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Summary
Summary
Hey, buster! Crack open this new series starring Ruby Redfort -- Clarice Bean's favorite all-action heroine -- and you will literally be on the edge of your wits.
Everyone knows that Clarice Bean is exceptionordinarily keen on the Ruby Redfort books. Now in her own starring role, Ruby, a genius code-cracker and daring detective, along with her sidekick butler, Hitch, work for a secret crime-busting organization called Spectrum. Ruby gets into lots of scrapes with evil villains, but she's always ice-cool in a crisis. Just take a classic screwball comedy, add heaps of breathtaking action, and multiply it by Lauren Child's writing genius, and what have you got? Only the most exciting new middle-grade series since, like, ever.
Author Notes
Lauren Child (born in 1965 in England) is an English author and illustrator. She is best known for writing the Charlie and Lola books and Clarice Bean novels. Her second book in this series, Clarice Bean Spells Trouble, was shortlisted for the 2005 British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year. A number of spin off books are available based on the scripts of the TV shows, though these were not written or illustrated by Child. Charlie and Lola has been sold throughout the world, and has won many prizes, including BAFTAs in 2007 for Best children's Television Show and Best Script. She writes the Ruby Redfort series. Book six, Blink and You Die, is on the bestseller list.
Lauren Child lives in London. (Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
As smart and observant as her socialite parents are clueless, junior high student Ruby Redfort has the makings of a top-notch sleuth. But it's her code-cracking skills that attract the attention of Spectrum, a secret intelligence agency that hires her. In this funny and action-packed first installment of an adventure series from Child, Ruby (who Child's fans will recognize as her character Clarice Bean's favorite fictional heroine) quickly becomes bored with her first Spectrum assignment, poring over the files of a code-breaking agent who met an untimely demise. With the help of her sidekick/classmate Clancy Crew, she ventures out from her well-hidden office into more dangerous territory to prevent the theft of a priceless jade Buddha statue. Playing a game of cat and mouse with criminals and fellow agents (who are furious at her for overstepping boundaries), Ruby finds her way into some dire situations, but readers will rest assured that she will find a way to squirm out of enemy hands. Child's sardonic narration will grab readers from the get-go, and puzzles laced throughout will intrigue those who share Ruby's passion for solving mysteries. Ages 10-13. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Pressed into service as a codebreaker by a super-secret spy agency, precocious and jaded Ruby Redfort finds herself at the center of a high-stakes robbery case. Fans of Child's previous series will recognize her wit and edgy humor. Though scattered prose and unwieldy details ultimately overwhelm the plot, aspiring girl spies will appreciate a heroine like Ruby. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Readers familiar with Child's Clarice Bean chapter books will be delighted to see Clarice's mystery-solving hero, Ruby Redfort, star in her own book, a delightful homage to Louise Fitzhugh's classic Harriet the Spy (1964). Thirteen-year-old Ruby is supersmart and incredibly well organized; she has kept detailed notebooks (now up to 622) of her observations. Her code-cracking skills so impressed Harvard professors that they offered her a place at age eight, but Ruby chose to stay in her seemingly quiet town of Twinford, where she lives with her oblivious parents and their ancient housekeeper. Now a series of kooky mishaps leads to her being recruited as a code cracker by Spectrum, a secret crime-busting organization whose headquarters just happen to be in Twinford. This series opener shows much promise, with a swift pace, clever dialogue, and many codes and puzzles scattered throughout. Bold graphics, well-placed chapter breaks, and just enough irony will appeal to middle-school readers who grew up with Clarice Bean. Child's light, bright wit is in fine form here.--Carton, Debbie Copyright 2010 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-8-Child's newest character is actually an old fictional favorite of her previous protagonist Clarice Bean (Clarice Bean, That's Me, Orchard, 2014). In this first adventure, 13-year-old Ruby Redford, a genius code-breaker with Sherlock Holmes-like observational skills, finds herself unwillingly working for the international spy agency Spectrum after the entire contents of her house are stolen. With her best friend, Clancy Crew, no-nonsense housekeeper Mrs. Digby, and svelte butler/undercover Spectrum agent Hitch, wise-cracking Ruby may just solve the case and, with the help of some spectacular gadgets, even save the world. Rachael Stirling brings to life the dry-witted, sometimes snarky heroine, but listeners may either love Clancy's nasal whine or find it appropriately annoying. Some of the code-breaking challenges are made more difficult without the accompanying images, but those can be found on the website rubyredfort.com. -VERDICT Recommended for students who love Nancy Drew or other mysteries with female protagonists.-Chani Craig, Converse Middle School, Palmer, MA © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
(Mystery. 9-14)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
