A Riddle in Ruby - Hardcover

Davis, Kent

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0062368346 ISBN 13: 9780062368348

Publisher: Greenwillow Books, 2015

Synopsis

Ruby is a thief-in-training and a keeper of secrets—ones she doesn't even know herself. A Riddle in Ruby is the first book in a witty and fast-paced fantasy-adventure trilogy for fans for Jonathan Stroud, Septimus Heap, and The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates.

Ruby Teach, daughter of a smuggler and pirate, has been learning how to swindle and steal and pick the most complex locks for as long as she can remember. But a collision with aristocratic young lord Athen sends her spinning into chaos. Little did she know that her whole life has been spent in hiding from nefarious secret societies and the Royal Navy . . . who are both now on her trail. In this debut middle grade adventure, Kent Davis weaves a rip-roaring tale through an alternate colonial Philadelphia. A world where alchemy—that peculiar mix of magic and science—has fueled the industrial revolution. With this highly original setting, a cast of fully rounded characters and rapid-fire, funny dialogue, A Riddle in Ruby will call to mind fantasy greats like Diana Wynne Jones and Terry Pratchett.

About this title

About the Author

Kent Davis is the author of A Riddle in Ruby. He is also an actor, a game designer, and a teacher. He lives in Bozeman, Montana, with his wife and a wily dog ninja named Bobo. www.kentishdavis.com

From the Back Cover

Ruby Teach is a thief

Well, a thief in training. And a pirate's daughter. A smuggler. A picklock. In a world ruled by alchemists who mix magic and science, Ruby has always relied on nothing more mysterious than her skill and her sneakiness. Swindling and stealing are straightforward.

At least they are supposed to be, until she bungles the robbery of a young aristocratic lord. Now Ruby's father has been captured, and she must flee deep into the heart of a city filled with characters both honorable and nefarious. The Royal Navy and the leaders of a notorious secret society are hot on her heels.

Because Ruby has a secret. One even she doesn't know.

The world is filled with those who would help her, and those who would use her to their own dark ends. Can Ruby trust anyone? Can she even trust herself?

Reviews

Gr 4–6—In this alternative history adventure, the year is 1718, and colonial Philadelphia is governed by Chemystry: a blend of magic, science, and mysticism. Boston is part of the Bradfordum Colony and "Philadephi" is part of Pennswood. Slightly steampunk elements, like "gearbeasties" and automatons that look like mice, are sneakily included in a narrative that races pell-mell through adventures that would be thrilling in any world. Aruba, better known as Ruby, is the daughter of Wayland Teach, the captain of a ship full of sailors who pretend to be a pirates for the entertainment of passengers—though they may be actual pirates after all. What is real and what is pretense is a theme that runs throughout this book. Ruby's gradual understanding of why everyone is chasing her and who her real allies are is topped only by the intriguing revelations that continually astonish, such as the configuration of Philadelphi: it has a lid on its "under town" that extends across the city and the "upper town" is built above the lid, which darkens and keeps out light below. Spunky and savvy, Ruby follows her mentor Gwath's maxims, which inevitably lead her from peril to temporary respite, only to be followed by even worse peril. VERDICT The world-building is fascinating, the characters entertaining, and a sequel is assured by a cliff-hanger. Good fun!—Carol A. Edwards, Denver Public Library, CO

Edition details

• Publisher: Greenwillow Books
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0062368346
• ISBN 13: 9780062368348
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 432