Ruby Starr

Ruby Starr #1

by Deborah Lytton

Ruby Starr has always loved books. She loves them so much that her favorite days of school are when her lunchtime book club, the Unicorns, eat. She also has the best friends ever- some real, some fictional- and that's just the way she likes it.

But then one dark and stormy night (okay, it was the morning of a sunny day), Charlotte, a new student, comes to town. Ruby knows from her books that a new character probably means trouble...and she's right! Charlotte wants to turn the book club into a drama club, and she's spending a lot of time with Ruby's best friend.

Ruby's going to have to use her imagination and love of reading to solve this big problem before she loses her school friends and her book friends for good.

Perfect for younger fans of the Dork Diaries and Story Thieves series, Ruby Starr is an older Junie B. Jones with a big imagination and a love of reading!

Genres: Middle Grade, Fiction

272 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2017

About the author

I love writing books for all ages. My goal is to take readers on an emotional journey along with my characters. Thanks for reading!

Reviews

[T.J. Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruby Starr is a fun, entertaining, and amusing read! I read this book with my 10-year-old daughter and she loved it! Ruby is just my kind of character -- a book person! My daughter is not yet "a book-person," but with Ruby's and my help, she's gradually becoming one! Yay! We've already started The Fantastic Library Rescue and Other Major Plot Twists, Ruby Starr's sequel, at my daughter's request.

Ruby is an endearing character, with all her flaws, and weaknesses, but also with her openness to try new things, her courage in facing disappointments, and her great big heart! We felt for Ruby when things were not going as she had hoped, we pained with her when she felt she was losing her best friend, and we cheered for her as she attempted and succeeded in turning disappointments into successes. Yay, Ruby! Keep 'em coming, Deborah -- we'll be ready for the third book very soon!

I received a copy of this book from Sourcebooks Jabberwocky via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Cindy Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

If there’s one thing Ruby Starr knows, it’s books. She loves to read and has her own book club with her best friends at school. She also knows that when a new character appears on the scene it often means trouble. So when new-student Charlotte arrives, Ruby is pretty sure she’s trouble; she just wonders whether she’s trouble with a capital “T” or a little “t.”

In The Fictional and (Sometimes) Fabulous World of Ruby Starr author Deborah Lytton has created a lovable character with a big imagination. Just like the fiction she loves to read, Ruby often imagines scenes from her life where she rides on dragons, fights a sorceress, and gets to be a hero. She has a close group of friends and a loving family.

So she’s surprised and hurt that the new girl has so much power over her friends. Charlotte says she hates to read and even convinces Ruby’s friends to turn book club into drama club. Acting on advice from her mom and grandma Ruby reaches out to new friends and even gets to understand more about Charlotte.

Ruby Starr offers lots of issues for mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged 8 to 11 to discuss including navigating changes in long-term friendships, forging new relationships, being true to yourself, recognizing when your own actions make a situation worse, knowing how and when to say “sorry,” and more. Plus, anyone who loves to read will certainly love reading about a character who loves to read too.

The author provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

The main character in this children's fiction book has spunk, personality, and sometimes speaks before she thinks. She reminds me of myself when I was in elementary school and junior high in many ways. She truly loves books and reading because the characters in the books she reads are her inspiration.
One of my favorite parts in the book is the illustration on page 184 with this paragraph: "I sit at the lunch table, and my so-called friends sit across from me. Behind me stands a line of girls backing me up. These are my best friends, friends I met in the pages of books. They remind me to be strong and believe in myself. They join hands with one another, making a fence behind me. Jo, Meg, Mary, Hermione, Harriet, India Opal, Dorothy, Alice, and Karana." --The Fictional, and (Sometimes) Fabulous World of...Ruby Starr by Deborah Lytton
Ruby is referring to Jo and Meg from Little Women, Hermione in the Harry Potter series, Harriet in Harriet the Spy, India Opal in Because of Winn Dixie, Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Alice in Wonderland, and Karana in Island of the Blue Dolphins.
More favorite books of Ruby's are The Secret Garden, Black Beauty, Nancy Drew, and A Wrinkle In Time.

[Kyle Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruby Starr is a vivacious ten year old that has a vivid imagination. The thing she loves the most is books. Her imagination often runs wild pretending that she is a character in a book. At first Ruby is excited when a new girl joins their class. She even goes out of her way to make the new girl feel welcome. But then Ruby starts to feel like she is being slowly pushed aside by her group, and suddenly Ruby has mixed emotions about the new girl and her longtime group of friends. Kids will love reading about Ruby and the ups and downs of friendship in middle school. Parents will love the message about maintaining a positive attitude and outlook on life and friendships. I would recommend this book to young readers age 8+.

I received this as a free ARC from Sourcebooks Jabberwocky on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

** I received a free copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway. **

I LOVED this book! It's for younger readers but this is definitely a book I would have fallen into and connected with the main character when I was younger. (Actually, I still did!) The love of books the main character has comes through perfectly and the ups and downs of middle school life are extremely well portrayed. The ending was a bit too neat but since the book is for younger readers, this didn't bother me as much as it could have. I loved the little illustrated literary imagination sections too. This is a great book about the power of reading, the power of friendship, and the importance of trying to see things from other perspectives and trying to get all the facts before passing judgment.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruby Starr has three best friends—until a new kid comes to her school and disrupts everything. Before Ruby realizes what is happening, the new kid, Charlotte has become a member of the Unicorns and has ruined Ruby’s weekly book club!

As Ruby tries to work through the changes in the Unicorns, she relies on the friends she has made in, and lessons she has learned from, books over the years. Ruby has an active imagination, and sees herself in many different magical scenes to get through the problems she faces at school.

This is a cute chapter book that will appeal to girls who like to picture themselves in the books they read, just like Ruby.

I received an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ruby loves books and even has her own book club. I find her imagination very admirable, on par with Anne from Anne of Green Gables. This was a fun read.

Quote:

Confession time: I hate it when people remind me that characters in books aren’t real. They are real to the authors who write them. And they are real to the readers (like me) who love them. So telling me that they aren’t really real just makes me want to growl.

[Anne Guthrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed the book UNTIL Charlotte’s reading problem is unmasked and it seems the remedy for being 2 grade levels behind in reading is having a 10 yr old friend help you.
According to the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity - one in five children are dyslexic and they need evidenced based interventions - not just a friend to inspire them to love books! This is a serious, heart-breaking problem that needs to be addressed in children’s literature.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter is a rising 2nd grader and loved this book! It is so funny and made her laugh out loud on many occasions. She's excited to read more from this series and author! I liked the message behind the story about friendships and navigating the social world of grade school. Really great read! Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Jabberwocky for the ARC!

[Holly Schindler · Rating 5 out of 5]

For Ruby, reading fuels the imagination. Reading junkies will agree—books make us laugh, take us to magical lands, give us superpowers. Through Ruby Starr’s pitch-perfect youthful voice, Deborah Lytton reminds us that no matter what our age, being able to read is a gift. So is Lytton’s book. I feel privileged to have met and spent time with Ruby Starr, and you will, too.

[Bel · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent lower mid grade book about negotiating friendship highs and lows. I loved Ruby and her outlook on life, her love of books and her utter determination to live her best life.

A great read for girls :)

[Wensday · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book will be enjoyed by readers by those in elementary school. The books story touches on what many you kids experience at this awkward age. The story was well written and really showed Ruby's imagination.

I received this ebook from NetGalley in return for my honest feedback.

[Libby · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun school story for fans of Ramona and Judy Moody.

[Nissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter and I absolutely enjoyed reading this together! Great kids book!

[Terrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story of friendship, kindness and having book characters as friends and role models. Very appealing and readable.

[Jasmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it! I'm ready for the next one!

[Debbie Tanner]

I couldn't finish this one because I found the main character's voice so annoying.