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Ruby on the Outside
Ruby’s mom is in prison, and to tell anyone the truth is to risk true friendship in this novel that accurately and sensitively addresses a subject too often overlooked—from the author of The Summer Before Boys.
Eleven-year-old Ruby Danes is about to start middle school, and only her aunt knows her deepest, darkest, secret: her mother is in prison.
Then Margalit Tipps moves into Ruby’s condo complex, and the two immediately hit it off. Ruby thinks she’s found her first true-blue friend—but can she tell Margalit the truth about her mom? Maybe not. Because it turns out that Margalit’s family history seems closely connected to the very event that put her mother in prison, and if Ruby comes clean, she could lose everything she cares about most.
Eleven-year-old Ruby Danes is about to start middle school, and only her aunt knows her deepest, darkest, secret: her mother is in prison.
Then Margalit Tipps moves into Ruby’s condo complex, and the two immediately hit it off. Ruby thinks she’s found her first true-blue friend—but can she tell Margalit the truth about her mom? Maybe not. Because it turns out that Margalit’s family history seems closely connected to the very event that put her mother in prison, and if Ruby comes clean, she could lose everything she cares about most.
176 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 16, 2015
45 people are currently reading
2560 people want to read
About the author
Nora Raleigh Baskin
27 books304 followersI am seriously an open book. I've been writing semi-autiobiographical fiction since I was in 6th grade (1972) then, in 2001, Little, Brown published my first middle grade novel, about my life in 6th grade! titled "What Every Girl (except me) Knows." Twenty years and fifteen books later, that still, pretty much sums things up.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 270 reviews
June 14, 2015
I wish I could give this book four stars, because the story was really great. I loved it's simplicity, but that it had such emotional depth. I think it is a perfect book to offer girls going through that transitional phase from middle grade to YA literature.
That being said, the editing--or lack thereof--almost ruined the book for me. The first half of the book had minimal mistakes (a misplaced comma, nothing big), but the second half of the book was like the editor didn't even bother. Words missing, or repeated. Often times there would be multiple errors on a page, even a few with two missing words in one sentence. It disappoints me because I would love to recommend this to kids, but feel that the errors are really blatant and I would hate for kids to read them and think that it's okay.
I realize my rant is a bit excessive, but I hope that this gets fixed for the paperback release, because it is a real shame that it distracted me so much from what is truly a wonderful story.
That being said, the editing--or lack thereof--almost ruined the book for me. The first half of the book had minimal mistakes (a misplaced comma, nothing big), but the second half of the book was like the editor didn't even bother. Words missing, or repeated. Often times there would be multiple errors on a page, even a few with two missing words in one sentence. It disappoints me because I would love to recommend this to kids, but feel that the errors are really blatant and I would hate for kids to read them and think that it's okay.
I realize my rant is a bit excessive, but I hope that this gets fixed for the paperback release, because it is a real shame that it distracted me so much from what is truly a wonderful story.
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June 27, 2017I've never written a comment or review of my own book before..But I need to share with everyone how heartbroken I am about the many many typos in the first edition hardcover of this book. I worked very hard and put so much of my heart into this book . (if you want to read a post about just what Ruby meant to me: https://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2...
It took all my friends and a lot of help to find and fix the many mistakes and then make sure my publishers corrected them for the second printing and of course, for the paperback (though after all that I still found ONE more..) But it is an important story ..and I hope everyone can over look (or look for the paperback!) and find your way to Ruby's story. Thank you!
It took all my friends and a lot of help to find and fix the many mistakes and then make sure my publishers corrected them for the second printing and of course, for the paperback (though after all that I still found ONE more..) But it is an important story ..and I hope everyone can over look (or look for the paperback!) and find your way to Ruby's story. Thank you!
July 28, 2015
A different kind of grieving - for a way family might have been. A story of courage and secrets and friendship. Would make a wonderful book club title.
April 8, 2017
This short book for middle grade readers handles its topic (the incarceration of a parent) with sensitivity and empathy. Ruby's evolving feelings of shame, longing, and anger are believably portrayed. Ruby deals with them all in the context of a budding first best-friendship. Ruby has never mentioned to anyone that her mother is in prison. What would her friend Margalit think if Margalit knew? Especially if, as Ruby begins to suspect, Margalit's family is somehow connected with her mother's case?
What shone for me in this story even more than Ruby's friendship with Margalit were her remembered encounters with other children during visiting hours at the prison: Tevin, who's confident his family's letter-writing campaign will get his mom out of prison, and Rebecca, who has both parents in prison and tells Ruby she can look up her mother's case online. Through their stories as well as Ruby's, you get a very clear picture of what it's like to have an imprisoned parent.
The story had just the right touch, for me. It's definitely focused on its theme, but the characters are well developed and feel emotionally true, and the story through which the theme is investigated kept my interest and sympathy. The one storytelling choice that surprised and perplexed me was The initial set-up seemed implausible, but its negation made for a situation that was equally implausible. Overall, however, the story is very plausible and was a pleasure to read.
What shone for me in this story even more than Ruby's friendship with Margalit were her remembered encounters with other children during visiting hours at the prison: Tevin, who's confident his family's letter-writing campaign will get his mom out of prison, and Rebecca, who has both parents in prison and tells Ruby she can look up her mother's case online. Through their stories as well as Ruby's, you get a very clear picture of what it's like to have an imprisoned parent.
The story had just the right touch, for me. It's definitely focused on its theme, but the characters are well developed and feel emotionally true, and the story through which the theme is investigated kept my interest and sympathy. The one storytelling choice that surprised and perplexed me was The initial set-up seemed implausible, but its negation made for a situation that was equally implausible. Overall, however, the story is very plausible and was a pleasure to read.
October 15, 2016
Adorable to the max.
Some might say that this story ties out too neatly, but I couldn't help thinking that Ruby deserves that on a way.
There are impressive twists and turns for a little book, and the characters have so much depth. I LOVED Margalit and Matoo.
This book is so important, especially for those young people, many of whom I teach, who come from families with histories, errors in judgment, or less than storybook pasts.
The themes in this book are so important: independence, forgiveness, family loyalty, and the importance of friendship.
Read. It.
Some might say that this story ties out too neatly, but I couldn't help thinking that Ruby deserves that on a way.
There are impressive twists and turns for a little book, and the characters have so much depth. I LOVED Margalit and Matoo.
This book is so important, especially for those young people, many of whom I teach, who come from families with histories, errors in judgment, or less than storybook pasts.
The themes in this book are so important: independence, forgiveness, family loyalty, and the importance of friendship.
Read. It.
August 31, 2015
This book felt so real. My heart went out to Ruby. Thank goodness for the amazing people we often meet in our lives. I look forward to reading more by this author.
June 17, 2015
Ruby on the Outside is a sensitive and compassionate story about what it is like to be a child with a parent that is incarcerated. Baskin does what she does so well, brings us to the story through the eyes of 11 year old Ruby. Through the relationships with her Aunt, her incarcerated mother and her new best friend; the story unfolds. Nora Raleigh Baskin gets kids, how they talk to each other, how they relate to grown-ups and how they feel deep inside. She explores beautifully, with the utmost care, what it feels like to be a child with an incarcerated parent. This book touches such an important, yet unexplored subject in children's literature. There are approximately 2.5 million people incarcerated in the United States. I read Samantha Stronge's review and have to urge everyone not to let editorial typo's stop them from reading this book!
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December 7, 2015"...just because you can't see something doesn't mean it's not there. And just because you don't remember something doesn't mean you don't miss it."
June 19, 2015
Richie’s Picks: RUBY ON THE OUTSIDE by Nora Raleigh Baskin, Simon & Schuster, June 2015, 164p., ISBN: 978-1-4424-8503-7
“Keep smiling, keep shining
Knowing you can always count on me, for sure
That’s what friends are for”
-- Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager
“But just because you can’t see something doesn’t mean it’s not there. And just because you don’t remember something doesn’t mean you don’t miss it. And just because you are used to something doesn’t mean it’s normal.”
Eleven-year-old Ruby Danes has never had a real friend, one whom she can count on for sure. She has accepted keeping everyone at arm’s length. Why? Because of her big secret: Ruby’s mother is a convict serving time in Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women, an upstate New York prison. Ruby is sure that if people know about her mother’s incarceration, they’ll see Ruby in a bad light.
Since her mother’s arrest, six years earlier, Ruby has lived with her mother’s older sister Barbara, whom she calls Matoo (as in Ma Two or Ma, too). The pair journey every Saturday to Bedford Hills to visit Ruby’s biological mother. But at home, Ruby lets everyone think that Matoo is her mother.
“‘Margalit’s a weirdo, so you’re better off not knowing her,’ Kristin says.”
Ruby has lived with the childish hope that if she behaves perfectly and is a model student, things will get better and her mother will be able to come home. But many things are about to change. Ruby’s bogus friend Kristin is leaving for the summer and Ruby will begin hanging out with Margalit, who lives nearby and turns out to be a friend worth her weight in gold.
In a moving coming-of-age tale for middle grade readers, Ruby comes to understand the reality and complexities of her mother’s past behavior. She also begins to recognize that she is a victim of her mother’s mistakes. Thanks to Margalit’s friendship, this is a story with a positive outcome, even while Ruby faces the reality that she will likely grow to be an adult before her mother is finally released.
The most important lesson in this book may be somewhat abstract for the book’s young audience, but it is there to see: Ruby’s mother’s big fear was that she’d lose her charismatic druggie boyfriend if she didn’t do every screwed-up thing the boyfriend demanded of her. This fear led to her willing participation as an accomplice in a crime she’d never have committed on her own. She permitted her own insecurity to supersede her responsibility for Ruby and as a result, Ruby is being raised by Matoo, who is wonderful but is not a perfect substitute for Mom.
In recent times, despite all the strides toward equality between women and men, too many women are still vulnerable to manipulation by men. I hope that young readers recognize that no guy is worth what Ruby’s mother was willing to sacrifice. Giving up one’s inner compass to follow another person, however charismatic, is a bad move. As we see here, it can cost a lot, not only for oneself but for others who love and need you.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
https://www.facebook.com/richie.parti...
Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_...
“Keep smiling, keep shining
Knowing you can always count on me, for sure
That’s what friends are for”
-- Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager
“But just because you can’t see something doesn’t mean it’s not there. And just because you don’t remember something doesn’t mean you don’t miss it. And just because you are used to something doesn’t mean it’s normal.”
Eleven-year-old Ruby Danes has never had a real friend, one whom she can count on for sure. She has accepted keeping everyone at arm’s length. Why? Because of her big secret: Ruby’s mother is a convict serving time in Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women, an upstate New York prison. Ruby is sure that if people know about her mother’s incarceration, they’ll see Ruby in a bad light.
Since her mother’s arrest, six years earlier, Ruby has lived with her mother’s older sister Barbara, whom she calls Matoo (as in Ma Two or Ma, too). The pair journey every Saturday to Bedford Hills to visit Ruby’s biological mother. But at home, Ruby lets everyone think that Matoo is her mother.
“‘Margalit’s a weirdo, so you’re better off not knowing her,’ Kristin says.”
Ruby has lived with the childish hope that if she behaves perfectly and is a model student, things will get better and her mother will be able to come home. But many things are about to change. Ruby’s bogus friend Kristin is leaving for the summer and Ruby will begin hanging out with Margalit, who lives nearby and turns out to be a friend worth her weight in gold.
In a moving coming-of-age tale for middle grade readers, Ruby comes to understand the reality and complexities of her mother’s past behavior. She also begins to recognize that she is a victim of her mother’s mistakes. Thanks to Margalit’s friendship, this is a story with a positive outcome, even while Ruby faces the reality that she will likely grow to be an adult before her mother is finally released.
The most important lesson in this book may be somewhat abstract for the book’s young audience, but it is there to see: Ruby’s mother’s big fear was that she’d lose her charismatic druggie boyfriend if she didn’t do every screwed-up thing the boyfriend demanded of her. This fear led to her willing participation as an accomplice in a crime she’d never have committed on her own. She permitted her own insecurity to supersede her responsibility for Ruby and as a result, Ruby is being raised by Matoo, who is wonderful but is not a perfect substitute for Mom.
In recent times, despite all the strides toward equality between women and men, too many women are still vulnerable to manipulation by men. I hope that young readers recognize that no guy is worth what Ruby’s mother was willing to sacrifice. Giving up one’s inner compass to follow another person, however charismatic, is a bad move. As we see here, it can cost a lot, not only for oneself but for others who love and need you.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
https://www.facebook.com/richie.parti...
Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_...
June 21, 2015
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Winners are encouraged but not required to review the books they win. (Duly noted.)
In compliance with FTC guidelines, if you review the book, please disclose in your review that you received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads. (Done.)
Will add more when it arrives.
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Wednesday, June 17, 2015
It has arrived. Guess I better start reading it now.
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Saturday, June 20, 2015
Am enjoying this story immensely thus far. However, I am quite bothered by the low quality of the editing. As another reviewer pointed out, there are words missing in several places. It wasn't noticeable at first, but by a third of the way through, I'm actually looking for the next error. This makes me sad, for I think my daughter -- who is of similar age to the protagonist -- would benefit from reading. As it is, if I do share it with her, it will be as a teaching moment on why proofreading is so important.
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Saturday, June 20, 2015
Finished this morning, and WOW. I am really surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It hit me on a personal level and I actually cried at one point, which I was not expecting. But I suspect the reason it gave me all the feels is that (1) The childish narrator's voice allowed me to easily imagine my daughter in the role of the protagonist; and (2) the description of the mother's state of mind hit close to home. I wish I could not so easily relate to Ruby's mom as a woman who wanted so badly to have a home and family that she followed someone else's poor lead and as a result made poor decisions. One line in particular {and I don't have the book with me at the moment so forgive my poor paraphrase} punched me right in the gut -- the bit where Ruby's mom is compared to a thirsty traveler wandering through the desert in need of a drink of water, so dry she was grateful for the smallest sip, no matter from whence it came. I know the book isn't about the mom, but about Ruby, and yet it is to the mother I was so drawn. I appreciate that she loves her daughter enough to understand that her bad choices effectively ruined Ruby's life; that she apologizes profusely and accepts Ruby's well-placed anger and hurt; that she understands the repercussions of her actions and wants to ensure Ruby learns better.
There was so much RIGHT with this book, I am giving it 4 stars in spite of the bad editing. I would love to see a clean copy and read it again -- this time with my daughter. I may go ahead and read it with her anyway, in spite of the mistakes. What wonderful discussions can spring from this story, regardless of her age. Bravo.
Winners are encouraged but not required to review the books they win. (Duly noted.)
In compliance with FTC guidelines, if you review the book, please disclose in your review that you received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads. (Done.)
Will add more when it arrives.
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Wednesday, June 17, 2015
It has arrived. Guess I better start reading it now.
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Saturday, June 20, 2015
Am enjoying this story immensely thus far. However, I am quite bothered by the low quality of the editing. As another reviewer pointed out, there are words missing in several places. It wasn't noticeable at first, but by a third of the way through, I'm actually looking for the next error. This makes me sad, for I think my daughter -- who is of similar age to the protagonist -- would benefit from reading. As it is, if I do share it with her, it will be as a teaching moment on why proofreading is so important.
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Saturday, June 20, 2015
Finished this morning, and WOW. I am really surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It hit me on a personal level and I actually cried at one point, which I was not expecting. But I suspect the reason it gave me all the feels is that (1) The childish narrator's voice allowed me to easily imagine my daughter in the role of the protagonist; and (2) the description of the mother's state of mind hit close to home. I wish I could not so easily relate to Ruby's mom as a woman who wanted so badly to have a home and family that she followed someone else's poor lead and as a result made poor decisions. One line in particular {and I don't have the book with me at the moment so forgive my poor paraphrase} punched me right in the gut -- the bit where Ruby's mom is compared to a thirsty traveler wandering through the desert in need of a drink of water, so dry she was grateful for the smallest sip, no matter from whence it came. I know the book isn't about the mom, but about Ruby, and yet it is to the mother I was so drawn. I appreciate that she loves her daughter enough to understand that her bad choices effectively ruined Ruby's life; that she apologizes profusely and accepts Ruby's well-placed anger and hurt; that she understands the repercussions of her actions and wants to ensure Ruby learns better.
There was so much RIGHT with this book, I am giving it 4 stars in spite of the bad editing. I would love to see a clean copy and read it again -- this time with my daughter. I may go ahead and read it with her anyway, in spite of the mistakes. What wonderful discussions can spring from this story, regardless of her age. Bravo.
September 26, 2015
AN unusual book for middle grade children, I think, though I don't read many, so I can't be sure. I found this story of an 11-year-old girl with a mother sentenced to 25 years in prison to be very convincing and gripping. It addresses a number of questions: What loyalty does a child owe a mother she will only see once a week until she's 31 years old? What will happen if Ruby tells her friends that she has a mother in prison? What makes a true friendship? How can you have a family with a mother in prison? A very satisfying read.
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April 23, 2018This is a good book that I think many people would like. Ruby's mom is take in a facility center and she can barely ever see her. No one knows that Ruby's mom isn't with her. Until a new girl moves in to her complex. Will all her secrets be revealed. Will she lose a friend she just made. Read Ruby on the Outside. The book is good for all readers and makes you realize what it may be like to have a mom who's in prison. I rate this book 5/5 stars.
June 18, 2015
I adored Ruby and her story--riveting, suspenseful, sweet, and kind. That is an unusual and very winning combination.
I did not want the book to end and think Nora Baskin should write a sequel or a series. Ruby lets the reader inside and you come away wanting to be a better person because you have come to know her. The dedication is absolutely fabulous too!
I did not want the book to end and think Nora Baskin should write a sequel or a series. Ruby lets the reader inside and you come away wanting to be a better person because you have come to know her. The dedication is absolutely fabulous too!
July 7, 2015
What a cool story about a young girl dealing with life on the outside while the most important woman in her life is on the inside. Excellent story. Great read aloud!
October 27, 2016
Captures what it must feel like to have a parent in prison - the shame, loneliness, and anger. An excellent addition to the library for those students experiencing separation from a parent.
December 7, 2016
This is a really good and heartwarming story. :) :) :)
December 30, 2025
Kind of a cop-out to end with ‘nevermind the conflict wasn’t real’
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 12, 2016
As I often tell my preservice teachers, there are not many books for children featuring characters in prison or families dealing with an incarcerated family member. That makes this book particularly useful since it fills a gap but does so in a way that intermediate or middle graders may find quite appealing. Eleven-year-old Ruby Danes is set for another boring summer right before starting middle school when she meets Margalit Tipps at the condo pool, and everything starts to change. For the first time, Ruby starts thinking she might finally have found a best friend and someone she can trust with her deepest, darkest secret. Ruby's mother is incarcerated in Bedford Hills Women's Correctional Facility, and no one but Ruby's aunt knows about this. The author effectively and movingly describes Ruby's complicated feelings about her mother, partly wanting to know what she did to end up in prison and partly remaining ignorant of her crime(s). She also puts readers through the process of lining up to visit inmates and the longing Ruby and other children feel for their parents while wondering when they will get to come home. Even the time-consuming trips just for a short visit and the restriction on phone calls are described here as well as some of the other children of inmates visiting their mothers. To add to this title's depth, the budding friendship between the two girls is threatened when Ruby thinks that her mother's crime might have had something to do with the death of Margalit's brother. Strikingly, as the girls are telling, writing and illustrating stories, Ruby crafts a version of her own story that involves the death of her mother just so she doesn't have to tell the truth about her mother's whereabouts. I can only imagine the relief experienced by many young readers in finding this book and identifying in some way with Ruby. This one will prompt plenty of discussion about parenting, secrets, friendship, and the justice system, for sure.
July 23, 2015
I hate that I just lost my whole review because I accidentally pressed enter before it was finished. BUMMER!
This book would make a great girls bookclub read for middle grades and was a perfect summer read. It is much more of a friendship story than a political discussion of a child with Mom in prison, although there was plenty to talk about there as well.
I had loved Anything But Typical. It was easier to sell to boys and this I think will be harder.
Favorite section was where the girls started writing together. Although this didn't make me want to write, I loved reading it p. 63
"I look down at the blank pages, tiny blue lines inviting me to touch my perfectly sharpened pencil right down between them and see what story is left behind."
I can see teachers using this chapter as an intro to having students do some paired writing. The search for a title and finding "To be continued" was wonderful.
Some of the chapters could be used independent of the text. Such as the one about Tevon. P-67-74
Still love it. Perhaps even more because of the changes as you read.
This book would make a great girls bookclub read for middle grades and was a perfect summer read. It is much more of a friendship story than a political discussion of a child with Mom in prison, although there was plenty to talk about there as well.
I had loved Anything But Typical. It was easier to sell to boys and this I think will be harder.
Favorite section was where the girls started writing together. Although this didn't make me want to write, I loved reading it p. 63
"I look down at the blank pages, tiny blue lines inviting me to touch my perfectly sharpened pencil right down between them and see what story is left behind."
I can see teachers using this chapter as an intro to having students do some paired writing. The search for a title and finding "To be continued" was wonderful.
Some of the chapters could be used independent of the text. Such as the one about Tevon. P-67-74
Still love it. Perhaps even more because of the changes as you read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 24, 2016
"Just because you are used to something doesn't mean it's normal." What a powerful quote from eleven-year-old Ruby in Nora Raleigh Baskin's book Ruby on the Outside. Ruby is about to start middle school, and doesn't have many friends. But when she meets Margalit, the two instantly hit it off! They go to the pool, over to each others' houses, and even write and illustrate a story together. But Ruby has a dark secret: her mom is in prison. Will this secret hurt her and Margalit's new friendship? This book will tug at your heartstrings, but you'll be cheering Ruby on from the very beginning. A quick, but must-read story!
March 31, 2017
This is a powerful book, and because of its emotional content and shorter word length, an excellent choice for reluctant readers (one of my students had never finished a book before "Ruby"). Over 10 million children have a parent who is either currently incarcerated or has been incarcerated. This book tells these children they are not alone, and also helps others empathize with what it is like to be separated from a parent. Highly recommended for upper elementary, middle school, and even high school students.
May 2, 2016
What an amazing story. I found myself stopping to reflect, retread, and make connections. This is a book that you want to read with someone else, so that you can have rich discussions as you read. It is also a book that has you stopping to as if you just want to keep on reading and devouring, or if you want to slow down and savor every page? I highly recommend this book to others. In the right hands, this may really help put into words what others may be thinking and feeling. It may also give them the courage to have a voice and be self-sufficient.
October 20, 2017
Ruby is a very independent 5th grader her mom is in jail and her Matoo (her aunt) doesn't often get involved with anything that Ruby does, like school. Ruby meets her new best friend and unfolds many secrets as her journey continues. I gave this book 3 stars because the beginning of the story is very detailed and interesting, but closer to the end I couldn't really follow her. I would recommend this book, Ruby on the outside to those who enjoy mystery and realistic fiction. This book was a quick read, that I'm sure you'll enjoy!
February 17, 2016
This is the 2nd book I've read this month about a child with a mother in prison. Sadly, that is becoming more and more common with our current drug epidemic. 11 year old Ruby doesn't want anyone to know. She finally makes a best friend she wants to confide in, but it seems she may be related to the victim of her mother's crime. Ruby may soon realize what friendship truly means. Powerful story that offers more "windows and mirrors" for our students to see into.
September 25, 2016
I thought this book was fine. It was a nice short read, but I thought the plot could have been more interesting. Although the author did put in some suspense or things to wonder for the reader. The writing itself was pretty good. I thought the character, Ruby was good and well built and you could see her emotions really well. The friendship she developed was great. Overall, the book was perfectly fine, and I would recommend it, but not as highly as some others.
February 1, 2022
Good book, although it took some time to get into it. Ruby deals with her mother's prison sentence from a young age. This book shows how she had adjusted to her mother's prison sentence and her reactions to visiting her mother throughout the book, but also has to figure out what to do when she finds out that her new best friend might be connected to her mom's case. The end was powerful and showed how much Ruby has grown over the course of her short life.
October 5, 2017
I thought this book did an excellent job of introducing readers to a touchy topic. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to have a loved one in jail, but this book gave me a glimpse into the pain and confusion that children who have an incarcerated parent might feel.
October 10, 2016
This was an easy middle grade read about a girl and her processing the fact that her mom
is in prison and trying to have a best friend which doesn't judge her home life.
is in prison and trying to have a best friend which doesn't judge her home life.
March 31, 2017
It is very good. Kind of sad. And that is all...
December 11, 2020
I reread this book today, something I haven't done in years. This book meant so much to me as a child, and I wish there were more books like it. As a child with family members in prison, I had never truly seen myself in stories until I read this. So many books for kids don't talk about anything like that because "its just too dark a topic for young minds" or whatever. But its not, because for millions of kids including myself, these dark topics are their everyday reality. I'm giving this three instead of five stars because it has some writing issues and I really wasn't a fan of the plot itself with the best friend, which was most of the book. But I wish so strongly that I could sit down with this author and tell her how much it meant to be seen when I was a kid who thought no one else in the world was like her.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 270 reviews