  | Ruby lost and found Author: Li, Christina | |
| Price: $24.48 | ||
Summary:
Thanks to her Ye-Ye's epic scavenger hunts, San Francisco is a city that Ruby Chu knows like the back of her hand. But when he dies, she feels lost in her city and her grief. Alongside Liam, who Ruby realizes may not be as annoying as he seems, Ruby retraces Ye-Ye's scavenger hunt maps in an attempt to find a way out of her grief--and maybe even find herself.
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 4.10 Points: 9.0 Quiz: 519676 |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (+) (04/01/23)
School Library Journal (09/29/23)
Booklist (+) (12/01/23)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 09/29/2023 Gr 5 Up—A thematically rich novel that will spark important discussions, and to which any tween can relate. Thirteen-year-old Chinese American Ruby is having trouble adjusting to the changes of the past year. She is grieving her beloved grandfather Ye-Ye and the loss of her best friends to new social groups. While staying with her grandmother Nai-Nai for the summer, Ruby must face more changes—to Nai-Nai and to the Chinatown neighborhood she loves. Li establishes a strong sense of place, emphasizing the importance of community and intergenerational connections in overcoming life's challenges. Ruby is a relatable and well-developed protagonist, as are the side characters, who add humor and heart to a sometimes emotionally heavy plot. VERDICT Perfect for fans of Merci Suárez Changes Gears and Maizy Chen's Last Chance, this novel is recommended for general purchase.—Maria Bohan - Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
Booklist - 03/15/2023 *Starred Review* Grieving for her beloved grandfather, who died in January, 13-year-old Ruby also misses her two best friends (one moved from San Francisco to New York City, the other to the girls’ soccer table in the lunchroom). Still, in retrospect, getting caught ditching school during lunchtime just weeks before summer vacation wasn’t smart, as her parents grounded her until summer, which she must spend mainly with Nai-Nai, her grandmother, who lives nearby in Chinatown. Gradually, she begins to enjoy being with Nai-Nai and her friends at a nearby senior center and getting to know a classmate who volunteers there. Ruby’s concerns about Nai-Nai’s memory escalate when her grandmother gets lost close to home. Eventually, Ruby’s parents begin to readjust their thinking. Reflecting Li’s knowledge of Chinese American immigrant culture, Ruby’s first-person narrative is particularly engaging when she begins retracing her steps from her grandfather’s legendary scavenger hunts and, with her grandmother, shares a moment of healing and unity with the past. Vividly imagined characters, relationships, and family dynamics are at the heart of this involving novel, in which building tension causes troubles that seem to dissipate but then lead to a crisis that cannot be ignored. A moving, intergenerational story with a narrator who becomes increasingly aware of others. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.
