sandraagee's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. Loved this one. The writing is excellent and it really stands out as "distinctive" (see also: Newbery criteria).
I loved Ruby's character, who is so easy to identify with and manages to be meek and powerful at the same time. I'm also utterly fascinated by the book's timeline. Almost all of the real action takes place over a very short time - maybe an hour or two? - with lots of flashbacks and introspection to flesh out the details. Chapters are short and, I think, the pages turn impressively easy for a book with so much introspection.
Give to fans of [a:Rebecca Stead|175329|Rebecca Stead|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1212611033p2/175329.jpg] (whose Newbery winner [b:When You Reach Me|5310515|When You Reach Me|Rebecca Stead|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320395542s/5310515.jpg|6608018] gets a shout-out) and/or [a:Wendy Mass|99650|Wendy Mass|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1235153849p2/99650.jpg]. Or give it to anyone looking for a good read. Yes. That's a great plan.
I loved Ruby's character, who is so easy to identify with and manages to be meek and powerful at the same time. I'm also utterly fascinated by the book's timeline. Almost all of the real action takes place over a very short time - maybe an hour or two? - with lots of flashbacks and introspection to flesh out the details. Chapters are short and, I think, the pages turn impressively easy for a book with so much introspection.
Give to fans of [a:Rebecca Stead|175329|Rebecca Stead|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1212611033p2/175329.jpg] (whose Newbery winner [b:When You Reach Me|5310515|When You Reach Me|Rebecca Stead|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320395542s/5310515.jpg|6608018] gets a shout-out) and/or [a:Wendy Mass|99650|Wendy Mass|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1235153849p2/99650.jpg]. Or give it to anyone looking for a good read. Yes. That's a great plan.
msseviereads's review against another edition
5.0
I am such a sucker for books between a young character and a grandma figure. Maybe because the Lilith Summer was one of my very first books I remember crying while reading. Maybe it was because I called my great grandma Gigi, like Ruby's calls her grandma. I adored this book. I loved everything about it and plan to use it as a read alound this fall.
wiseowl33's review against another edition
4.0
Wow! Ruby is an unforgettabe character. Wouldn't we all like to be able to go back and change a moment or so in time? Great story!
shighley's review against another edition
4.0
I read this in preparation for attending ALA Midwinter, wanting to finish it before it perhaps wins an award. I have to say that I was expecting something a bit more powerful, but I realize that's not the point. I do think the jumps back and forth might confuse students a bit; it is true that as you go through the course of a day, you think back to the many things that have led up to it, but it didn't always make sense. I expected a bigger problem between Ruby and Lucy and Ruby and Nero, but they weren't really that important.
I did like the way Ruby chose to "deliver" her speech (finally), but I thought all of the Newbery name dropping got to be a bit much. The two librarians get rather dubious treatment here: one's old and waiting to retire and spend time with dogs, the successor is a bumbling dufus. Perhaps its my preference for more plotting or action that left me a little wanting. In many ways this reminded me of Hound Dog True; I was expecting something bigger to drive the plot.
I did like the way Ruby chose to "deliver" her speech (finally), but I thought all of the Newbery name dropping got to be a bit much. The two librarians get rather dubious treatment here: one's old and waiting to retire and spend time with dogs, the successor is a bumbling dufus. Perhaps its my preference for more plotting or action that left me a little wanting. In many ways this reminded me of Hound Dog True; I was expecting something bigger to drive the plot.
fennecsgirl's review against another edition
2.0
Just an okay book. Switched back and forth into present and past and I don't particularly like that without warning or acknowledging that's what's going to be happening. Nonetheless, a quick read.
Read for A-Z Challenge 2015, Author Names.
Read for A-Z Challenge 2015, Author Names.
readingthroughtheages's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to love this book, really I did, but I had a hard time staying focused the entire time reading it. The writing was good, I just had trouble connecting.
I can see how this would be a good book to use for teaching: lots of signposts (contrasts/contradictions and tough questions were all over the place), good places for discussion (losing a loved one, friendship, debating on what to tell/what not to tell a friend), and writing responses.
This book would be good for a reader who enjoys books that make them think, especially when there is not a right/wrong way to think or argue about a book.
I can see how this would be a good book to use for teaching: lots of signposts (contrasts/contradictions and tough questions were all over the place), good places for discussion (losing a loved one, friendship, debating on what to tell/what not to tell a friend), and writing responses.
This book would be good for a reader who enjoys books that make them think, especially when there is not a right/wrong way to think or argue about a book.
yapha's review against another edition
5.0
When we lose a loved one, the big gaping whole in our middle often sets us off balance, making the rest of the world seem off-kilter and out of whack. This is what has happened to Ruby Pepperdine. Her beloved grandmother Gigi passed away, and nothing seems right in her world anymore. She keeps trying to do everything she is supposed to, and carry on as the rest of the family seems to be doing. Things are becoming unbearable and she sets all of her hope on a birthday wish that MUST come true.
This is a fabulous book about love and loss and the power of friendship. It also has one of the best opening paragraphs I have read in a long time. Oh, and Ruby's best friend Lucy has two dads. I love that it is just casually stated there, matter-of-factly, no plot point, it just is.
This is a must read for grades 4 and up.
This is a fabulous book about love and loss and the power of friendship. It also has one of the best opening paragraphs I have read in a long time. Oh, and Ruby's best friend Lucy has two dads. I love that it is just casually stated there, matter-of-factly, no plot point, it just is.
This is a must read for grades 4 and up.
drpschmidt's review against another edition
5.0
Ruby, as the main character, was so relatable for me - she was so well-written! I think this book appealed to me because I too was very close to my grandmother, and even though I was grown up when she died, I could relate to the feeling of loss and being lost without her. I would highly recommend this book to any middle-grader who has lost a grandparent. This book was as sweet as donuts (& if you read it, you'll get the pun).
abigailbat's review against another edition
3.0
This is a quiet story about feeling lost, wanting things to be okay, and not knowing how to make that happen. It's about the power of friendship, both old and new, and about figuring out what you're "supposed to" be doing and whether "supposed to" even exists. Ruby Pepperdine's on her way to figuring out what questions to ask in this quietly powerful coming-of-age story set in small town New Hampshire.
Readalikes:
I'd recommend this to kids who liked the more serious subject matter and multiple narrators of Barbara O'Connor's GREETINGS FROM NOWHERE.
I'd recommend this to kids who liked Rebecca Stead's WHEN YOU REACH ME for reasons that are spoilery and so will not be mentioned. (Ruby and her friend Nero have read WHEN YOU REACH ME and discuss it in this book!)
I'd recommend this to kids who identified with Keeper's search for family in a quirky small town in Kathi Appelt's KEEPER.
I'd recommend this to kids who liked reading about the complexities of female friendships in THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF GIRLS or THE KIND OF FRIENDS WE USED TO BE, both by Frances O'Roark Dowell.
Readalikes:
I'd recommend this to kids who liked the more serious subject matter and multiple narrators of Barbara O'Connor's GREETINGS FROM NOWHERE.
I'd recommend this to kids who liked Rebecca Stead's WHEN YOU REACH ME for reasons that are spoilery and so will not be mentioned. (Ruby and her friend Nero have read WHEN YOU REACH ME and discuss it in this book!)
I'd recommend this to kids who identified with Keeper's search for family in a quirky small town in Kathi Appelt's KEEPER.
I'd recommend this to kids who liked reading about the complexities of female friendships in THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF GIRLS or THE KIND OF FRIENDS WE USED TO BE, both by Frances O'Roark Dowell.
krismarley's review against another edition
3.0
As I wondered earlier in the summer after reading Hound Dog True, I started with the wrong Linda Urban title. I like Center of Everything enough enough to give Crooked Kind of Perfect a try but not enough to give 4 stars. I've become increasingly critical of kid books over the last decade... probably a good thing. Can't put my finger why her books just don't do it for me. I like how they're a tad philosophical, because yes, I do think kids can be philosophical. Maybe it's the painted perfect picture of small town life that annoys me? I'm not sure. I could have been fooled into thinking the setting was mid-20th century if it wasn't for characters texting and consulting google + wikipedia. Can you imagine if a student pulled out a set a matches in a lunchroom to light a birthday candle? They'd be in the Front Office faster than you can say tater tot.