Review: Ruby on the Outside

Ruby on the Outside by Nora Raleigh Baskin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you judge a book by its cover, you would not choose this book to read. But, when I read the inside cover, I decided to try it, and I'm glad I did. This is the story of eleven- year-old Ruby, who is starting middle school in the fall. She has no real friends, and, she lives with Matoo, which actually stands for Ma, #2. Ruby's real mother is in prison, and has been since Ruby was five-years-old. Ruby has always kept kids her own age at a distance, so that she will never have to explain that Matoo is her aunt, and her real mom is locked away. Now, at the beginning of summer, she meets Margalit. They become good friends, but Ruby is very worried. When should she tell Margalit the truth? This is a very good story, that allows the reader to discover the heartbreak and anguish that kids go through because of the mistakes of their parents. Very real.

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Review: Ender's Game

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don't know where I was when this book was first published back in 1986, but I'm very glad I found it in the Maxson MS Library! This book is awesome! I could not put it down. The writing was brilliant, as the battles and training games were so well done, that I could actually picture them so vividly in my mind. This is the story of Ender, and his forced journey to become a Battle commander, even at the young age of 11. I know, it seems far-fetched, but the author, Card, makes it quite believable. Ender is special, he has been monitored from a young age by the powers that be, as someone who is destined to be great. Ender has a vicious older brother, who torments him and his beloved sister, Valentine. But at the young age of 11, Ender is taken away from his family to head to Battle School. The world is in danger from an alien attack, and Ender might be the only one that can save it. And so it begins!

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