Lock and Key discussion

From Appendix E of Readers In The Wild I chose the book Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen. I have read books by Dessen when I was in Jr High and early High School and I really enjoyed them so I was very excited to read this book, and it did not disappoint. The story is about a girl named Ruby who suddenly has to live with her sister, who she has not seen in almost a decade, and her sisters husband. Ruby is not yet eighteen and her mother, the only parent in the picture, left her a few months earlier. She cannot be without a legal guardian so her distant sister was the only option. I could hardly put this book down, it was so interesting and well written. I think this book would be a great option for seventh to ninth graders. It is a very ‘coming of age’ story with complex characters. I think kids with a unique family upbringing or drastic changes in their life could relate to the character Ruby in many ways. While the story was about a very dramatic transition it also managed to include the typical teenage problems like boys, attending a new school, and trying to make new friends. The dynamic between Ruby and her sister was also very interesting to see unfold, a lot of times the book would flashback to a time when they were both kids. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading a realistic look at what finding a home in a fractured family looks like.