Becoming Ruby [Paperback]

Kathy Stinson (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 196 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Canada (2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0143012894
• ISBN-13: 978-0143012894
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,309,115 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

The clue that Kathy Stinson has enjoyed a lifelong love of reading is in the wide range of books she has written. "What you read," she says, "influences what you write. And so does the day to day life that you live."

That's why Kathy's characters ride bikes along dirt paths, fall in love in summer, argue and have cozy chats with parents and friends, sometimes have trouble sleeping, and walk on beaches and city streets.

Kathy says, "It's also fun, as a writer, to imagine yourself into situations unlike your own." That's what she did when she wrote about Marie-Claire living through a smallpox epidemic in Montreal in 1885, and Mr. Elliot deciding as a grandfather that it's time he learned to read.

Kathy sorted mail, waited tables, and taught school before finally figuring out what she really wanted to do was write - everything from picture books to young adult novels, from biography to historical fiction. Readers never know what kind of book to expect from her next!

Kathy has served as Writer-in-Residence for several library systems in southern Ontario and has led writing workshops all across Canada.

Kathy is the mother of two grown children, who inspired some of her earliest books. She also has two grown stepdaughters and five grandchildren. If she's out buying them a present, chances are it's in a bookstore she'll be shopping. Of course!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A good read, November 1, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Becoming Ruby (Paperback)

It was good and thoughtful and a little disturbing as the story has some sex parts that I don't really think kids under 14 should read as it certainly bugged me for a day. On the other hand it's nice that Ruby was so truthful and probably for most her age fought so much with her mother. It made me think and I liked it. It had a dreary sad tone the whole way through. It's a short easy read saying how most teenagers are.

4.0 out of 5 stars Cute and Honest, March 6, 2005

By 

Meggy Berry (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Becoming Ruby (Paperback)

I've been waiting for some teen fiction that was actually honest! The book is about a girl that is about 16-17. It is her thoughts of her first boyfriend, sex, family, and everything else a girl thinks about. But it's really honest, not fake like most of the books are. I liked Ruby's personality and the way she handled living with her difficult mother. I think older teens will really love it. A word of caution, it does has sexual content.