reread, and wanted to do it sometime next year maybe, but suddenly, I just felt the need to read it NOW. So I did! And oh my goodness it's just as good as I'd remembered. This is one of the series that really got me into reading, so maybe I'm a little biased, but I don't care at all. I was a little worried that I wouldn't like it as much as I'd remembered, but I didn't have that problem at all, so I'm really glad.
My grandpa used to send my sister and I books that he'd pick out from the bookstore, and he sent us this one when we were about in elementary school or so. I'm amazed at how good he was at picking out books for us, and some of my favorite books are ones that he sent us. After we got this book, we asked for the next books in the series too, but we spread it out, so we'd get like 2 books from the series per year or something. I can't remember exactly when this was, but we had to wait for the last few to be published, and it was just torture. We finally snatched up the last one at a bookstore when it came out and read it in one sitting.
I love Ruby, and Clancy, and Hitch, and even LB, and honestly everything about this series. I've read it so many times that I know exactly what's going to come next every single time (I thought I would have forgotten a little over time, which is why I waited so long to reread it, but I've forgotten nothing lol). But I don't mind, I just love it.
My grandpa used to send my sister and I books that he'd pick out from the bookstore, and he sent us this one when we were about in elementary school or so. I'm amazed at how good he was at picking out books for us, and some of my favorite books are ones that he sent us. After we got this book, we asked for the next books in the series too, but we spread it out, so we'd get like 2 books from the series per year or something. I can't remember exactly when this was, but we had to wait for the last few to be published, and it was just torture. We finally snatched up the last one at a bookstore when it came out and read it in one sitting.
I love Ruby, and Clancy, and Hitch, and even LB, and honestly everything about this series. I've read it so many times that I know exactly what's going to come next every single time (I thought I would have forgotten a little over time, which is why I waited so long to reread it, but I've forgotten nothing lol). But I don't mind, I just love it.
August 6, 2017
Симпатичен детски детективски роман, но само толкова...
March 7, 2016
There's really not much to say about this book - it's a very typical, very bland mystery. It's not quite as predictable as it seems at first, but it's also not very likely to surprise any mystery fans. The tropes on display - the James Bond gadgets, the 'clever' riddles - aren't unique, and nothing new is done with them. Ruby is meant to be kind of a subversion of the typical Harriet the Spy-type heroine, but her brand of snarkiness just ends up becoming another cliche. The writing was alright, I guess - I do wish Child hadn't chosen to set the novel in America, since quite a bit of British slang came though, and most of the American slang felt artificial. But really, there's just not much that's noteworthy in this story. I certainly won't be reading the sequels.
October 6, 2012
Ruby Redfort is a perfect candidate for the spy world, so when a secret agency comes knocking, Ruby is ready for action. Ruby is not your ordinary 7th grader. She's smart, independent, and a bit quirky. Solving puzzles and cracking codes are her idea of a good time. At the same time, she's pretty much your average kid. She has friends, plays sports, ignores her parents on occasion, and watches lots of crime shows on TV. I guess she offers a little something for everyone. The best thing about Ruby, though, is how she stands up for herself. She's no fairytale character, waiting for someone to rescue her out of a tower. Ruby Redfort can take care of herself.
Ruby remains calm even as her house is completely ransacked, her long-time housekeeper disappears, she's recruited by a secret spy agency called Spectrum, and she comes face to face with the villainous Count. Her wealthy, slightly dimwitted parents don't have a clue what's going on around them and are completely absorbed in a museum charity event featuring the Jade Buddha of Khotan. They have no idea that Ruby is now spending her days helping Spectrum crack the code that will lead them to the bad guys and that the Jade Buddha may be in danger. She gets a little help from her best friend, Clancy Crew and her new butler, Hitch (who also happens to work for Spectrum), but mostly she figures things out on her own. In doing so, she does end up impersonating adults, lying, sneaking around, and snagging a few Spectrum gadgets that don't belong to her.
Despite the tense nature of a spy story, the tone is light, and the dialogue is amusing. Ruby even manages to keep up the clever banter in the most dangerous circumstances. Although the focus is more on action than on thoughts and feelings, there is a strong friendship between Ruby and Clancy and a nice rapport between Ruby and Hutch. Other than the fancy gadgets, there is no mention of modern technology. Ruby even uses a pay phone!
Ruby remains calm even as her house is completely ransacked, her long-time housekeeper disappears, she's recruited by a secret spy agency called Spectrum, and she comes face to face with the villainous Count. Her wealthy, slightly dimwitted parents don't have a clue what's going on around them and are completely absorbed in a museum charity event featuring the Jade Buddha of Khotan. They have no idea that Ruby is now spending her days helping Spectrum crack the code that will lead them to the bad guys and that the Jade Buddha may be in danger. She gets a little help from her best friend, Clancy Crew and her new butler, Hitch (who also happens to work for Spectrum), but mostly she figures things out on her own. In doing so, she does end up impersonating adults, lying, sneaking around, and snagging a few Spectrum gadgets that don't belong to her.
Despite the tense nature of a spy story, the tone is light, and the dialogue is amusing. Ruby even manages to keep up the clever banter in the most dangerous circumstances. Although the focus is more on action than on thoughts and feelings, there is a strong friendship between Ruby and Clancy and a nice rapport between Ruby and Hutch. Other than the fancy gadgets, there is no mention of modern technology. Ruby even uses a pay phone!
Read
April 11, 2023was feeling old and sentimental so decided to have a reread of one of my all time favourites. i don't think i've read this since i was about 8 and I've missed it so much. I practically based my entire personality off ruby (even though i was never smart enough do to the ciphers - i think i solved a couple and then gave up -) and the books never got the level of recognition i feel they deserve. how badly i want to adapt ruby redfort for the screen!!
August 24, 2020
Re-reading for about the 50th time. I will never not love this series!
January 5, 2015
2.5 stars
It was okay. Nothing special. The story was pretty weak.
But the one factor that I could not get over was the dialogue. It physically hurt to read it. You could tell the author (English), who was attempting to set her book in America, failed miserably as no one here talks like that. Now, maybe, maybe, if this book was set in the 40's, I could forgive some of the dialogue, but it wasn't, so I can't.
Hitch, the only character I liked, talked like this, "Kid, if you don't listen to me, you'll end up in a bad place. " "You should see what we do at the Academy, kid."
He says "kid" at the beginning or end of EVERY SENTENCE. Not acceptable.
Ruby uses "boy" at the beginning or end of almost every sentence.
I even spotted a "the cat's pajamas" thrown in there.
But weird phrasing aside, just the way the characters talked and acted felt really off.
There are better MG spy books out there if you're looking for one.
January 29, 2025
it was the gag, it is the gag, it forever will be the GAG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i already know i will be rating every single one of these books five stars regardless of subjective quality as processed by my 22-year-old brain, they were five stars when i was 11 with no access to review sites and so i will be living my truth HERE and NOW by committing to a RUBY REDFORT SWEEP!!!!!!!!!!!!! genuinely the bestest most goated kids series ever. I DONT EVEN LIKE SPY BOOKS but the intrinsic sauce of lauren child just gives the whole universe and story such a brilliant off-beat texture. the characters, the story, the cliche american spy movie talk, the codes, the aesthetic of spectrum and just the way the whole thing is done and the way the story is told is so particular and endearing, i adore it.
of course, every single word of this review is tied up in my nostalgia which was so intense it felt at times like synesthesia. there were some lines that i hadn't read for maybe eight years? and i still remembered the exact intonation i gave them when i was first reading. i made a whole lifestyle out of this series when i was younger. i drew flies on everything, called people bozo, made codes with my friends, wrote angsty fanfiction and had an inside joke about the word spectrum with my year 8 bestie. THIS SERIES FORMED ME AS A PERSON!!!!!!!!! I WILL RATE IT WHATEVER I LIKE!!!!!!!!!!! I CANNOT FUCKING WAIT TO START THE NEXT BOOK AS SOON AS I POST THIS
i already know i will be rating every single one of these books five stars regardless of subjective quality as processed by my 22-year-old brain, they were five stars when i was 11 with no access to review sites and so i will be living my truth HERE and NOW by committing to a RUBY REDFORT SWEEP!!!!!!!!!!!!! genuinely the bestest most goated kids series ever. I DONT EVEN LIKE SPY BOOKS but the intrinsic sauce of lauren child just gives the whole universe and story such a brilliant off-beat texture. the characters, the story, the cliche american spy movie talk, the codes, the aesthetic of spectrum and just the way the whole thing is done and the way the story is told is so particular and endearing, i adore it.
of course, every single word of this review is tied up in my nostalgia which was so intense it felt at times like synesthesia. there were some lines that i hadn't read for maybe eight years? and i still remembered the exact intonation i gave them when i was first reading. i made a whole lifestyle out of this series when i was younger. i drew flies on everything, called people bozo, made codes with my friends, wrote angsty fanfiction and had an inside joke about the word spectrum with my year 8 bestie. THIS SERIES FORMED ME AS A PERSON!!!!!!!!! I WILL RATE IT WHATEVER I LIKE!!!!!!!!!!! I CANNOT FUCKING WAIT TO START THE NEXT BOOK AS SOON AS I POST THIS
Read
August 28, 2024I think this book just kinda wasn’t meant for me, it felt a little young and I had a hard time connecting to any of the characters. I did enjoy the concepts and stereotypical young spy hijinks, but the execution just didn’t hit right for me. I’m not gonna leave a rating because I don’t think it was a bad book and don’t want to bring the rating down, but it’s probably a 2/5 just from what my experience was with it. (I’m sorry Riley, I promise I truly tried, I wrote a whole lot in there for you to read later that hopefully makes up for it)
October 25, 2012
i feel confused about this book. i did like ruby, but probably because she is so precocious, most of the time she felt like an older teenager and the way she talked with her friends using "old pal" and "old friend"? who is she? colombo?? fO.o
every teenage character in this book felt stuck-up to me (perhaps, because they are rich kids?), that's probably why i didn't like the story as much as i was supposed to.
anyway, i can imagine that this book could be very appealing to my twelve-year-old self, so probably any twelve to thirteen-year-old right now can find it interesting.
i just have a question: is the book playing in the 70s? I ask because, first, nobody else has referred to that anywhere; second, ruby doesn't use any computer, there is no talk about mobile phones and her parents use a slide projector for their photo slide show; and last, there is this quote in the book that tipp me off, but i'm beginning to doubt myself: "The Redfort house, dubbed the Green-Wood house on account of its environmental features, had been designed in 1961 by famous architect Arno Fredricksonn. Even now, a decade or so later, it was still considered state of art." anyone can help me here??
every teenage character in this book felt stuck-up to me (perhaps, because they are rich kids?), that's probably why i didn't like the story as much as i was supposed to.
anyway, i can imagine that this book could be very appealing to my twelve-year-old self, so probably any twelve to thirteen-year-old right now can find it interesting.
i just have a question: is the book playing in the 70s? I ask because, first, nobody else has referred to that anywhere; second, ruby doesn't use any computer, there is no talk about mobile phones and her parents use a slide projector for their photo slide show; and last, there is this quote in the book that tipp me off, but i'm beginning to doubt myself: "The Redfort house, dubbed the Green-Wood house on account of its environmental features, had been designed in 1961 by famous architect Arno Fredricksonn. Even now, a decade or so later, it was still considered state of art." anyone can help me here??
August 23, 2015
The cover got me! A middle-reader mystery novel about a precocious super spy. It has some great elements and some gaping flaws. I loved the relationship between Ruby and her best friend Clancy, and I felt like Clancy and Hitch (Ruby's handler) were well-drawn. Most of the other characters, Ruby's parents in particular and all of the villains in general, were flat flat flatter than flat - even giving leeway for the genre. I'm guessing that young readers won't notice this stuff and just go along for a good time, but it's not one I'm going to be gifting to the tweens in my life.
December 3, 2017
This is an incredible book for a younger and older audience. If I could describe this book in three words, I would say it is comical, delightful, and neat. I was amazed about how much I admired this book, and it’s super cute and an easy read. It is very creative with many bewildering and mystifying puzzles, that make you feel absolutely dumbfounded. This is a change from what I ordinarily read, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. If you are ready for a journey with many ups, downs, and in betweens pick up this book!
May 8, 2022
This is my third time reading it and I could easily read it again. Some books you can only read once, but this one I could read hundreds of times and never get bored. Lauren Child is rue best thing that ever happened to children's literature!!!
June 13, 2020
Fantastyczna! Gdybym czytała tę książkę mając 10-14 lat, szalałabym za Ruby Redford.
September 12, 2020
This is such a great series. I absolutely love this book and all the other ones. DON'T READ IF YOU DO NOT LIKE UNREALISTIC BOOKS. That is my review :)
October 30, 2022
this is peak literature
July 19, 2023
this took like 4 hours its all ive done today and it was a great decision
April 3, 2023
9.5/10⭐️
Czy w wieku kilkunastu lat można łamać tajemnicze szyfry i rozwiązywać zagadki niczym z filmu? Czy tytułowa Ruby umie dochować tajemnicy i potrafi zachować zimną krew? I najważniejsze pytanie: czy nastolatka można zostać tajną agentką?
Wciągająca historia detektywistyczna dla dzieci, młodzieży i nie tylko. Bogata w zagadki. I ty możesz rozwiązać sprawę powierzoną Ruby! Zachowania i wypowiedzi głównej bohaterki nieraz wywołały na mojej twarzy uśmiech. Na naszych „oczach” rośnie genialny detektyw! Warto sprawdzić o kim mowa. Gwarantuje świetną rozrywkę!
Polecam gorąco!
Czy w wieku kilkunastu lat można łamać tajemnicze szyfry i rozwiązywać zagadki niczym z filmu? Czy tytułowa Ruby umie dochować tajemnicy i potrafi zachować zimną krew? I najważniejsze pytanie: czy nastolatka można zostać tajną agentką?
Wciągająca historia detektywistyczna dla dzieci, młodzieży i nie tylko. Bogata w zagadki. I ty możesz rozwiązać sprawę powierzoną Ruby! Zachowania i wypowiedzi głównej bohaterki nieraz wywołały na mojej twarzy uśmiech. Na naszych „oczach” rośnie genialny detektyw! Warto sprawdzić o kim mowa. Gwarantuje świetną rozrywkę!
Polecam gorąco!
March 11, 2019
Ruby je sympatacka! Inteligentna, vtipná, odvazna baba, ktoru nic len tak nezaskoci! Prijemna oddychovka.
March 7, 2022
Takie powiedziałabym średnie. Końcówka spoko, ale sama historia mnie nie porwała, no i strasznie mi się ją długo czytało, ciągle miałam poczucie, że stoję w miejscu. Ostatnie 50 stron nabrało tempa.
February 25, 2024
Childhood fav and still hit. Bit predictable at the end but that’s to be expected for a children’s book I guess …. Ily Lauren child
June 12, 2024
I love this book so much, all of the characters are very dear to my heart, and it's just overall a fun read!
July 23, 2024
Childhood rereads are just so comforting
October 19, 2024
i aspire to be ruby redfort when i grow up
April 9, 2015
The Ruby Redfort series by Lauren Child, 2011-2014. I read the first two of six total books. The first four are titled Look Into My Eyes, Take Your Last Breath, Catch Your Death, and Feel the Fear. The other two titles are not yet released, but will be in the next couple years.
The reason I only read the first two is that the third and fourth are only available in hardcover until this summer and I simply didn’t want to pay hardcover price, even though it was very tempting. I don’t really like hardcover books as much as paperback, anyhow. So I wait.
I go into this with full disclosure: I already love Lauren Chlld. She is the brilliant writer and artist responsible for the marvelous Charlie and Lola series, as well as Clarice Bean (see review HERE) and a ton of other superb art, including lovely covers for two of my favorite books, Anne of Green Gables and Pippi Longstocking. So I fully expected to love these books. (And who wouldn’t? Just look at the rad covers.) More on all this to come; I just wanted to let you know where I stood.
There are some things about these books.
The thing is… my daughter doesn’t like them. She is a fan of fantasy and mystery and also very much of mixed-up fairy tales. Ruby Redfort falls into the secret agent mystery category. Although not a big fan of Clarice Bean, I thought Windsor would like these more because of the mystery. But she has set them aside, twice, to continue plowing through yet another mixed-up fairy tale series (even though I found the other series inferior…) and has yet to finish even the first one.
The thing is… I love Lauren Child. Love her. I know I already said that, but there is something (or many somethings) that I really like about her and her style and her voice. From her children’s book illustrations to the spunky attitude of all her characters, I have been caught by the whole shebang hook, line, and sinker. So perhaps its not for everyone, but it is for me. And it is for plenty of people. Especially Brits? Maybe. But Charlie and Lola hold their own here in the US.
The thing is... these are a British thing. Which needs to be further explored beyond my last comment. It’s not just about where Child is popular, it’s also about where her style resonates and where her plots and characters make sense. I am one of those typical ravenous-reader Anglophiles, so not only am I fairly comfortable with British stuff from all the English literature I have read over the years (and the history class I endured and the many, many movies and TV shows I have ingested), but I truly enjoy English culture. So I love all the pink milk and the butlers and the “toodle-oos.” But I did, as an American, find Ruby Redfort a little awkward in this respect. Whereas Child’s other works take place in England, Ruby Redfort takes place in the USA. I found myself wondering more than once if Child had regretted placing the super sleuth in the US during the writing of her Clarice Bean series. I just, as an American, found lots of times when a character would refer to an object by its very British term or would do things that are quite un-American. Redfort, true, is British, but everyone else is not.
The thing is… I really like them. I must think I’m ten again, because I can’t wait until the next two come out in paperback so I can read them immediately and I also can’t wait until I have them all lined up on the shelf and can read the code on the spines. The adult in me loves (as always with Child) the artistic choices (except perhaps the font on the main type, inside). The cover of the second book is perhaps my favorite cover on my whole entire bookshelf. (The display on a computer screen does not quite do it justice.) I think these books are fun and I just get more and more into the characters as we go along. There’s a real style here that I find fun and refreshing while at the same time being extremely retro-modern.
My critiques: Child violates one of my biggest novel pet peeves: she sometimes doesn’t tell us what people look like until it’s too late. I hate getting to book two and finding out John has blonde hair when I had been picturing black for 300 pages. She even makes this mistake with the main character! Also, as mentioned, the American/British thing gets fuzzy. And poor Clancy becomes vaguely unlikeable at times.
But pretty much: enjoyed, enjoyed, enjoyed and looking forward to continuing the series.
***REVIEW WRITTEN FOR THE DEVON TREVARROW FLAHERTY BLOG***
The reason I only read the first two is that the third and fourth are only available in hardcover until this summer and I simply didn’t want to pay hardcover price, even though it was very tempting. I don’t really like hardcover books as much as paperback, anyhow. So I wait.
I go into this with full disclosure: I already love Lauren Chlld. She is the brilliant writer and artist responsible for the marvelous Charlie and Lola series, as well as Clarice Bean (see review HERE) and a ton of other superb art, including lovely covers for two of my favorite books, Anne of Green Gables and Pippi Longstocking. So I fully expected to love these books. (And who wouldn’t? Just look at the rad covers.) More on all this to come; I just wanted to let you know where I stood.
There are some things about these books.
The thing is… my daughter doesn’t like them. She is a fan of fantasy and mystery and also very much of mixed-up fairy tales. Ruby Redfort falls into the secret agent mystery category. Although not a big fan of Clarice Bean, I thought Windsor would like these more because of the mystery. But she has set them aside, twice, to continue plowing through yet another mixed-up fairy tale series (even though I found the other series inferior…) and has yet to finish even the first one.
The thing is… I love Lauren Child. Love her. I know I already said that, but there is something (or many somethings) that I really like about her and her style and her voice. From her children’s book illustrations to the spunky attitude of all her characters, I have been caught by the whole shebang hook, line, and sinker. So perhaps its not for everyone, but it is for me. And it is for plenty of people. Especially Brits? Maybe. But Charlie and Lola hold their own here in the US.
The thing is... these are a British thing. Which needs to be further explored beyond my last comment. It’s not just about where Child is popular, it’s also about where her style resonates and where her plots and characters make sense. I am one of those typical ravenous-reader Anglophiles, so not only am I fairly comfortable with British stuff from all the English literature I have read over the years (and the history class I endured and the many, many movies and TV shows I have ingested), but I truly enjoy English culture. So I love all the pink milk and the butlers and the “toodle-oos.” But I did, as an American, find Ruby Redfort a little awkward in this respect. Whereas Child’s other works take place in England, Ruby Redfort takes place in the USA. I found myself wondering more than once if Child had regretted placing the super sleuth in the US during the writing of her Clarice Bean series. I just, as an American, found lots of times when a character would refer to an object by its very British term or would do things that are quite un-American. Redfort, true, is British, but everyone else is not.
The thing is… I really like them. I must think I’m ten again, because I can’t wait until the next two come out in paperback so I can read them immediately and I also can’t wait until I have them all lined up on the shelf and can read the code on the spines. The adult in me loves (as always with Child) the artistic choices (except perhaps the font on the main type, inside). The cover of the second book is perhaps my favorite cover on my whole entire bookshelf. (The display on a computer screen does not quite do it justice.) I think these books are fun and I just get more and more into the characters as we go along. There’s a real style here that I find fun and refreshing while at the same time being extremely retro-modern.
My critiques: Child violates one of my biggest novel pet peeves: she sometimes doesn’t tell us what people look like until it’s too late. I hate getting to book two and finding out John has blonde hair when I had been picturing black for 300 pages. She even makes this mistake with the main character! Also, as mentioned, the American/British thing gets fuzzy. And poor Clancy becomes vaguely unlikeable at times.
But pretty much: enjoyed, enjoyed, enjoyed and looking forward to continuing the series.
***REVIEW WRITTEN FOR THE DEVON TREVARROW FLAHERTY BLOG***
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