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American Girl: Kit #7
Really Truly Ruthie
Ruthie Smithens, a girl who believes in fairy tales and happy endings, would do almost anything to help her best friend, Kit Kittredge, whose family has been hard hit by the Depression. But Ruthie has learned the hard way that offers of help, even between friends, are tricky. When Ruthie finds out some bad news about the Kittredges' house while at her father's bank, she has to find a way to help the Kittredges reach Kit's Aunt Millie, so that there can be at least the chance of a happy ending!
75 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2007
About the author
Valerie Tripp
278 books474 followersValerie Tripp is a children's book author, best known for her work with the American Girl series.
She grew up in Mount Kisco, New York with three sisters and one brother. A member of the first co-educated class at Yale University, Tripp also has a M.Ed. from Harvard. Since 1985 she has lived in Silver Spring, Maryland. Her husband teaches history at Montgomery College.
Right out of college, Tripp started writing songs, stories, and nonfiction for The Superkids Reading Program, working with Pleasant Rowland, the founder of American Girl. For that series, Tripp wrote all the books about Felicity, Josefina, Kit, Molly, and Maryellen and many of the books about Samantha. She also wrote the "Best Friends" character stories to date, plays, mysteries, and short stories about all her characters.. Film dramatizations of the lives of Samantha, Felicity, Molly, and Kit have been based on her stories. Currently, Tripp is writing a STEM series for National Geographic and adapting Greek Myths for Starry Forest Publishing. A frequent speaker at schools and libraries, Tripp has also spoken at the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, The New York Historical Society, and Williamsburg.
She grew up in Mount Kisco, New York with three sisters and one brother. A member of the first co-educated class at Yale University, Tripp also has a M.Ed. from Harvard. Since 1985 she has lived in Silver Spring, Maryland. Her husband teaches history at Montgomery College.
Right out of college, Tripp started writing songs, stories, and nonfiction for The Superkids Reading Program, working with Pleasant Rowland, the founder of American Girl. For that series, Tripp wrote all the books about Felicity, Josefina, Kit, Molly, and Maryellen and many of the books about Samantha. She also wrote the "Best Friends" character stories to date, plays, mysteries, and short stories about all her characters.. Film dramatizations of the lives of Samantha, Felicity, Molly, and Kit have been based on her stories. Currently, Tripp is writing a STEM series for National Geographic and adapting Greek Myths for Starry Forest Publishing. A frequent speaker at schools and libraries, Tripp has also spoken at the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, The New York Historical Society, and Williamsburg.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
December 23, 2025
A heartwarming journey filled with friendship and the true spirit of the season that promises wonderful things to happen to beautiful people in this little story in need of hope this Christmas 🩷
August 21, 2021
The great AG marathon continues. Reading this for the first time as an adult in advance (much in advance, in this case) of the American Girls podcast.
Ruthie is a sweetheart and I like her a lot. I think she and Samantha would get along well - two rich girls who value friendships over social status. But while Ruthie is the protagonist for this one, it positions her - as the Kit series often does - as an extension of the Kittredge family. Ruthie's parents doesn't even make it onto the Family and Friends page!
Other Best Friend books have been placed in the middle of the core series, but none are so closely tied to important plot points the way this one is. Happy Birthday, Kit makes it clear that Aunt Millie deserves the credit for staving off the eviction looming in Surprise. Here, we go back and see exactly how it went down.
I initially liked the idea of Kit and Ruthie going off and having an adventure together (though it was never going to happen: remember, Best Friend books have to keep the main character off stage). But on reflection, I like sending Ruthie with Charlie much better. So much safer! says the mom brain. Charlie finally gets some plot! says the English major brain. And as any media critic will tell you, in a series with well-established characters, there's nothing so interesting as taking two characters who don't usually interact much and giving them extended scenes together. We see new facets of each of them.
Not surprisingly, given how I've reacted to the Kit series as a whole, this is my favorite Valerie Tripp Best Friends book by leaps and bounds. Even though it was written later on, the magic came back.
More Kit babble
Meet Kit | Kit Learns a Lesson | Kit’s Surprise | Happy Birthday, Kit | Kit Saves the Day | Changes for Kit
Really, Truly Ruthie
Kit’s Home Run | Kit’s Tree House | Kit’s Short Story Collection
Danger at the Zoo | Midnight in Lonesome Hollow | A Thief at the Theater | Missing Grace | Intruders at Rivermead Manor | The Jazzman’s Trumpet | Menace at Mammoth Cave
Ruthie is a sweetheart and I like her a lot. I think she and Samantha would get along well - two rich girls who value friendships over social status. But while Ruthie is the protagonist for this one, it positions her - as the Kit series often does - as an extension of the Kittredge family. Ruthie's parents doesn't even make it onto the Family and Friends page!
Other Best Friend books have been placed in the middle of the core series, but none are so closely tied to important plot points the way this one is. Happy Birthday, Kit makes it clear that Aunt Millie deserves the credit for staving off the eviction looming in Surprise. Here, we go back and see exactly how it went down.
I initially liked the idea of Kit and Ruthie going off and having an adventure together (though it was never going to happen: remember, Best Friend books have to keep the main character off stage). But on reflection, I like sending Ruthie with Charlie much better. So much safer! says the mom brain. Charlie finally gets some plot! says the English major brain. And as any media critic will tell you, in a series with well-established characters, there's nothing so interesting as taking two characters who don't usually interact much and giving them extended scenes together. We see new facets of each of them.
Not surprisingly, given how I've reacted to the Kit series as a whole, this is my favorite Valerie Tripp Best Friends book by leaps and bounds. Even though it was written later on, the magic came back.
More Kit babble
Meet Kit | Kit Learns a Lesson | Kit’s Surprise | Happy Birthday, Kit | Kit Saves the Day | Changes for Kit
Really, Truly Ruthie
Kit’s Home Run | Kit’s Tree House | Kit’s Short Story Collection
Danger at the Zoo | Midnight in Lonesome Hollow | A Thief at the Theater | Missing Grace | Intruders at Rivermead Manor | The Jazzman’s Trumpet | Menace at Mammoth Cave
April 18, 2023
Fits between books 3 and 4 of the Kit series. A fun glimpse into Ruthie's inner world, though a bit less believable in plot and circumstance.
October 30, 2024
This was really sweet! I loved watching Ruthie get the time to shine, and seeing the gap between Kit's Surprise and Happy Birthday, Kit was great. Mrs. Howard even had a really wonderful moment.
Also, Kit married Sterling, and Ruthie married Charlie, right? 😂😂
Also, Kit married Sterling, and Ruthie married Charlie, right? 😂😂
September 2, 2026
Ruthie sighed. "Oh, I wish there was more we could do to help Kit's family, " she said.Set right after the events of Kit's Surprise, Ruthie is the kind of girl who still believes in fairytales and the innate goodness of everyone.
But the depression has shown her just how hard ties can be and a visit to her father's office makes everything come to a sobering reality.
Ruthie wants to help desperately but neither she nor anyone she knows has the money to save the family - except for maybe Kit's Aunt Millie. But Aunt Millie doesn't have a phone and they have only days until the family is evicted.
"As she read it she felt dizzy... the note made it absolutely clear: the Kittredges were going to be evicted from their house."
Ruthie is going to do something she's never had the courage to do before - she's going to be the heroine of this story and save her best friend's family.
Ruthie's heart beat hard. She has an idea. "What if you and I go get the money?"
OH MY GOSH. Ruthie you are an absolute GEM of a human being. Never change.
As a first time reader of this series, I wasn't entirely sure how Ruthie's story would work - she's a side character and while I quite liked her, I wasn't sure how she'd be as a main character.
I was flipping wrong. She was brilliant.
Honestly, she reminded me a bit of Samantha - a girl who is rather well-to-do trying to help her friend in a way that preserves the friend's dignity and provides lasting change. But she does it in her own Ruthie-way.
I really liked the nod to Ruthie's love of fairytales - the way she used her immense knowledge and love for the genre to guide her actions was so clever!
And gosh dang did I tear up when the whole town showed up to help Ruthie save Kit's family. Absolutely brilliant. Seriously.
May 25, 2022
cute! getting to see what the girls did for their special day was very wholesome, as well as hearing how they compromised with only doing free stuff. it was interesting to me how after the inital scene with kit, it was basically charlie and ruthie the rest of the way through, but tbf this is the first 'best friend' book i've read so they probably wanted to give her a bit more room to stand on her own.
going off the fairy tale theme that ruthie has and giving her a big adventure to go on was really good, and the way she interacted with everyone around her on the train ride there felt very in character. i do like charlie, and the fact that he even went along with ruthie in the first place and didn't complain was very nice of him, looking out for her safety and all. although idk why he was so stuck on the fact that she likes fairy tales. she's like 10 and they're living in the depression, let her have some escapism man.
going off the fairy tale theme that ruthie has and giving her a big adventure to go on was really good, and the way she interacted with everyone around her on the train ride there felt very in character. i do like charlie, and the fact that he even went along with ruthie in the first place and didn't complain was very nice of him, looking out for her safety and all. although idk why he was so stuck on the fact that she likes fairy tales. she's like 10 and they're living in the depression, let her have some escapism man.
July 27, 2026
It was good!
I love Ruthie. She's a gem, kind, brave, persistent... really and truly.
I love Ruthie. She's a gem, kind, brave, persistent... really and truly.
September 14, 2026
Finally got around to reading this almost 20 years after it came out! I wish I hadn't waited so long - it reads like a classic Kit book and was very delightful. It fits in perfectly with the Kit story, picking up right after Kit's Surprise!
September 3, 2022
As much as I love my girl Ruthie, this book wasn’t it for me. Ruthie’s a fun character, but the plot felt so unrealistic. And I don’t get why everyone makes fun of her for having an imagination. She’s literally, like, ten years old.
January 23, 2012
hmmm. i think this book is predicated on a faulty premise. the kittredges are informed by their bank (at which ruthie smithens's father works) that they are going to be evicted "after the holidays" if they don't scare up some of the money they owe on their mortgage. they're $200 behind, which was a lot in 1934 or whenever. they think they have it in the bag because mr. kittredge has accepted a job driving some of the family's boarders to florida to winter, & then he'll be driving someone else's car back to cinncinnati. was this a thing that happened back then? i know people sometimes hire strangers to drive their cars across the country now, but cars are also far more prevalent now, & people are far more peripatetic. something about this story seems...off. anyway, mr. kittredge will be back, money in hand, by january 2. the kittredges assume this is what the bank means by "after the holidays," as january 2 is after both christmas & the new year.
& this is the faulty premise. really, guys? you didn't maybe, i don't know, get something IN WRITING from the bank that says, "pay this much money by this date or else"? you're just guesstimating about what "after the holidays" means?
good thing ruthie is around to meddle. she visits her father's office & finds him frowning over the kittredges' file. i bet it's not at all awkward for them to be friends with someone who knows all their intimate financial business like that. the file clearly states that the kittredges will be evicted if they don't have the money by december 28. ruthie sees this on december 26. she runs off to inform kit & they hatch a harebrained scheme befitting lucy & ethel. they will sneak out of their houses & catch a train to kentucky, where they will track down kit's aunt millie & beg her for the money. then they will spirit the money back to cinncinnati & present it to mrs. kittredge so she can make the payment before everyone gets evicted. the whole plan hinges on kit convincing charlie to do her chores for her. so ruthie is like, "awesome, see you tomorrow!"
she's in for a surprise when charlie shows up at the train station instead of kit. he says kit spilled the beans to him & he thinks the whole plan is doomed to failure so he prohibited kit from coming & is only there to convince ruthie to go home. instead, she convinces him to go to kentucky with her. he calls her "goofy ruthie" & ruthie chafes at being constantly dismissed as goofy head-in-the-clouds ruthie who is obsessed with fairy tales & thinks that every story is fated for a happy ending. she wants to get the money from aunt millie to prove that she can do something helpful & practical for once.
can i just insert here that hitting up someone else's relative, who you've never even met before, for money that the family you're begging for has already rejected several times over, doesn't strike me as especially helpful or practical? so there's another faulty premise. ruthie decides that she will get the money from aunt millie & give it to mrs. kittredge & make sure that everyone knows exactly what she did & why so that she can be a hero. because i know that whenever i am poised on the precipice of eviction & am so desperate that strange children i'm not even related to have to go begging on my behalf, my first priority is definitely to hale those children as conquering heroes.
basically, everything comes up ruthie. she is kind & generous to people on the train, & it pays off when one of them suggests a shortcut. some others run & retrieve their father & his wagon so that ruthie & charlie can ride to the crossroad they need. ruthie recalls a story one of the passengers told which causes her to speculate that aunt millie might be at church in town instead of at home. charlie & ruthie find millie & she is happy to give them the money. & she's such a brassy big shot in her town that she forces the banker to open the bank then & there so she can get it. then she marches all the townspeople down to the railroad tracks to stop the train so ruthie & charlie can make it back to cinncinnati that night.
ruthie reconsiders her plan to present the money herself & instead has charlie do it & leave her name out of it. fast forward a week or two & mr. kittredge is back & still crowing about how charlie saved the day. charlie asks ruthie's permission to tell the family the truth about her involvement & she acquiesces. he frames it as a fairy tale & ruthie is pleased. the book ends there, so we don't see how mr. & mrs. kittredge react to the news that a random child from the neighborhood was meddling in their bank paperwork & risked life & limb to beg their elderly relative for cash.
this book was weird. i'm not real shy about my financial situation, but i still really wouldn't want random people to whom i have disclosed nothing trying to solicit donations on my behalf. i guess the depression was a different era.
& this is the faulty premise. really, guys? you didn't maybe, i don't know, get something IN WRITING from the bank that says, "pay this much money by this date or else"? you're just guesstimating about what "after the holidays" means?
good thing ruthie is around to meddle. she visits her father's office & finds him frowning over the kittredges' file. i bet it's not at all awkward for them to be friends with someone who knows all their intimate financial business like that. the file clearly states that the kittredges will be evicted if they don't have the money by december 28. ruthie sees this on december 26. she runs off to inform kit & they hatch a harebrained scheme befitting lucy & ethel. they will sneak out of their houses & catch a train to kentucky, where they will track down kit's aunt millie & beg her for the money. then they will spirit the money back to cinncinnati & present it to mrs. kittredge so she can make the payment before everyone gets evicted. the whole plan hinges on kit convincing charlie to do her chores for her. so ruthie is like, "awesome, see you tomorrow!"
she's in for a surprise when charlie shows up at the train station instead of kit. he says kit spilled the beans to him & he thinks the whole plan is doomed to failure so he prohibited kit from coming & is only there to convince ruthie to go home. instead, she convinces him to go to kentucky with her. he calls her "goofy ruthie" & ruthie chafes at being constantly dismissed as goofy head-in-the-clouds ruthie who is obsessed with fairy tales & thinks that every story is fated for a happy ending. she wants to get the money from aunt millie to prove that she can do something helpful & practical for once.
can i just insert here that hitting up someone else's relative, who you've never even met before, for money that the family you're begging for has already rejected several times over, doesn't strike me as especially helpful or practical? so there's another faulty premise. ruthie decides that she will get the money from aunt millie & give it to mrs. kittredge & make sure that everyone knows exactly what she did & why so that she can be a hero. because i know that whenever i am poised on the precipice of eviction & am so desperate that strange children i'm not even related to have to go begging on my behalf, my first priority is definitely to hale those children as conquering heroes.
basically, everything comes up ruthie. she is kind & generous to people on the train, & it pays off when one of them suggests a shortcut. some others run & retrieve their father & his wagon so that ruthie & charlie can ride to the crossroad they need. ruthie recalls a story one of the passengers told which causes her to speculate that aunt millie might be at church in town instead of at home. charlie & ruthie find millie & she is happy to give them the money. & she's such a brassy big shot in her town that she forces the banker to open the bank then & there so she can get it. then she marches all the townspeople down to the railroad tracks to stop the train so ruthie & charlie can make it back to cinncinnati that night.
ruthie reconsiders her plan to present the money herself & instead has charlie do it & leave her name out of it. fast forward a week or two & mr. kittredge is back & still crowing about how charlie saved the day. charlie asks ruthie's permission to tell the family the truth about her involvement & she acquiesces. he frames it as a fairy tale & ruthie is pleased. the book ends there, so we don't see how mr. & mrs. kittredge react to the news that a random child from the neighborhood was meddling in their bank paperwork & risked life & limb to beg their elderly relative for cash.
this book was weird. i'm not real shy about my financial situation, but i still really wouldn't want random people to whom i have disclosed nothing trying to solicit donations on my behalf. i guess the depression was a different era.
September 28, 2025
Such a sweet reminder of the importance of kindness and making your own reality.
May 25, 2012
For a long time, all that I remembered about this book was really, truly hating it. Now, I'm not even sure why I ever disliked it in the first place. My most reasonable explanation is that I got confused about the timeline and thought that this book was creating a second eviction scare for the Kittredges, instead of going into detail about the first. Still, it baffles me that I strongly disliked this years ago, because I absolutely loved it this time around.
This book is essentially Kit #3.5. It picks up with the series story arc directly after Christmas, and fills in the details related to Aunt Millie saving the Kittredge's house, which other books only mention as a past event. This book does a great job of retroactively imagining what that might have looked like, and gives Ruthie a full, satisfying character arc.
Charlie, Kit's older brother, also has a significant role. Kit disappears into the background for most of this book, which may have contributed to my disappointment and negativity in 2007, but I think that this story works well the way that it is, and I loved seeing more of Charlie, since his appearances throughout the series are usually minor. His interactions with Ruthie are a great part of this book, and I love the way that their contrasting personalities catalyze some of Ruthie's character growth.
This story is very well-plotted, and even though a few elements require readers to suspend disbelief, this is more realistic and believable than I remembered, and is full of great messages about love, friendship, and the importance of helping and supporting other people for the right reasons, not just because you want to be thanked. This book also shows how it is possible for people to love fairy tales, as Ruthie does, while still being honest about harsh realities and engaging with the real world. C.S. Lewis always had a lot to say on that subject, and I appreciate the way that this book shows Ruthie's love of fairy tales from her own perspective, instead of just through the lens of Kit's forbearance with it.
I hugely enjoyed this, and I am very glad that I took a risk and spent a ThriftBooks free book reward on this to complete my set. I remembered so little about it that I wanted to see if I would have a different take in my current life stage, and I absolutely did! I am incredibly thankful that I gave this another chance, and would recommend it to future readers as part of the series, not just an optional add-on.
This book is essentially Kit #3.5. It picks up with the series story arc directly after Christmas, and fills in the details related to Aunt Millie saving the Kittredge's house, which other books only mention as a past event. This book does a great job of retroactively imagining what that might have looked like, and gives Ruthie a full, satisfying character arc.
Charlie, Kit's older brother, also has a significant role. Kit disappears into the background for most of this book, which may have contributed to my disappointment and negativity in 2007, but I think that this story works well the way that it is, and I loved seeing more of Charlie, since his appearances throughout the series are usually minor. His interactions with Ruthie are a great part of this book, and I love the way that their contrasting personalities catalyze some of Ruthie's character growth.
This story is very well-plotted, and even though a few elements require readers to suspend disbelief, this is more realistic and believable than I remembered, and is full of great messages about love, friendship, and the importance of helping and supporting other people for the right reasons, not just because you want to be thanked. This book also shows how it is possible for people to love fairy tales, as Ruthie does, while still being honest about harsh realities and engaging with the real world. C.S. Lewis always had a lot to say on that subject, and I appreciate the way that this book shows Ruthie's love of fairy tales from her own perspective, instead of just through the lens of Kit's forbearance with it.
I hugely enjoyed this, and I am very glad that I took a risk and spent a ThriftBooks free book reward on this to complete my set. I remembered so little about it that I wanted to see if I would have a different take in my current life stage, and I absolutely did! I am incredibly thankful that I gave this another chance, and would recommend it to future readers as part of the series, not just an optional add-on.
December 29, 2020
I wish I'd known to read this between surprise and birthday, where it's supposed to fall. It fills a major plot hole about the Kittredge mortgage that was mentioned in passing in birthday and deserved the treatment that it got here.
I loved reading this from Ruthie's perspective, especially since Aunt Millie validates her fairytale love, which is a natural theme throughout the book. However, I thought it was weird 1. that Mr. Kittredge didn't ask Aunt Millie for the money himself, especially since Mother had already asked her Meanie Jim Uncle and 2. That Charlie comes with Ruthie instead of Kit. I mean, yes, I enjoy the fact that an adult (even if only just) accompanies the minor in a multi-state journey, and Ruthie definitely needed a Kittredge to help her find the way. It just seemed weird for this to be the one time Kit consulted an adult and actually listened and obeyed. #ridingtherails Also, Charlie is barely in the rest of the series and doesn't really interact with Ruthie elsewhere. That being said, Kit's absence allows Ruthie to shine, and I guess Charlie functions as her prince (I'm sure there is fan fic featuring them as WWII lovers at any rate).
Overall, 'twas good—much better than Very Funny, Elizabeth! but not quite as great as Nellie's Promise. There may be hope for the Best Friends series afterall.
I loved reading this from Ruthie's perspective, especially since Aunt Millie validates her fairytale love, which is a natural theme throughout the book. However, I thought it was weird 1. that Mr. Kittredge didn't ask Aunt Millie for the money himself, especially since Mother had already asked her Meanie Jim Uncle and 2. That Charlie comes with Ruthie instead of Kit. I mean, yes, I enjoy the fact that an adult (even if only just) accompanies the minor in a multi-state journey, and Ruthie definitely needed a Kittredge to help her find the way. It just seemed weird for this to be the one time Kit consulted an adult and actually listened and obeyed. #ridingtherails Also, Charlie is barely in the rest of the series and doesn't really interact with Ruthie elsewhere. That being said, Kit's absence allows Ruthie to shine, and I guess Charlie functions as her prince (I'm sure there is fan fic featuring them as WWII lovers at any rate).
Overall, 'twas good—much better than Very Funny, Elizabeth! but not quite as great as Nellie's Promise. There may be hope for the Best Friends series afterall.
November 9, 2024
An absolute TREAT, and in my opinion the most well-executed of the Best Friends novels. (I have lots of love for Ivy, and I did enjoy her book - but it was predicated on a dated Sitcom Trope that didn't bring much to her story. Nellie's was also a great deal of fun. And Emily & Elizabeth's books just feel like they portray a completely different character then in the original novel).
But this one had it all. It had a Ruthie which felt authentic to her original books, while also providing us with some new insight into her personality. The way she remains such a dreamer and yet still firmly grounded in reality... UGH she's such a queen.
And it also had a plot which really was necessary to explain an Obvious Gap in the book. And it gave us more of Charlie, who was a stand-out in the original series as well! Ugh. So iconic. I love you Ruthie.
But this one had it all. It had a Ruthie which felt authentic to her original books, while also providing us with some new insight into her personality. The way she remains such a dreamer and yet still firmly grounded in reality... UGH she's such a queen.
And it also had a plot which really was necessary to explain an Obvious Gap in the book. And it gave us more of Charlie, who was a stand-out in the original series as well! Ugh. So iconic. I love you Ruthie.
June 6, 2025
This was incredibly heart-warming - I'm picking it up a bit after reading Kit's original series, but I'm so glad I did.
July 15, 2009
Ruthie spends much of Kit's core series being the ditzy best friend who doesn't seem to fully understand how bad the Depression is because her father still has his job.
RTR proves that Ruthie does get it, or at least more than she's given credit for, anyway. When Kit's family misunderstands when the bank expects their money to keep the Kittredge's in their home, Ruthie hatches a plan to visit Kit's Aunt Millie and ask her for a loan, which Kit is sure Millie will give.
Ruthie is sure that when she returns with the money, everyone will see her differently. They'll realize she's not all happily ever afters and no common sense.
I really liked Ruthie after reading RTR and it does make you look at her in a different way for all the other books.
RTR proves that Ruthie does get it, or at least more than she's given credit for, anyway. When Kit's family misunderstands when the bank expects their money to keep the Kittredge's in their home, Ruthie hatches a plan to visit Kit's Aunt Millie and ask her for a loan, which Kit is sure Millie will give.
Ruthie is sure that when she returns with the money, everyone will see her differently. They'll realize she's not all happily ever afters and no common sense.
I really liked Ruthie after reading RTR and it does make you look at her in a different way for all the other books.
January 24, 2017
Ruthie's happily ever after spirit sends her on a journey to save her best friend Kit's family from being evicted.
Ruthie's number one goal is protecting Kit's well being. She is careful to stay within boundaries of kindness so not to hurt Kit's pride.
The Looking Back section reminded me of a story my mother told me about being a kid during the Depression. The New Jersey Secret Helpers filled boxes/baskets with food and other necessities and gave them to people in need. My mother lived in Illinois and her family received a box of much needed goods. She loved the pink sweater that was in the box for her!
Ruthie's number one goal is protecting Kit's well being. She is careful to stay within boundaries of kindness so not to hurt Kit's pride.
The Looking Back section reminded me of a story my mother told me about being a kid during the Depression. The New Jersey Secret Helpers filled boxes/baskets with food and other necessities and gave them to people in need. My mother lived in Illinois and her family received a box of much needed goods. She loved the pink sweater that was in the box for her!
May 10, 2020
delightful
July 3, 2025
A cute, heartwarming little Christmasy story with a lovely message of kindness and love. The ending was both a little funny to me and made sense at the same time.
September 9, 2023
I suppose that's a project I can pursue: reading all the Best Friend books (Good Luck, Ivy is my #1 of course, but that's because I still maintain Ivy should've been the 1970s MC, especially given AG decided she'd be the one to get a tv movie but that's my wishful 4th gen self wanting a historical character like me)
It's been a LONG time since I've read the Kit books- I think I might've actually read them at publication despite being too old for them, so I dimly remembered the Christmas issue where Kit and her mother were too proud (understandably so) to accept charity from Ruthie and her mother for Christmas activities. Still, hijinks ensue and it's a good thing Charlie accompanied Ruthie on her journey to save the Kittredges from eviction by going to a strange place to talk to a relative because otherwise my credulity would be a lil bit stretched...!
I know I said Meet Claudie: An American Girl; 1922 felt short while this is 75 pages... but I think it's because Claudie is in the era of doing two longer books instead of 6 short ones, so the length feels shorter because there aren't more books giving us more story/character development. Also, it was ENTIRELY coincidental to pick up the two books (20s and 30s, even) that discuss potential eviction and solutions to avoid kicking out all the boarders.
It's been a LONG time since I've read the Kit books- I think I might've actually read them at publication despite being too old for them, so I dimly remembered the Christmas issue where Kit and her mother were too proud (understandably so) to accept charity from Ruthie and her mother for Christmas activities. Still, hijinks ensue and it's a good thing Charlie accompanied Ruthie on her journey to save the Kittredges from eviction by going to a strange place to talk to a relative because otherwise my credulity would be a lil bit stretched...!
I know I said Meet Claudie: An American Girl; 1922 felt short while this is 75 pages... but I think it's because Claudie is in the era of doing two longer books instead of 6 short ones, so the length feels shorter because there aren't more books giving us more story/character development. Also, it was ENTIRELY coincidental to pick up the two books (20s and 30s, even) that discuss potential eviction and solutions to avoid kicking out all the boarders.
February 16, 2026
I really loved that we get a book from Ruthie's perspective because she is such a great friend and a recurrent character in Kit's stories. Additionally, we get to see a little more insight into Charlie, Kit's brother, in this book. The author plays up on Ruthie's love of fairy tales with the plot of this book, trying to give Ruthie a heroic quest of her own in this story.
However, I was a bit disappointed in the plot of this book! It seemed a bit improbably that Ruthie and Charlie would be the ones to set out to Aunt Millie's house. It didn't make sense to me that Kit wouldn't go or that Ruthie would be one of the ones to go at all. I also didn't feel like we got to know much more about Ruthie through this plot, other than her being a good friend and being hurt by the Kitteredges idea that she is only interested in fairy tales. I guess I wish the plot had been more about her and not a side quest. I guess they felt like it would have been better suited to one of the short stories because there really wasn't much to the plot, but I understand that they wanted a full-length book for Ruthie.
Also, I remain so frustrated that these books give no indication of the order in which they should be read! This is labeled as book 7 in the Kit books. But in reality, the story takes place sometime between the plots of books 3 and 4. I would have read the book at that point in the series had I known.
However, I was a bit disappointed in the plot of this book! It seemed a bit improbably that Ruthie and Charlie would be the ones to set out to Aunt Millie's house. It didn't make sense to me that Kit wouldn't go or that Ruthie would be one of the ones to go at all. I also didn't feel like we got to know much more about Ruthie through this plot, other than her being a good friend and being hurt by the Kitteredges idea that she is only interested in fairy tales. I guess I wish the plot had been more about her and not a side quest. I guess they felt like it would have been better suited to one of the short stories because there really wasn't much to the plot, but I understand that they wanted a full-length book for Ruthie.
Also, I remain so frustrated that these books give no indication of the order in which they should be read! This is labeled as book 7 in the Kit books. But in reality, the story takes place sometime between the plots of books 3 and 4. I would have read the book at that point in the series had I known.
May 9, 2024
This books takes place in the middle of Kit’s storyline and I think they picked a smart place to delve further into. It takes place during the winter that Kit’s family is about to lose their house. I enjoyed knowing the details of Kit’s and Ruthie’s special day on December 26. It also cleared up exactly how Aunt Millie got the house saving money to the Kittredges. Kit did not have a prominent role in the book, in fact the adventure takes place between Ruthie and Kit’s brother Charlie. I found this to be an interesting choice. I would have liked more Kit but on the other hand I enjoyed really getting to know Ruthie more. This was actually a major theme of the book because Ruthie thinks that Kit’s family just thinks that she’s a daffy rich chick. Ruthie wants to go on this adventure to save Kit’s family because she thinks it would be cool to live a fairy tail but because she wants to prove her capability. I think this books gives a nice balance to the rest of Kit’s series by humanizing the more well off kids during the depression since the rest of the series focused on humanizing the moderately well off and impoverished people during the depression. I did appreciated that in the end Ruthie realizes that it’s not all about her but later Charlie insists on acknowledging her.
February 1, 2019
This book is a companion to the American Girl Kit series. This is about Kits best friend Ruthie's desire to help Kits family from losing their home during the Great Depression. I enjoyed how Ruthie's kind heart really wanted to help, but she knew they would only accept kindness and not charity. I love the two underlying themes presented. 1) That even in times of trouble how we act is a choice we make. And 2) generosity is tricky. Allowing those in need to hold on to their dignity was as important as showing kindness. I think this is important for people of all ages.
I did have one issue with this book, though. One that does not effect the story as such. The meet Kit series of books (1-6) are taking place in 1934. It is in 1934 that Kit and her family first take in borders. Yet, on the book, says 1932 for this selection. Assuming that this would be before the original series is incorrect, though. The borders are already there, and Kits father has already lost his job. So somewhere along the line, the publishers changed the timeline, and I think thats unfortunate. It doesnt realky effect the story, but it is a notable issue for me.
I did have one issue with this book, though. One that does not effect the story as such. The meet Kit series of books (1-6) are taking place in 1934. It is in 1934 that Kit and her family first take in borders. Yet, on the book, says 1932 for this selection. Assuming that this would be before the original series is incorrect, though. The borders are already there, and Kits father has already lost his job. So somewhere along the line, the publishers changed the timeline, and I think thats unfortunate. It doesnt realky effect the story, but it is a notable issue for me.
July 26, 2025
This is such a sweet book! There are great morals for kids including generosity (and how to handle that in regards to protecting others’ pride), understanding the life situations of others and how that affects their decisions as well as humility when something is done well. It was an excellent book and I would highly recommend it!
I will say that I’m a bit confused about the timeline of this book in regard to the series. Ruthie says that she has never met Aunt Millie, but in Happy Birthday, Kit (the 4th book in the series), Aunt Millie visits the Kittredge’s.
Notable Quotes:
“No matter what happens to us, it’s how we act along the way that matters. We still get to choose what kind of people we want to be.”
(Page 36)
Things to be aware of in “Really Truly Ruthie”
Language:
- 1 “gosh”
Read my full review here: https://kbook-reviews.blogspot.com/20...
I will say that I’m a bit confused about the timeline of this book in regard to the series. Ruthie says that she has never met Aunt Millie, but in Happy Birthday, Kit (the 4th book in the series), Aunt Millie visits the Kittredge’s.
Notable Quotes:
“No matter what happens to us, it’s how we act along the way that matters. We still get to choose what kind of people we want to be.”
(Page 36)
Things to be aware of in “Really Truly Ruthie”
Language:
- 1 “gosh”
Read my full review here: https://kbook-reviews.blogspot.com/20...
August 22, 2026
This book is wonderful! I'm so glad that Ruthie got her own book to really develop her character. We learn that although she doesn't mind being silly to make others laugh, she also wants to be taken seriously when she needs to. Her relationship with Charlie was really sweet. It would've been cool if we saw more of them in the later books. I loved Aunt Mille. She was so charming and funny and the whole town that she lived in gave a sense of warmth and home that made great contrast to the cold outside. Ruthie's trusting of strangers did stress me out a little bit, but I am so glad that it all turned out well in the end. This books was a great reminder on why Ruthie was my favorite character and it's so nice she got the spotlight she deserves.
July 10, 2026
This book was a sweet addition to Kit's main series. I like how Ruthie's central qualities are generosity and imagination, and I love what a good friend she is to Kit (and how her parents are also good friends to Kit's family, e.g. her mom giving her the apples to bring over to Kit's family). I also like that this book fits in nicely between Kit's Surprise and Happy Birthday, Kit! And I like that the book describes what Kit and Ruthie's special Christmas Day was like, since I was curious about that reading Kit's Surprise. I also liked Mrs. Howard and Charlie and Stirling doing Kit's mother's chores for her so she could go out with Ruthie and her mom.
From there, the plot gets a bit more contrived. It's very plot convenient that Ruthie would snoop and therefore find out that Kit's family is going to be evicted earlier than they had thought, and that she as a nine-year-old would decide the onus is on her to solve the problem. And her plan to go get the money is a bit reckless, which we haven't seen from Ruthie before, even though it definitely comes from a good place. I don't love Ruthie being prideful in wanting to show everyone (especially Charlie) that she's not a baby and can do important things, but she's nine, so I guess it makes sense that that would be part of her motivation, and she does genuinely want to help, which I like.
It was fun to see Ruthie and Charlie interact through their journey, and I was glad they were eventually successful at finding Aunt Millie and getting the money. And I was glad that Charlie started to respect Ruthie more once he saw how determined she was and that her plan had been effective. And I liked Ruthie realizing in the end that she did NOT want credit for what she did and that the better thing to do would be to not let Kit's family know she had anything to do with it. That was very mature of her and I was proud of her for making that decision. And I liked Charlie at the end telling the true story anyway, but Ruthie realizing that she wanted to act out of care for her friend, not out of a desire for pride or glory.
Overall, I really enjoyed this sweet book and thought it was a good contribution to Kit's series, and it fleshed out Ruthie's character a bit more while still staying true to what we know of her from the previous books.
From there, the plot gets a bit more contrived. It's very plot convenient that Ruthie would snoop and therefore find out that Kit's family is going to be evicted earlier than they had thought, and that she as a nine-year-old would decide the onus is on her to solve the problem. And her plan to go get the money is a bit reckless, which we haven't seen from Ruthie before, even though it definitely comes from a good place. I don't love Ruthie being prideful in wanting to show everyone (especially Charlie) that she's not a baby and can do important things, but she's nine, so I guess it makes sense that that would be part of her motivation, and she does genuinely want to help, which I like.
It was fun to see Ruthie and Charlie interact through their journey, and I was glad they were eventually successful at finding Aunt Millie and getting the money. And I was glad that Charlie started to respect Ruthie more once he saw how determined she was and that her plan had been effective. And I liked Ruthie realizing in the end that she did NOT want credit for what she did and that the better thing to do would be to not let Kit's family know she had anything to do with it. That was very mature of her and I was proud of her for making that decision. And I liked Charlie at the end telling the true story anyway, but Ruthie realizing that she wanted to act out of care for her friend, not out of a desire for pride or glory.
Overall, I really enjoyed this sweet book and thought it was a good contribution to Kit's series, and it fleshed out Ruthie's character a bit more while still staying true to what we know of her from the previous books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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August 5, 2022I haven't re-read 'Nellie's Promise' yet (at the time of this review) to say for certain but this is my favorite of the 'Best Friend' books! Ruthie is clearly a great friend and person. I love the lesson she ends up learning at the end as it shows great maturity. I love that she spends more time with Charlie instead of making this more of an extension of Kit's story, even though it technically is. Overall, a cute story!
June 17, 2022
With Kit being my favourite American Girl, I can't believe I'd never read Ruthie's story, so it was nice to do so. She is actually a fantastic character, like I am sad I missed out when I was a kid. Like I related to her more so than Kit I think just because Kit is sort of the cool person I wished I could be when I was 10 but Ruthie is a bit less sure of herself
May 14, 2025
If you're going to write a side book about Kit's best friend Ruthie, maybe it should be ABOUT Ruthie?
The family and friends page left out Ruthie's parents, but still featured everyone in Kit's boarding house. It went downhill from there.
The story is told from Ruthie's POV and Ruthie's emotions, but the actual conflict is all about Kit's family.
The family and friends page left out Ruthie's parents, but still featured everyone in Kit's boarding house. It went downhill from there.
The story is told from Ruthie's POV and Ruthie's emotions, but the actual conflict is all about Kit's family.
April 8, 2026
I had previously marked this book as read but there's no way I read this book before. I would absolutely have remembered it. it's amazing. probably one of my favorite AG books (and I usually hate the best friend books). Ruthie is such an amazing character. She could absolutely have her own independent series. Love her!
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