Ruby Lu, Brave and True

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.

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

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.

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.