Customer Reviews

Ruby Lu, Brave and True

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4 star:		(2)
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My library is divided into five different reading levels. In the first are the baby books, next come picture books, and after that easy readers for kids who are just beginning to read on their own. After that come the young reader books (early chapter books in laymen's terms) and finally full-out chapter books. The younger readers contain the widest assortment of reading levels. All of them are for kids who are past "Cat In the Hat" but aren't yet reading, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince". Writing early chapter titles is therefore a monumental and infinitely difficult task. The so-so writers come out with countless sci-fi spooky books and the like. The better writers are able to synthesize their writing into a delicate balance between real life issues and situations that kids are going to find interesting. Paul Danzinger's, "Amber Brown" books do this brilliantly. And now "Ruby Lu, Brave and True" does too.

Ruby Lu likes her life. Who wouldn't? She has lots of friends, a teacher who's a magician, and now a brand new baby brother, Oscar. Ruby has problems too, though. She gets into a competition with her friend Emma. Emma has a little brother named Sam, and she and Lily constantly compare their brother's developmental processes. Then there's the fact that Lily's going to Chinese school to learn her family's language and she doesn't pick it up immediately. There's Christina, the mean girl on the street who makes fun of everyone for wearing Lily's dad's knitting. And then there was that time that Lily parked the family car in the principal's parking spot... Well, it just adds up to a lot of a problems but also a lot of fine fine solutions too. In the end, Lily meets her cousin from China, Flying Duck, and the book finishes off with a highly satisfactory (not to mention touching) ending.

Recently I was at a meeting where some librarians were discussing books for an upcoming Summer Reading Program. We needed to make a list of titles. Because "Ruby Lu, Brave and True" is now in paperback, someone thought it might make a good choice. Across from me a librarian commented, "It's a great book. But then there's that scene where Ruby drives her little baby brother to school...". This is "Ruby Lu"'s unfortunate and almost fatal flaw. For reasons that only Lenore Look herself could explain, there's a car driving sequence in this book that is jaw-droppingly bad. Not "bad" as in "badly written". It's written beautifully. No, I mean "bad" as in "thoughtless, irresponsible, and completely unnecessary". Here's the scoop: Lily gets to sit on her grandpa's lap to drive after watching her grandmother learn on the same car. Later, she puts her little brother in his carseat and drives the two of them to Chinese school. The chapter actually offers step-by-step instructions on how to get away with this. "The way to start a car is this: Get the car keys...Open the garage door...Put your baby brother in his car seat and buckle his belt fast...Move the driver's seat all the way forward...Move the steering wheel all the way down...Check your lipstick...Buckle seat belt...Insert key...Vroom!". About the time the instructions say, "Can't reach the gas pedal? Use a snow shovel", this otherwise fine book had lost me. I've left out the amusing side-comments that come between the instructions, but I think you get the general gist here. Now I'm not so naïve as to think that hundreds of little kids are going to follow Ruby's lead and start driving their parents' cars hither and thither. But let's look at the consequences of Ruby's actions. She's caught when she parks in the school principal's parking spot. Her punishment? Her father yells briefly and Ruby cries. So she gets a big hug and is asked if she learned her lesson. " `I learned,' she whispered, her voice slipping into dreams, `never to park in the principal's space'".

Now kids do all sorts of irresponsible things in books. Pippi Longstocking, for example, single-handedly defeats armed robbers. But Pippi is a fantasy character. Ruby Lu is a very realistic character in a very realistic (if fun) book. This chapter has her place herself and her little sibling in very real danger, get yelled at a little (the yelling consists entirely of her father informing Ruby that a car is not a magic trick), and then doesn't learn ANYTHING after all. So what's the result? The result is that when librarians around the country consider adding "Ruby Lu" to their summer reading lists, their recommended reads, and their favorite book catalogs, they'll remember this scene in the book and think twice about recommending it to ANYONE. I was so happy when I saw this book because I constantly get requests from parents saying that they want a book for their children about a "real" little girl. Do I recommend Ruby or not? How damaging is this chapter?

The truth of the matter is that this book is still remarkable in many ways. The writing is superb. As an author, Look has a dry wit that both kids and parents will adore. When, for example, Oscar fails to produce his first word for his beloved older sister, "Ruby felt her love for him getting thin around the edges". Knitters will adore the sections that talk of how Ruby's father was adept at the garter stitch, the cable stitch, the fisherman's knot, the basket weave and, "He even created his own stitch: the tofu block". Then let's consider the fact that much of this book is how small kids deal with their own cultural heritage. Ruby's Chinese background is so seamlessly woven into this story that it adds a great deal to the already amusing stories. Finally, there's the book's ending. I don't tear up reading books and I CERTAINLY don't tear up during young reader titles. Sure, I may have sniffled a little during, "Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse", but "Ruby Lu" completely won me over with Ruby's meeting with her cousin Flying Duck. I will give nothing away except to say that it's so well done it almost makes me forget the ar-cay.

But not completely. I do recommend, "Ruby Lu" and I do recommend it to my library patrons. It's just painful to read such a nice book with such a jagged jarring flaw stuck smack dab in its middle. My dearest wish is that right now Leonore Look is working and slaving over a "Ruby Lu" sequel. One that has all the genius of its predecessor and none of its juvenile driving sequences. I apologize for getting all fuddy-duddy on you here and I still think this is a wonderful addition to any library. Just don't get surprised by irate parents who clutch their car keys just a little tighter to their chests when the kiddies are about.

Hello, all you folks out there! You can call me StoryMaker (notice the capital M) and, well...I usually just start my reviews with "Hi, you can call me StoryMaker" or something but that dosen't matter. Onto the review already. The book Ruby Lu, Brave and True by Lenore Look is, well...great! We checked it out from the library and I didn't want to read it because I heard that Ruby drove a car even though she's, like...maybe not even 8 years old! But my mom made me, and I'm sure glad she did! Ruby Lu lives on 20th Avenue South, and she has a baby brother named Oscar. As the story proggresses, new characters will appear - very interesting characters indeed, that make the story really interesting! Lots of new characters are added when Ruby goes to Chinese school, suggested by her mom so she can understand her grandparents who only speak the languages of China. Ruby dosen't want to - she hears really nasty things about Chinese school! But soon she does, and she meets lots of cool people! Other people are also met, and the story just keeps getting better! Here's some lists to give you more info:

PROS / Good things:
Very cool and interesting characters
Good lessons
Good reading level (about grades 2-4)
Little flip-book sort of in right-page corners (if you flip pages quickly)
Cool guide about pernounciation & definitions at back

CONS / Bad things:
Some of the illustrations could be better
The right-page corners isn't the best place for a flip-book
A little too quick-moving (Some problems are solved too quickly)

Well, that's about it...if I thought I could come up with a more descriptive review, probably...but overall, get Ruby Lu, Brave and True! Signed, StoryMaker. "Gotta trust the kid's review!"

This book could be called a "quick read" but DON'T you do that. Take it as slow as if you are Ruby Lu backing out of the driveway when you're almost 8 years old, with your baby brother in the back seat . . .

Then read about every neighborhood character; next, flip the page corners that reveal the secret of a magic trick; learn the true meaning of "LOL"(a computer phrase not included in "Ruby's Fantastic Glossary") . . . oh, and don't miss the Dedication, either.

Ruby Lu will lift any Monday morning gloom, then snuggle close with the kids at bedtime & celebrate reading together. You will soon be caught up in the imaginations of Ruby Lu & the whole menagerie. Lenore Look delivers pure delight, plus *heart-healthy* laughs. One thing sure you'll be scouting the bookstore for the team of Lenore Look & Anne Wilsdorf every time you go shopping.

REVIEWER mcHAIKU claims this book is as sweet as "daan taht" and as satisfying as my last "dim sum" in S.F.'s Chinatown.

My eight-year-old Asian-American daughter loves this book - Ruby Lu is a lot like her - spunky, likes magic, and is proud of her heritage. It's a plus that the setting is Seattle - where many of our relatives live.

It is a joy to read Ruby Lu, Brave and True by Lenore Look. The author captures the characteristic and experiences of an eight year old child wonderfully.

This is an enjoyable book for both the young and the young at heart. It will bring a smile to your face as you read through the pages.

Look out! Ruby Lu is on the loose. Deals with the trials and tribulations of an eight year old Chinese American girl in Seatle. Ruby is a child with a vivid imagination who enjoys being the center of attention. She goes to Chinese school on Saturdays and she is nervously awaiting the arrival of relatives who are coming over from China. This is the first in what is sure to be a series.