Ruby Parker Hits the Small Time - Hardcover

Coleman, Rowan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060776285 ISBN 13: 9780060776282

Publisher: HarperTeen, 2007

Synopsis

It seems like Ruby Parker has the perfect life.

She:

goes to an exclusive stage school

stars in the hit soap opera

gets to kiss Justin de Souza, the hottest actor around

Millions of fans are watching Ruby—and wishing they could be her.

If only they knew that behind the scenes, Ruby's life is falling apart.

About this title

About the Author

Rowan Coleman, a self-proclaimed soap-opera addict, desperately wanted to attend stage school while growing up and to be-come an actress. Although she decided to pursue a glamorous career in writing instead, she did have the chance to visit the set of a soap opera when researching this book. While she has written five novels for adults, this is her first novel for teens. Rowan Coleman lives in Hert-fordshire, England, with her husband, Erol, and their daughter, Lily.

Reviews

Grade 6–9—When she was six, Ruby Parker landed a part on a popular TV soap opera. Now the 13-year-old spends summers taping the show, and in the fall she returns to a performing-arts school where other students are jealous of her career. Otherwise, she is a typical teen. She has a crush on a boy who ignores her, she giggles and schemes with her best friend, and she worries about the increasing tension between her parents. When Mum and Dad announce that they are splitting up, Ruby is devastated. With the help of friends, familiar and unexpected, she comes to terms with the change and learns more about herself in the process. The book is front-loaded with exposition, but, once established, the story clips along at a good pace. The writing is realistic; the language is suitably naive and particularly poignant when Ruby struggles to explain her feelings about the divorce. Her growth is demonstrated best in responses to fan letters sprinkled throughout the book. Early on, she tells the girls who write to her about their problems that things will be OK, and that they should talk to a trusted adult. The last letter sensitively acknowledges her pain, and she admits that although she doesn't know when or how it will go away, she trusts that it will. The happy ending isn't that everything works out the way she hopes; it's that everything works out in other ways, and she comes to terms with it.—Amelia Jenkins, Juneau Public Library, AK
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

On the outside, 13-year-old British TV soap actress Ruby Parker seems to love her life. She is famous, and she attends a posh performing-arts school. Inside, however, she doesn't feel like a star. Her parents are separating, her classmates talk about--rather than to--her, and she is facing a first kiss with the actor she likes. While she discovers some things are out of her control, she also learns that people and situations aren't always what they seem and that she has choices, on- and offscreen. Coleman's novel is entertaining and insightful, with an engaging protagonist whose droll narrative bursts through soap-opera superficialities touching on familiar adolescent concerns about self-esteem, school, and personal relationships with compassion and humor. Ruby's fan mail and her replies are scattered throughout the book, echoing the young teen's changing perspective. An adept blend of spoof and heart in a fast-paced, lively read. Shelle Rosenfeld
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperTeen
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0060776285
• ISBN 13: 9780060776282
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 240