[Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Jabberwocky for the opportunity to read an electronic ARC/review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
Ruby Starr is a book fanatic. She loves to read and even started a book club with her friends. And then other kids also started book clubs. They’ve started a great reading culture in their school.
When Ruby and her friends pick out a brand new book for their club to read, they struggle to get enough copies for their group to share. That’s when Ruby discovers the school library is having budget issues. The library hours are being cut, and they can’t buy any new books.
Ruby and her friends decide to do something to help the library. But Ruby’s desire to be the hero in her own story causes some trouble that snowballs into a big mess.
Review
This is a cute middle grade book that feels geared toward the younger side of the age range. The characters are around ten and their interactions focus on friendships, homework and food fights. Ruby is a fun, imaginative, and creative character. The action of the story is occasionally set to the side when Ruby’s imagination kicks in.
I love that Ruby owns and names her feelings – even if she’s not proud of them. She recognizes that she wants to be in charge, be the hero, save the day. And that can make her envious and make her refuse the help of others around her.
The story about the book club and the library rescue was solid, but even better was Ruby’s personal story. Her thoughts and feelings and choices, her triumphs and failures, made this a worthwhile read for me.
This is the second book in a series. I haven’t read the first book, but that did not impact my understanding of the things going on in this story. Give this to elementary kids who enjoy friendship stories and stories that celebrate books and reading.