Customer Reviews

Ruby Lu, Empress of Everything (Ruby Lu (Hardback))

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Pick up a copy of "Ruby Lu: Empress of Everything" and turn it over to the back cover. There you will find a blurb by author Megan McDonald that says, "I love Ruby Lu. She's just like an Asian-American Judy Moody!". That's McDonald comparing Lenore Look's character to her own personal creation, and as such I'm sure she's saying this as a very big compliment. As a reader, I feel a little torn by the quote. On the one hand, that line is going to go over very well with parents and grandparents that want to get books for their kids that are at all similar to the ubiquitous Judy Moody. On the other hand, Ruby Lu is so much better a series of books in terms of humor, pathos, and deft writing that I don't like anyone, even an author, equating her with anything less than Ramona. But if it gets `em reading "Ruby Lu, Empress of Everything", I'll shut my trap and applaud with the rest. This second installment of the Ruby Lu series is filled with (as mentioned in the author's acknowledgements), "new, and preferably more harrowing, adventures". The lack of children driving cars (shudder) is just a nice plus.

When last we saw Ruby Lu she had just met her new best friend and cousin, Flying Duck, at the airport. Flying Duck and her parents are staying with Ruby's family and the girl just couldn't be happier. Sure, her cousin is still learning the language and she's deaf, but she's also absolutely the coolest kid in school, bar none. This year, however, may turn out to be a difficult one of our heroine. Between getting into fights with former best friend Emma, hiding some very important letters from her teacher, getting into trouble at school, and a myriad of other adventures, Ruby Lu's got a lot on her plate. Fortunately, there's a whole summer ahead of her and she's gonna tackle each and every problem with her usual panache, no matter what.
Let's talk characters. I loved the extent to which Ruby Lu adores her new cousin. Of course, sometimes that love manifests itself in sentences like, "Having a cousin from China who was deaf was just as good as having a cousin who had a third eye in the middle of her forehead". Ah well. But what really sets this book apart from others written in the early chapter category is how honest affection between characters is portrayed in a unique and funny way. When you read something along the lines of, "He loved his sister. He loved everything she made. And he drooled heavily over everything he loved", that right there is dead on good writing. It's conservative in its words, but manages a kind of all-ages-wit just the same. Most importantly, you feel the love between the characters. When Ruby sees her mother and just whispers, "I love you, Mom", and gives her a kiss, that's a real little moment. One that makes the book stronger for its inclusion.

Let's talk humor now. This book is awash in it. There are humorous misunderstandings that might honestly strike a child as logical. For example, Ruby Lu misunderstands the use of eye tests. It is her impression that if you "pass" an eye test, you get the reward of a pair of glasses. As such, she likes to practice eye charts at home, just so she can "pass" them later. Then there's Lenore Look's grasp of how kids put two and two together. At one point Ruby has checked out a video from the library on "Basic Lifesaving", and is trying to figure out why "someone would film a drowning person instead of saving him", as the movie has so clearly done. Again, I'd like to draw your attention to how well Ms. Look is able to convey interesting descriptions and ideas through very simple words. When Ruby finds a stray dog it is said that, "His breath smelled like the end of the world, and his fur looked even worse". Brilliant!

Let's talk illustrations. More specifically, let's talk about one Ms. Anne Wilsdorf's illustrations. Aside and apart from being a resident of Switzerland, Ms. Wilsdorf's images are once again perfect complements to Ruby Lu's tale. What's more, they're funny. Honestly engaging and amusing. There's a shot of Ruby Lu and Emma covered from head to toe in swimming gear (snorkels and all) floating in a pool as their swimming instructor looms above them that's worth the price of admission alone. Wilsdorf doesn't limit herself to mere snapshots of action, of course. For example, when Flying Duck begins a new trend of wearing only pink (and Ruby, in conjunction/imitation, does so in green) there are adjacent diagrams of each girl with descriptive sentences like, "Green glow-in-the-dark-see-you-a-hundred-miles-away sweater".

Finally, let's talk about the little extras this book offers to kids. The multicultural aspect of following the adventures of an American born Chinese girl is nice (joining such other recent publications as "The Jade Dragon" by Caroline Marsden and "The Year of the Dog", by Grace Lin). "Ruby Lu, Empress of Everything" also teaches kids words like, "moong-cha-cha" which means out-of-focus or confused. There's a "Ruby's Amazing Glossary and Guide to Important Words" in the back that translates everything from GungGung ("Grandpa on your mother's side") to liver ("One of your guts. Looks like the bottom of a shoe"). After that there is also a passage that shows kids how to do Chinese sign language with helpful illustrations to aid in the motions.

I hereby declare, "Ruby Lu, Empress of Everything" to surpass its predecessor in everything from prose to politics. The fact that there is not a section akin to the one in "Ruby Lu, Brave and True", involving Ruby driving the family car (a sticking point for more than one concerned parent/librarian) only makes it that much more enjoyable. A fine early chapter book and an excellent purchase. I recently recommended it to someone at a wedding I attended and I'll continue to do so for quite some time. Top notch.

I thought that Ruby Lu Empress of everything was a very good book. I think that the age range on the book should be for reader's age 6-10yrs. For children that read this book I think it will show them and teach them about having friends from another country. It will teach them things that they can do to help other students out that are not from the United States. In the book Ruby Lu is the smile buddy for her cousin that just moved over here, her cousin is deaf so Ruby Lu has to learn to sign things to her which it not so easy to learn. Ruby Lu is so caught up in being a smile buddy and making sure that her cousin Flying Duck does good, Ruby Lu forgets to do her own work which sends her to summer school. I think this book shows kids that it is always good to help out and go out of your way to for other students, but they have to remember to do their own work. I also think that this book shows that if you practice and try hard enough nothing is impossible and you can do whatever you set you mind out to do, thats why Ruby Lu is the empress of everything.

My five year old daughter who is Chinese/American really enjoyed this book. It was a great for her to find a book about girls that she can relate to. We are looking forward to more books about Ruby Lu.

My eight-year-old daughter and I both love Ruby Lu - she is the funniest character to hit children's literature since Ramona Quimby. Since my daughter is Asian-American, she loves having literary characters that resemble her, so to speak, in their lives. But Ruby Lu is for everyone - so I recommend these books across the board for the 7-9 year old set.

What I liked best about Ruby Lu, Empress of Everything was how her thoughts and actions were as real as a 2nd grader could be. I could imagine Ruby Lu as a real girl walking around and getting into trouble. I liked how Ruby Lu was very adventurous. Her swimming experiences and her experiments on the playground slide really made me laugh. Her relationship between her and her family that emigrated from China was a good example of how difficult change can be even if it does involve your own family and customs, but Ruby's love for her family helped her get through all of the change. I wanted to keep reading to see what Ruby Lu was going to do next. Ruby Lu remained me of my own daughter who just finished third grade, so I could relate to Ruby Lu's relationship with her best friend and all of the ups and downs that happen throughout a relationship between two 2nd grade girls. To me Ruby Lu was a smart loving little girl who wanted to grow up, but yet still had lots of fun just being a kid.

Ruby Lu is a typical second grade child. She has a least favorite subject, math, a best friend, and a crush on the life guard at her swim class. This school year is different for Ruby Lu and her family. Ruby's cousin Flying Duck and her family emigrated from China to live with Ruby and her family. At first Ruby thinks that getting the opportunity to be a Smile Buddy is the greatest thing ever, especially since she has always wanted to be a Smile Buddy. As time goes on having foreigners in your home is not as easy as Ruby had expected. She does an awesome job informing the other students that Flying Duck is deaf and that being deaf is not a disability. At the end of the school year Ruby Lu and Flying Duck have to attend summer school along with swimming lessons. Unexpected challenges arise in both of these areas for Ruby. I think that this book has a lot of opportunities for teachers to pick out activities that can be used across the curriculum. One part that I particularly enjoyed was the glossary at the end of the book and the way that Ruby signs if you flip through and look at the page numbers. There are certain parts of the book that I also believe are geared more toward the adult audience.

I found Ruby Lu to be an entertaining, witty, and cheerful story that can capture the attention of both children and adults. There are many connections this story has with education as well. Ruby Lu's inquisitive and mischievous personality places her in situations where these qualities find learning to be an exciting adventure.
There were many factors that I enjoyed about this book. First of all, Ruby Lu's character is that of a real child. She has hopes, fears, goals and the curiosity of someone her age. Even though these qualities can sometimes get her into trouble, she uses her common sense in order to get herself out of them and learn from the situations. Her accomplishments through the summer helped add to her character in the end. Children need this type of positive role model in which they can identify both their struggles and successes with.
The simplicity of the plot also allows for a wide range of readers. Whether for listening or reading purposes, children can follow along and still enjoy the content of the story. Creative and funny little pictures placed periodically among the pages also adds to both reader and listener enjoyment. It also helps to clarify certain sections of the story and to help young children follow along through the pages.
Overall the humor, creativity and clear plot line help to make this book a success. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and have been able to come up with many activities for a potential future classroom. Teachers, students and parents would all find this book to be a success in promoting reading and comprehension.

With all that Ruby Lu encounters in this book, any child that reads it will definitely have something to relate to. Ruby Lu is a Chinese American who at the start of the book is in the second grade. Her family, which includes her cousin Flying Duck, her aunt and uncle emigrate from China and live at Ruby's house. This causes several language barriers with Chinese and English being spoken. To make matters a little more exciting, Flying Duck is deaf. Throughout this book, Ruby faces swimming lessons, on and off friends, dreaded notes sent home from school, a new dog and worst of all: summer school. This book is fun and includes a guide to Chinese Sign Language.

As a student in the Teacher Program I would recommend this book to teachers, future teachers and of course students. I think that this book has some very good life lessons about diversity and responsibility. Ruby Lu is a young girl growing up learning to deal with the many challenges of growing up. My favorite character in this book is Ruby Lu's cousin Flying Duck. She has come to America as an immigrant from China. Flying Duck is also Deaf. I think that Ruby Lu and Flying Duck's relationship is a very good example for children on how to deal with someone with a disability. "Ruby Lu, Empress of Everything" is not only a good educational tool but it is entertaining as well.

Read this book (and buy it for your kids) because it is well-written, fast-paced, funny and sweet. Ignore any references to multicultural stuff. Ignore people who want to call it an "Asian-American" book. It is first and foremost an addictive read about some hysterical adventures that happen to happen to a Chinese-American 2nd grader. My 6-year old and I whipped through it this afternoon. We couldn't put it down--and when a Kindergartener is entranced by anything for that long, it must be pretty extraordinary. While it introduces some complex themes like immigration and living with the deaf--it is not preachy about them. In kids lives--many things happen that they only partially understand. So in this book, there is no attempt to explain or moralize--which keeps the story from getting bogged down. We just got it from the library today and I'm buying both of Ruby Lu books for my own "Empress of Everything" (and for myself of course, the "Mother of the Empress of Everything"). Many thanks to the author who has written a fabulous book. Please write more soon.