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Finding Ruby Starling
THE PARENT TRAP comes to the digital age!
When Ruth Quayle used a special app to search for pictures of herself online, she found dozens of images of "Ruth Quayle" -- and one of "Ruby Starling."
When Ruby Starling gets a message from a Ruth Quayle proclaiming them to be long-lost twin sisters, she doesn't know what to do with it -- until another message arrives the day after, and another one. It could be a crazy stalker ... but she and this Ruth do share a birthday, and a very distinctive ear....
Ruth is an extroverted American girl. Ruby is a shy English one. As they investigate the truth of their birth and the circumstances of their separation, they also share lives full of friends, family, and possible romances -- and they realize they each may be the sister the other never knew she needed.
Written entirely in e-mails, letters, Tumblr entries, and movie scripts, FINDING RUBY STARLING is the funny and poignant companion to Karen Rivers's THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ME.
When Ruth Quayle used a special app to search for pictures of herself online, she found dozens of images of "Ruth Quayle" -- and one of "Ruby Starling."
When Ruby Starling gets a message from a Ruth Quayle proclaiming them to be long-lost twin sisters, she doesn't know what to do with it -- until another message arrives the day after, and another one. It could be a crazy stalker ... but she and this Ruth do share a birthday, and a very distinctive ear....
Ruth is an extroverted American girl. Ruby is a shy English one. As they investigate the truth of their birth and the circumstances of their separation, they also share lives full of friends, family, and possible romances -- and they realize they each may be the sister the other never knew she needed.
Written entirely in e-mails, letters, Tumblr entries, and movie scripts, FINDING RUBY STARLING is the funny and poignant companion to Karen Rivers's THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ME.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published August 26, 2014
39 people are currently reading
469 people want to read
About the author
Karen Rivers
28 books220 followersKaren Rivers is too thrown by the "Date of Death" drop down that has appeared below her name in the editing section of this page to actually write anything about her life. When she recovers, this box will be filled with imperative biographical information and may include SECRETS and probably also a few LIES. Now she is going to sit back and anxiously track that "Date of Death" box in case a date suddenly appears, foretelling her imminent doom.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
dnf
February 3, 2015If I recommended this to anyone, it wouldn't be someone over the age of twenty. It's a shame I hated this one so much that I had to quit reading, because I really enjoyed Karen Rivers' companion book, "The Encyclopedia of Me." I just managed to forget how utterly obnoxious Ruth Quayle was in between books. Also, the slang was what really killed it for me. I talk like a normal person and the "totes" (totally), "obvi" (obvious), etc. REALLY got on my ever-loving nerves. Just not the book for me. Some middle grades I can get along with - this one, not so much. All I wanted to do by the time I quit was smack both girls upside the head, and make them watch Clueless. Maybe then they'd speak in slang that didn't annoy me. Yes, I know, I'm old - and it's really starting to show...
September 30, 2015
{my thoughts} – Forgiveness. This book is about a twelve year-old named Ruth Quayle and her journey to forgive herself and her birth mother for the events that have taken place during her life.
Ruth – She is a girl that loves to write poetry, has one true friend named Jedgar. She nearly died when she was a baby and had a heart transplant. She is adopted and her parents are a heart surgeon and a scientist. Her father loves pushing Buddhist thoughts onto her that make her think. She has a dog named Caleb and is very good at sculpting.
Ruby – Raised by her mother and nan. Her father died before she was born. She is good at drawing. She has friends but they are all older. She has a nan that passed away and a mother that has more or less checked out. She has a family in France that didn’t really accept her. She doesn’t know how to cope with things so she writes to her dead nan a lot.
Ruth decides that she wants to search the Internet to find all of her pictures to just sort of look at how much she has changed. Then she runs across photos of her that aren’t he and she determines she has a twin. She locates an email for Ruby and starts sending messages. At first Ruby doesn’t believe her and thinks it’s a stalking issue, but that isn’t the case at all. Eventually Ruby listens and they start to get to know one another.
This book is a roller coaster of emotions. Ruth is adopted and raised in America. Ruby was kept and raised in England. The story however, uncommon is one that many children who have been adopted can relate to. All of Ruth’s emotions towards Ruby and her biological mother are justified in the belief that she is unable to wrap her mind around the revelation in which her life has forever changed.
I can’t really relate to the adoption part of things, but I can relate to more or less being a loner as a child. Having a mother that had in fact checked out and being raised by my grandma. Reading this book made me realize that many of the issues I’d had as a child are issues that most children probably have faced, but when your the person facing it, it seems like your the only one ever to deal with it. This book appeals in that sort of manner. Ruth is so obsessed over the situation that she thinks it’s unreal and has never happened to anyone else aside from her and Ruby. It isn’t the case though. Adoptions happen all the time, finding your biological parents/family happens all the time, being the only child adopted out while mom raises the other, that however, I haven’t heard much of although I am sure it does happen more often then not.
Ruth struggles in this book with accepting who she is, who she is going to become and understanding why her life has turned out the way it has. Ruby is going through a similar struggle, but copes in a different manner. Both girls however, like to hide in small confined places in order to calm down when things are bothering them or if they are overwhelmed.
This was a wonderful book and I highly recommend it to any child that has been adopted, knows someone who has been adopted or is just interested in reading some well written realistic fiction.
Ruth – She is a girl that loves to write poetry, has one true friend named Jedgar. She nearly died when she was a baby and had a heart transplant. She is adopted and her parents are a heart surgeon and a scientist. Her father loves pushing Buddhist thoughts onto her that make her think. She has a dog named Caleb and is very good at sculpting.
Ruby – Raised by her mother and nan. Her father died before she was born. She is good at drawing. She has friends but they are all older. She has a nan that passed away and a mother that has more or less checked out. She has a family in France that didn’t really accept her. She doesn’t know how to cope with things so she writes to her dead nan a lot.
Ruth decides that she wants to search the Internet to find all of her pictures to just sort of look at how much she has changed. Then she runs across photos of her that aren’t he and she determines she has a twin. She locates an email for Ruby and starts sending messages. At first Ruby doesn’t believe her and thinks it’s a stalking issue, but that isn’t the case at all. Eventually Ruby listens and they start to get to know one another.
This book is a roller coaster of emotions. Ruth is adopted and raised in America. Ruby was kept and raised in England. The story however, uncommon is one that many children who have been adopted can relate to. All of Ruth’s emotions towards Ruby and her biological mother are justified in the belief that she is unable to wrap her mind around the revelation in which her life has forever changed.
I can’t really relate to the adoption part of things, but I can relate to more or less being a loner as a child. Having a mother that had in fact checked out and being raised by my grandma. Reading this book made me realize that many of the issues I’d had as a child are issues that most children probably have faced, but when your the person facing it, it seems like your the only one ever to deal with it. This book appeals in that sort of manner. Ruth is so obsessed over the situation that she thinks it’s unreal and has never happened to anyone else aside from her and Ruby. It isn’t the case though. Adoptions happen all the time, finding your biological parents/family happens all the time, being the only child adopted out while mom raises the other, that however, I haven’t heard much of although I am sure it does happen more often then not.
Ruth struggles in this book with accepting who she is, who she is going to become and understanding why her life has turned out the way it has. Ruby is going through a similar struggle, but copes in a different manner. Both girls however, like to hide in small confined places in order to calm down when things are bothering them or if they are overwhelmed.
This was a wonderful book and I highly recommend it to any child that has been adopted, knows someone who has been adopted or is just interested in reading some well written realistic fiction.
February 4, 2015
Finding Ruby Starling is probably my favorite book yet, I feel like I can really relate to this book. Finding Ruby Starling is basically about two girls, one in New York and the other in Great Britain. They were supposedly separated at birth which makes them not only sisters but twins. Ruth, from New York, is very determined to find out what this situation is all about.
On the other hand Ruby , from Great Britain, just thinks that this is all a prank or she is being stalked. Ruth starts to realize something, she is adopted and Ruby is not so that means Ruby knows Ruth’s real parents. Ruby still doesn’t believe it and think Ruth is fake and that she is just photoshopped or something like that. Ruth deep down knows that maybe just maybe that Ruby is real and that she does in fact know her (Ruth) parents.
I fell like most teenagers will adore this book because it is written in text messages/email. I know that because most day teenagers only talk over the internet, so they will understand this book fairly easily. Ruth is the kind of american girl who is always talking to friends over the internet and making/doing odd/weird things. On the other hand Ruby is the kind of girl who like to do simple things and keep most things to herself. I would give more details but I really don’t want to spoil the whole book for you so you just have to read to find out. HAPPY READING! :)
On the other hand Ruby , from Great Britain, just thinks that this is all a prank or she is being stalked. Ruth starts to realize something, she is adopted and Ruby is not so that means Ruby knows Ruth’s real parents. Ruby still doesn’t believe it and think Ruth is fake and that she is just photoshopped or something like that. Ruth deep down knows that maybe just maybe that Ruby is real and that she does in fact know her (Ruth) parents.
I fell like most teenagers will adore this book because it is written in text messages/email. I know that because most day teenagers only talk over the internet, so they will understand this book fairly easily. Ruth is the kind of american girl who is always talking to friends over the internet and making/doing odd/weird things. On the other hand Ruby is the kind of girl who like to do simple things and keep most things to herself. I would give more details but I really don’t want to spoil the whole book for you so you just have to read to find out. HAPPY READING! :)
August 8, 2014
My thanks to Scholastic and NetGalley
Point of View: Multiple
Writing Style: First Person | Present Tense/Past Tense
Setting: England/US
Genre: Middle Grade | Realistic Fiction/Epistolary Novel
I haven't read many epistolary novels before, and after this I don't think I want to read another one any time soon.
For those who haven't already known, epistolary novels are books written in the forms of letters, diaries, emails and stuff like that. So yeah, this whole book was the exchanging of emails and letters. It was boring! I still can't see that anyone would read an email that lengthy (some were almost 10 pages.) Like seriously, who would send an email to rambling on and on like that. And the emails between the kids and parents just to chat, talk about dinner and whatnot? I don't think any kids would EVER do that. So this book scored a point on being unrealistic. Big time.
First of, I think the book was real cute. Maybe too cute for me. Perhaps I'm just too old for this book (I think kids around 10 or 12 might like it. I don't know!) The words used were really too cutesy and extremely weird. The whole book in fact was strange in an unpleasant way. Though I did like how it started. Back then I thought it was going to be a great read for me. I was wrong.
Besides being unrealistic and bad wording, the plot was also all over the place. The story jumped back and forth so many times and there were some much going on that I was very confused. And bored.
All in all, it wasn't the one for me. All I can say is that I absolutely loved the cover. And that's it.
July 14, 2014
Goosebumps, goosebumps everywhere!
Thank you, NetGalley and Scholastic, for this free book to review!
Wow.... I'm impressed. Karen Rivers turned a cliche into a fun and sometimes chilling read. How could someone keep one twin but abandon the other?
What I liked:
1. The girls' voices. They each has a distinct personality. Ruby is a shy, lonely British girl and Ruth is a loud, excitable (also lonely) American girl who uses a ton of slang. Who actually says "Totes obvi"? For those of you who don't speak twelve year old girl, that means "Totally obvious". Karen Rivers did such a good job with the characters that Ruth turned out to be funny, not obnoxious.
2. Finding Ruby Starling is narrated by emails, which I loved. Despite so many correspondents, it managed to flow well.
Things that were meh:
1. As much as I loved the emails, sometimes they were unrealistic. Why would a dad have to email his daughter telling her it's time for dinner? Do they live in a mansion?
2. Ruby's love-life got a little crazy at the end. PICK A GUY, ALREADY. They had the same personalities, as far as I could tell.
3. What's up with Chlophie? Are they--Chloe and Sophie--twins too? Then why was there a birthday party only for Sophie?
No matter, though. The twins's personalities were so thick yet full of fun that I didn't even mind Ruth's ridiculous slang. Would I read other books by Karen Rivers? Absolutely! Writing a story with emails was a brilliant idea. The Encyclopedia of Me is written as--you guessed it!--an encyclopedia. I have GOT to get that book.
Thank you, NetGalley and Scholastic, for this free book to review!
Wow.... I'm impressed. Karen Rivers turned a cliche into a fun and sometimes chilling read. How could someone keep one twin but abandon the other?
What I liked:
1. The girls' voices. They each has a distinct personality. Ruby is a shy, lonely British girl and Ruth is a loud, excitable (also lonely) American girl who uses a ton of slang. Who actually says "Totes obvi"? For those of you who don't speak twelve year old girl, that means "Totally obvious". Karen Rivers did such a good job with the characters that Ruth turned out to be funny, not obnoxious.
2. Finding Ruby Starling is narrated by emails, which I loved. Despite so many correspondents, it managed to flow well.
Things that were meh:
1. As much as I loved the emails, sometimes they were unrealistic. Why would a dad have to email his daughter telling her it's time for dinner? Do they live in a mansion?
2. Ruby's love-life got a little crazy at the end. PICK A GUY, ALREADY. They had the same personalities, as far as I could tell.
3. What's up with Chlophie? Are they--Chloe and Sophie--twins too? Then why was there a birthday party only for Sophie?
No matter, though. The twins's personalities were so thick yet full of fun that I didn't even mind Ruth's ridiculous slang. Would I read other books by Karen Rivers? Absolutely! Writing a story with emails was a brilliant idea. The Encyclopedia of Me is written as--you guessed it!--an encyclopedia. I have GOT to get that book.
December 15, 2014
;">Things I Loved About This Book:
It is written entirely in Tumblr entries, emails and movie scripts. How interesting is that? I don't think many people could have pulled that off, but Karen Rivers definitely did. I honestly felt like I was having a peek into the world of these characters and that is something, I believe, that is hard to create.
Positive view of the Internet. I've come across an abundance of books lately that talk about Internet safety for kids and teens, which is fantastic. But that doesn't have to be the focus of the story. When Ruth first emails Ruby to let her know that they *may* secretly be twins, Ruby reacts the way that any regular person would: OMIGOSH THERE IS A CRAZY PERSON STALKING ME ONLINE! But in the end, this book shows the positive side of the Internet, which made me really happy.
The characters are realistic. Ruby and Ruth sounded like real twelve-year-olds, both in the way that they interacted with other people and also viewed the world.
Distinct voices. This kind of ties in with #3, but I think that it is something that deserves to be emphasized. Even if you don't read who the email is from, it is clear within the first couple sentences. Huzzah!
This book has been called "The Parent Trap comes to the digital age" and I think that is a great way to describe Finding Ruby Starling. This book could have easily been cliche, but the author managed to make this novel more than just a story about long-lost twins. There was a really sad aspect to this story, as well. How could a mother keep one child but abandon the other? How could a parent keep that kind of secret from their kid? I actually almost cried at parts of this.
You don't have to read The Encyclopedia of Me. This book is a companion to THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ME by the same author, but I didn't have any trouble understanding the plot or characters. It works just as well as a standalone.
The slang. The emails from Ruth are filled with popular slang, which is fine. Some people actually do talk like that! But the "totes" and "fab" and "ridic" kind of got to me after a while.
Who on earth was Clophie? Ruby refers to her friends as Clophie, which confused me. Is it Sophie and Chloe? Or is it just one person? I spent much of the book wondering about this and I am still not entirely certain.
Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for honest review. This does not affect my opinion or review.
It is written entirely in Tumblr entries, emails and movie scripts. How interesting is that? I don't think many people could have pulled that off, but Karen Rivers definitely did. I honestly felt like I was having a peek into the world of these characters and that is something, I believe, that is hard to create.
Positive view of the Internet. I've come across an abundance of books lately that talk about Internet safety for kids and teens, which is fantastic. But that doesn't have to be the focus of the story. When Ruth first emails Ruby to let her know that they *may* secretly be twins, Ruby reacts the way that any regular person would: OMIGOSH THERE IS A CRAZY PERSON STALKING ME ONLINE! But in the end, this book shows the positive side of the Internet, which made me really happy.
The characters are realistic. Ruby and Ruth sounded like real twelve-year-olds, both in the way that they interacted with other people and also viewed the world.
Distinct voices. This kind of ties in with #3, but I think that it is something that deserves to be emphasized. Even if you don't read who the email is from, it is clear within the first couple sentences. Huzzah!
This book has been called "The Parent Trap comes to the digital age" and I think that is a great way to describe Finding Ruby Starling. This book could have easily been cliche, but the author managed to make this novel more than just a story about long-lost twins. There was a really sad aspect to this story, as well. How could a mother keep one child but abandon the other? How could a parent keep that kind of secret from their kid? I actually almost cried at parts of this.
You don't have to read The Encyclopedia of Me. This book is a companion to THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ME by the same author, but I didn't have any trouble understanding the plot or characters. It works just as well as a standalone.
Things I Didn't Love So Much
The slang. The emails from Ruth are filled with popular slang, which is fine. Some people actually do talk like that! But the "totes" and "fab" and "ridic" kind of got to me after a while.
Who on earth was Clophie? Ruby refers to her friends as Clophie, which confused me. Is it Sophie and Chloe? Or is it just one person? I spent much of the book wondering about this and I am still not entirely certain.
The Last Word...
This was a fantastic MG story! I would easily recommend this one, particularly to reluctant readers. The unique format makes it easy to get into. 4 STARS!
October 4, 2016
The writing just didn't click with me. Part of that is just whatever weird brain alchemy makes book-clicking (not) happen, but also do kids really email each other these days??? Do they talk like this??? I didn't really buy it. And maybe they do! I don't have kids and I am rarely around them. But it still didn't work for me.
March 7, 2018
Finding Ruby Starling by Karen Rivers was overall a very interesting read. Told completely by emails and other computer data, I was given a good grasp for the characters, but I couldn’t truly connect or relate. The thing is it seemed very unrealisitic to me to be told in all emails. I loved the writer’s creativity at making it an all-email-told story, but sometimes it just seemed unrealistic, such as when her parents email her from downstairs, “Come down, honey. Your ice cream’s melting. We have something to talk about,” and she responds, “I’m coming down. Don’t let the dog eat my ice cream….” and goes on for seven more sentences. Or when she relates an entire conversation of her parents, word for word, from memory to Ruby in an email or vice versa. Still, it was generally very well done.
The story is this: Ruth, age 12, finds pictures of herself online—except her in different places, wearing different things. She locates this person as a British girl named Ruby who has her same birthday and looks exactly like her. Translation? She’s found a long-lost twin!
I really liked the way this storyline developed between Ruth and Ruby, trying to figure out the mystery behind the seperation. When Ruth mentions it to her adopted parents, I felt their reaction was written perfectly, with worried for their daughter, who’s trying to locate, in a way, her birth family. Ruth did overdo it a lot, but it is all emails and emails are going to have sentences in all caps, texting shorthand, and the such, so what else can you expect?
For positive elements, the whole interaction between Ruby and Ruth was very well written. I had to keep reading to find out what happened—how did they get seperated? Why are they not together? Will they end up together? Once I discovered the answers, I will mention they did fulfill my expectations and were well explained.
On the other hand, I did not like the email idea in the sense that it skimmed over Ruth’s visit to Ruby and I was annoyed that such an important scene got barely two emails about it, considering the rest of the events that happened got almost too many emails. Also, I was not very satisified with the ending and how it all turned out. It was written well, but I did not like how the story itself ended, for reasons I’ll leave out so I don’t have any spoilers. There were references to Buddism—not that many, but there were some, as our main character’s dad was a Buddhist—and despite the fact it didn’t dive too deep, bothered me to some extent. Overall, it was a pretty good read. I doubt I’ll read it again, but it was fun while it lasted. 3.5 stars.
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The story is this: Ruth, age 12, finds pictures of herself online—except her in different places, wearing different things. She locates this person as a British girl named Ruby who has her same birthday and looks exactly like her. Translation? She’s found a long-lost twin!
I really liked the way this storyline developed between Ruth and Ruby, trying to figure out the mystery behind the seperation. When Ruth mentions it to her adopted parents, I felt their reaction was written perfectly, with worried for their daughter, who’s trying to locate, in a way, her birth family. Ruth did overdo it a lot, but it is all emails and emails are going to have sentences in all caps, texting shorthand, and the such, so what else can you expect?
For positive elements, the whole interaction between Ruby and Ruth was very well written. I had to keep reading to find out what happened—how did they get seperated? Why are they not together? Will they end up together? Once I discovered the answers, I will mention they did fulfill my expectations and were well explained.
On the other hand, I did not like the email idea in the sense that it skimmed over Ruth’s visit to Ruby and I was annoyed that such an important scene got barely two emails about it, considering the rest of the events that happened got almost too many emails. Also, I was not very satisified with the ending and how it all turned out. It was written well, but I did not like how the story itself ended, for reasons I’ll leave out so I don’t have any spoilers. There were references to Buddism—not that many, but there were some, as our main character’s dad was a Buddhist—and despite the fact it didn’t dive too deep, bothered me to some extent. Overall, it was a pretty good read. I doubt I’ll read it again, but it was fun while it lasted. 3.5 stars.
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http://jcbuchanan.com
November 18, 2014
With forgiveness and understanding, any love can be rekindled.
Ruby Starling, by Karen Rivers, takes us through the minds of two separate 12 year old girls, Ruth Quayle and Ruby Starling, living in their own worlds far away from one another. Everything is perfect, until they find out they were twins, separated at birth. They then begin to piece together their history, discovering themselves and each other in the process. Told through a series of emails, this story shows how with forgiveness and understanding, any love can be rekindled.
Forgiveness - Ruth needed a lot of this when she realized that her birth mother had abandoned her and kept Ruby. This was only because she was born with a poor heart at birth. At first, Ruth was outraged beyond belief. What kind of mother gives up a sick baby, she thought. She was so angry that she even thought about canceling her family trip to Great Britain to see Ruby, just because she didn’t want to see her birth mother. But she soon forgives her birth mother and realizes that in a very weird way, she got lucky. All of Ruby’s life, her mom never paid much attention to her, but Ruth’s parents have been very attentive and caring.
I think this book is meant for ages 10+ because it has feelings that are so deep that younger ages just wouldn’t be able to appreciate it. I think it’s very important that the readers of this book feel all the emotions Ruby and Ruth experienced, so older ages would enjoy this more.
I rate this book five stars because of the way the story came together at the end. It left me with a sense of satisfaction, knowing that everything was going to be all right for the two girls. I also loved the originality of the writing style. I will definitely be on the lookout for more books just like this one.
Review by Young Mensan Anya A., age 10, Washington Mensa Group
Ruby Starling, by Karen Rivers, takes us through the minds of two separate 12 year old girls, Ruth Quayle and Ruby Starling, living in their own worlds far away from one another. Everything is perfect, until they find out they were twins, separated at birth. They then begin to piece together their history, discovering themselves and each other in the process. Told through a series of emails, this story shows how with forgiveness and understanding, any love can be rekindled.
Forgiveness - Ruth needed a lot of this when she realized that her birth mother had abandoned her and kept Ruby. This was only because she was born with a poor heart at birth. At first, Ruth was outraged beyond belief. What kind of mother gives up a sick baby, she thought. She was so angry that she even thought about canceling her family trip to Great Britain to see Ruby, just because she didn’t want to see her birth mother. But she soon forgives her birth mother and realizes that in a very weird way, she got lucky. All of Ruby’s life, her mom never paid much attention to her, but Ruth’s parents have been very attentive and caring.
I think this book is meant for ages 10+ because it has feelings that are so deep that younger ages just wouldn’t be able to appreciate it. I think it’s very important that the readers of this book feel all the emotions Ruby and Ruth experienced, so older ages would enjoy this more.
I rate this book five stars because of the way the story came together at the end. It left me with a sense of satisfaction, knowing that everything was going to be all right for the two girls. I also loved the originality of the writing style. I will definitely be on the lookout for more books just like this one.
Review by Young Mensan Anya A., age 10, Washington Mensa Group
May 5, 2015
I have currently finished reading Finding Ruby Starling by Karen Rivers. This book is about two twins named Ruby and Ruth that found each other on the Internet. Since Ruby’s mom gave Ruth up when she was born because of bad heart, they had to put in someone’s heart named Ashley Mary Jane. After 12 years of being separated they once again see each other again. Ruby and Ruth make a plan to tell the parents that they found a twin. Many attempts have tried, but since the parents were always busy they had little time to explain about a missing twin. While the situations, Ruth and Ruth’s friend, Jedgar make a documentary about the twins and a short film called SHORCA. SHORCA is about a shark that ate a kid’s arm, the adventure continued on the Internet.
I liked this book because of the way the author wrote the book. She wrote the book in an e-mail format where two or more people write to each other. It is very interesting because the author isn't writing it to the readers instead it is writing to different people. The author also explains the whole story that happened outside on the e-mail. Like when Ruby was describing the talk with her mother she had about Ruth. I also liked how the author used poems in the story on a website called Tumblr. In conclusion, this book was fun and emotional book to read.
I liked this book because of the way the author wrote the book. She wrote the book in an e-mail format where two or more people write to each other. It is very interesting because the author isn't writing it to the readers instead it is writing to different people. The author also explains the whole story that happened outside on the e-mail. Like when Ruby was describing the talk with her mother she had about Ruth. I also liked how the author used poems in the story on a website called Tumblr. In conclusion, this book was fun and emotional book to read.
February 9, 2015
Probably closer to a 3.5.
Told in a series of email exchanges, Ruby Starling (in the UK) learns that she has a twin sister in the US. Thus begins a series of events to uncover how it happened, why it happened, and to link two families together.
The concept is really quick and simple, the execution...okay. The result is a pretty entertaining, fast-paced YA tale that does a good job discussing family secrets and the harm they can do. It may not be the best at any of the specific things it seeks out to accomplish, but it's still a fairly decent read.
Told in a series of email exchanges, Ruby Starling (in the UK) learns that she has a twin sister in the US. Thus begins a series of events to uncover how it happened, why it happened, and to link two families together.
The concept is really quick and simple, the execution...okay. The result is a pretty entertaining, fast-paced YA tale that does a good job discussing family secrets and the harm they can do. It may not be the best at any of the specific things it seeks out to accomplish, but it's still a fairly decent read.
September 17, 2014
I am all for epistolary novels, but this one pushed my suspension of disbelief too far. I live halfway across the country from my parents, and I'm still way more likely to text or call than email them. What kind of parent emails a child that it's time for bed anyway? Get off the couch and walk down to the kid's bedroom, lady. Or if you're that busy, yell really loudly.
May 14, 2015
its awesome!! much more interesting at the end.
January 22, 2015
Great book!
November 21, 2016
It was really good! It was cool because it was all written in emails.
December 4, 2016
Finding Ruby Starling is a book based on two twelve year olds, each living in separate countries. One girl, Ruth Quayle decides to look up herself on the internment one day. What she finds, surprises her. She sees pictures of her long lost twin, Ruby Starling. She sends a message to Ruby, then another, and another after that. Finally, Ruby answers. This book is compiled of emails, tweets, and much more.
Ruth, a very outgoing girl from America, is lonely and feels like she has a part of her missing. While Ruby, a very shy girl from England is lonely because she doesn't have friends. On their journey of finding out that they are actually twin sisters, they also find out some heart aching truths. Ruth was adopted out, all because of one thing.
"Do you ever use TraceFace? It's sort of like google image search, but way fancier. You put a picture of your face into it and SHAZAM!, it swoops through the entire internet and gives you all of the photos of yourself. And that, Ruby, is how I found all of those pictures of you!"
I feel like Ruth and Ruby are both like me in a sense. While Ruth is outgoing and Ruby is shy, it creates what I'm like. Except, Ruth is way louder than me. Ruby is probably more similar to me in the sense that she's painfully shy.
Some of the negative things about "Finding Ruby Starling" would be that it's entirely emails. Even one time, her father emailed her to tell her dinner was done. What, do they live on separate planets? Is it really that hard to tell her in real life?
Also, sometimes it's really hard to understand how Ruth speaks. She uses "totes"(totally) and "obvi"(obviously) often. Ruby uses proper grammar, it's just that Ruth will send a message and it'll say something like "That sweater was totes adorbz!!" Or something even worse.
Other than those two, it's a very good book. Their personalities are represented well and you can easily tell what they are like. Even though it's just through emails, it flows quite nicely. Sometimes it was kind of hard to read, as it talked about some pretty boring topics, but others were very interesting.
I feel like 10-13 year olds would like this book. It relates to how they are.(although 10-13 year olds don't use that "text slang", it's completely stereotypical) Some adults may enjoy this book, but I doubt it. It's childish because, of course, its in the point of view of two children. Although, Ruby can be very mature at times. I feel like Ruby and Ruth balance each other out so they aren't too quiet or too loud. Throughout the story, they help each other out with any issue they might have.
I rated it four out of five stars simply because of the issues listed above. It was still an enjoyable book and I was entertained throughout it. If I could change anything, I would just make Ruth have a bit better grammar. Other than those, it's a good book that I would definitely recommend to people around my age.
Ruth, a very outgoing girl from America, is lonely and feels like she has a part of her missing. While Ruby, a very shy girl from England is lonely because she doesn't have friends. On their journey of finding out that they are actually twin sisters, they also find out some heart aching truths. Ruth was adopted out, all because of one thing.
"Do you ever use TraceFace? It's sort of like google image search, but way fancier. You put a picture of your face into it and SHAZAM!, it swoops through the entire internet and gives you all of the photos of yourself. And that, Ruby, is how I found all of those pictures of you!"
I feel like Ruth and Ruby are both like me in a sense. While Ruth is outgoing and Ruby is shy, it creates what I'm like. Except, Ruth is way louder than me. Ruby is probably more similar to me in the sense that she's painfully shy.
Some of the negative things about "Finding Ruby Starling" would be that it's entirely emails. Even one time, her father emailed her to tell her dinner was done. What, do they live on separate planets? Is it really that hard to tell her in real life?
Also, sometimes it's really hard to understand how Ruth speaks. She uses "totes"(totally) and "obvi"(obviously) often. Ruby uses proper grammar, it's just that Ruth will send a message and it'll say something like "That sweater was totes adorbz!!" Or something even worse.
Other than those two, it's a very good book. Their personalities are represented well and you can easily tell what they are like. Even though it's just through emails, it flows quite nicely. Sometimes it was kind of hard to read, as it talked about some pretty boring topics, but others were very interesting.
I feel like 10-13 year olds would like this book. It relates to how they are.(although 10-13 year olds don't use that "text slang", it's completely stereotypical) Some adults may enjoy this book, but I doubt it. It's childish because, of course, its in the point of view of two children. Although, Ruby can be very mature at times. I feel like Ruby and Ruth balance each other out so they aren't too quiet or too loud. Throughout the story, they help each other out with any issue they might have.
I rated it four out of five stars simply because of the issues listed above. It was still an enjoyable book and I was entertained throughout it. If I could change anything, I would just make Ruth have a bit better grammar. Other than those, it's a good book that I would definitely recommend to people around my age.
May 19, 2015
Ruth Quayle, 12, a New Yorker and an adoptee, discovers her image on a site called FaceTrace, and to her surprise realizes it isn’t her body in those trendy clothes but an identical one nevertheless. Could it be that she has an identical twin, and in England, no less? A little research leads her to Ruby Starling, a girl her exact age living with a single mom. Ruth starts an email barrage to Ruby explaining her fantastic theory. After much convincing that she isn’t a stalker, Ruth connects with Ruby and the two begin a correspondence that changes both their lives. They discover their similarities and differences and chat about the usual teen angst: boyfriends, BFFs, etc. But for Ruth, the discovery of an identical twin sister creates more questions than answers—the main one being why she was abandoned by her birth mother. The truth soon comes to light when Ruth is told she had to have a heart transplant after her birth (and was then adopted by a heart surgeon); her birth mother was told one of her twins did not survive. Ultimately, the girls and birth mom Delilah meet. Ruth works through her anger and guilt and all three make peace with the choices of the past. The novel’s sole text is a series of emails between the girls, their friends and families, interspersed with Ruth's poems and Ruby's handwritten letters to her recently deceased “Nan.” This format should have wide appeal for tween and teen readers. And the girls’ “teenspeak”-laden conversations are definitely relatable to the intended audience. But for an adult it soon becomes extremely tiresome, especially for this reviewer. The emotional issues of adolescence, adoption, transplants and blended families all come into play in this bittersweet but satisfying story. Middle grade and secondary readers will definitely enjoy this title.
December 9, 2014
When Ruth does a computer search for her own face using "FaceTrace", she discovers an identical twin living in England. The story unfolds in emails and a few hand-written notes; ones that Ruth sends & receives to/from her best friend Jedgar, her mom, her dad, and her twin Ruby, and ones that Ruby sends & receives to/from her best friends Fiona, Sophie/Chloe, her mom, and her dead grandmother. Although the tone is lighthearted, it is grounded in deeper thoughts & emotions as Ruth slowly realizes that her mother may have knowingly given her away because she was born with a life-threatening heart condition, while her healthy, robust twin was kept. Various degrees of supportive-ness are shown in friends & family members, with authentic random 12-year-old social awkwardness & crushes coming into the picture as well. Despite straining credulity (when the emails were VERY long, or when clearly people would just yell downstairs), this was a quick, fun read that inspires deeper thoughts about self-care, expectations of health, parenting, & communication. There was an odd, perhaps sloppy, unexplained thing about 2 girlfriends who shared an email, but weren't twins, as was first implied (Sophie & Chloe write as Clophie, with no explanation given). Not earth-shattering, but perfect for taking an 11- or 12-year-old who would pick up the fun-, silly-, & superficial-looking cover to the next level of understanding.
December 22, 2014
Written through emails, letters, tumblr entries, and movie scripts, this novel covers some unlikely territory but has fun while doing so. Twelve-year-old Ruth Quayle happen upon several online images of a girl who looks a great deal like her. When she contacts the girl, Ruby Starling, who lives in Great Britain, Ruth is convinced that they must be twins. At first Ruby is sure that Ruth must be a stalker, but eventually there are too many coincidences, and her heart tells her the truth. Fans of the author's previous book, The Encyclopedia of Me, will relish the brief occasional references to characters from that book here while enjoying the emotional roller coaster on which both girls embark as they try to figure out the truth. I enjoyed how helpless and clueless Ruby's mother seemed to be and how overly competent the Quayles were. The boy drama with Jedgar--friend or boyfriend?--and the passages about Shorca, the Claymation creations by Jedgar and Ruth, added to the book's delights. While some of what happens here seems pretty far-fetched, I still went along willingly for the ride as will many teen readers. Read this one to be entertained but also as a reminder that hating someone often poisons us and doesn't harm the one we hate.
March 5, 2015
This story is a email story. It is about two twins who never met but have been separated at birth. There is Ruth Quayle she just emails Ruby Starling who is from England. Ruby and her friends think at first that Ruth is just a stalker. Ruth tries to convince Ruby that they are actually twins by sending emails of pictures of them. Ruby then gives up and believes her. Ruby and Ruth get to know each other and what everything is life. Then Ruth finds out that she is adopted and that Ruby’s mom is her mom also. She has to find out why she was adopted.
This book is okay I guess. I thought that it won’t be all emails. I really wanted there like point of views to see what they are thinking about. They email their friends and everything but I also want to know there daily life. I like how the author talks about and describes how they look like. I absolutely love the author’s craft. I like it because it talks about how usual teenagers talk right now.
This book is okay I guess. I thought that it won’t be all emails. I really wanted there like point of views to see what they are thinking about. They email their friends and everything but I also want to know there daily life. I like how the author talks about and describes how they look like. I absolutely love the author’s craft. I like it because it talks about how usual teenagers talk right now.
September 28, 2016
was a very good book
April 7, 2021
This was an okay book. My rating appears low, but it really wasn't a bad book at all. I just never really got into the story or ever really cared about the characters. I liked the concept, I just didn't love the execution. The characters just fell a little flat for me at times. I also feel like there were one or two ideas that were brought up and then never resolved or never went anywhere. I do like how the author wrote everything through emails or letters. I haven't read a lot of books that are written this way, so it was different and kind of nice. However, at the same time, I feel like it hindered the story once or twice. I didn't really feel an emotional connection from the emotional scenes because the characters were emailing each other about it. They weren't in the moment and currently feeling the emotions that they were describing. There was just an emotional disconnect for me. There was no cursing in this book. There wasn't really any violence, and the only content that could be considered sexual was kissing once or twice. This book is definitely middle grade, and I am not sure that an older would really like it. As a light read that you don't take too seriously maybe, but I think that it is way better suited for middle-grade readers. I think that I may have enjoyed it more if the girls had been older and deeper into their teen years. I can't say that I recommend this book. I just didn't really enjoy it, but I'm sure there are people out there who do and will. I may read more from this author in the future, but I am not rushing to do it.
March 8, 2017
Book 12
First, in this book there are a lot of amazing things that happen. This is a very exciting book and there were a lot of big things that happened. One major thing is what the whole book is about and that is that a girl named Ruth has found her twin sister. It is a whole journey about finding your real family and your actual real life twin sister. Also, in the book it tells a whole bunch of stories about why they were split up at birth and all these other great backstories that really make it as if it is actually happening. All in all, this is a wonderful book and it has many wonderful things that happen throughout it.
Next, There were a lot of great cause and effects that happened throughout this book. There were two great ones that stuck out to me, though. The first one is that the cause is Ruby's grandma died. The cause to that is that they don't have as much help around the house and they have a really hard time without her. The next cause was that Ruth found pictures of her that weren't actually her. This was the biggest cause of the whole book because this is pretty much what the book is about. Anyways, the cause for this one is that Ruth gets behind in everything else and doesn't really have much of a life because she is too busy with her having a twin. Overall, These were the two biggest cause and effects of the whole book.
Finally, There are a lot of things to love about this book and some things to hate about it. First, one huge thing that a lot of people like about this book is that it is entirely made up of emails, letters, tumblrs, etc. This makes the book a lot more fun to read and to actually enjoy. Also, another thing that is to like about this book is that it gives different perspectives of characters because of the emails and everything. Although there are many things that are to love about this book there is also a couple of things that I didn't really enjoy. The biggest thing that I didn't really like about it was that Ruby calls her friends Clophie. This makes it confusing because it could be one single person or it could be Chloe and Sophie put together. Other than that, though, the book was very enjoyable and I loved it.
First, in this book there are a lot of amazing things that happen. This is a very exciting book and there were a lot of big things that happened. One major thing is what the whole book is about and that is that a girl named Ruth has found her twin sister. It is a whole journey about finding your real family and your actual real life twin sister. Also, in the book it tells a whole bunch of stories about why they were split up at birth and all these other great backstories that really make it as if it is actually happening. All in all, this is a wonderful book and it has many wonderful things that happen throughout it.
Next, There were a lot of great cause and effects that happened throughout this book. There were two great ones that stuck out to me, though. The first one is that the cause is Ruby's grandma died. The cause to that is that they don't have as much help around the house and they have a really hard time without her. The next cause was that Ruth found pictures of her that weren't actually her. This was the biggest cause of the whole book because this is pretty much what the book is about. Anyways, the cause for this one is that Ruth gets behind in everything else and doesn't really have much of a life because she is too busy with her having a twin. Overall, These were the two biggest cause and effects of the whole book.
Finally, There are a lot of things to love about this book and some things to hate about it. First, one huge thing that a lot of people like about this book is that it is entirely made up of emails, letters, tumblrs, etc. This makes the book a lot more fun to read and to actually enjoy. Also, another thing that is to like about this book is that it gives different perspectives of characters because of the emails and everything. Although there are many things that are to love about this book there is also a couple of things that I didn't really enjoy. The biggest thing that I didn't really like about it was that Ruby calls her friends Clophie. This makes it confusing because it could be one single person or it could be Chloe and Sophie put together. Other than that, though, the book was very enjoyable and I loved it.
June 16, 2020
Finding Ruby Starling has an interesting concept--kind of an Internet-based Parent Trap (though I found it hard to believe the girls really could have been separated the way they were)--ultimately, though, I think it could have been better. I didn't really like any of the characters, and their voices weren't very believable.
What I also didn't realize is that this is supposed to be a companion novel to Rivers' The Encyclopedia of Me. There's some overlap in characters, but neither book is required in order to understand the other.
What I also didn't realize is that this is supposed to be a companion novel to Rivers' The Encyclopedia of Me. There's some overlap in characters, but neither book is required in order to understand the other.
October 25, 2017
I enjoyed reading this book because there are a lot of cliffhangers in the story that make you want to keep reading, also you learn a lot more about the characters and you learn to love them. I thought it was cool how this story was told in emails or letters between the two characters. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and anyone who likes a good family, sister, love, and friendship book would love this.
August 29, 2018
This story talks about a pair of twins, Ruth and Ruby who had been separated since birth. Ruth finds an identical looking girl from England in the internet and tries to get the girl called Ruby.
I enjoyed the book very much, it was fun and interesting to read. The whole book was written in an "email" format, Karen Rivers made the story even more fun to read.
I also like Ruth's personality, she may be adopted but she has a positive mind, which I appreciate.
I enjoyed the book very much, it was fun and interesting to read. The whole book was written in an "email" format, Karen Rivers made the story even more fun to read.
I also like Ruth's personality, she may be adopted but she has a positive mind, which I appreciate.
October 4, 2019
What do you do when someone from a foreign country writes you and says they are your long lost twin sister? You freak out and think they are crazy right? This delightful book told in emails explores two girls finding out and getting to know each other and their family secrets. Upper elementary. I loved the emotions and questions posed when everyone thinks they are doing the right thing.
December 11, 2022
SERIOUSLY there is no book better than this !!!!
For me I find it hard to read a book over again but I’ve read this on 70000 times and every time it has been just as amazing especially liked the fact that it’s wrote in texts really appreciated a different writing style.soo hope that one day will be a second book!!!
For me I find it hard to read a book over again but I’ve read this on 70000 times and every time it has been just as amazing especially liked the fact that it’s wrote in texts really appreciated a different writing style.soo hope that one day will be a second book!!!
February 19, 2019
honestly didn't get good until 3/4 through
August 5, 2020
This book was fun! at time I found a bit boring but both girls had fun personalities, and it was fun jumping back and forth between lives.
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