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Product Description

Ruby's finding out that life is all about improv . . .

Small-town girl Ruby Madden has moved to Marin County, California; home of high-dollar homes and green living. The girls wear shoes that cost more than her entire paycheck at the Underground Coffeehouse & Theater, and the students are well-traveled and full of life experiences that Ruby can only dream of.

All the stresses of adjusting to her new life have put a strain on her ability to trust God. Yet when mysterious and eye-catching Kaden invites Ruby to join the school's film group, the puzzle pieces start to fit. Her love of art finds perfect expression and the film friends seem to really get her. When a major Hollywood director hosts an amateur film contest, Ruby and her friends are stoked.

But Ruby's old life is tugging her backward and her frantic balancing act throws her new life totally off track. To top things off, Ruby makes a mistake that could cost her the chance of a lifetime.

Life would be so much easier if Ruby just had a script to follow with a happy ending guaranteed. But what's the fun in that?

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #653393 in Books
• Published on: 2009-05-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781595543561
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From School Library Journal
Grade 7–10—Fifteen-year-old Ruby, her mom, her new stepfather, and her younger brother move to Marin County, CA, just before school begins. Her older brother, on whom she depends, has decided to stay in Cottonwood, several hours away, with their father and stepmother. Ruby feels alone and is upset with her parents for divorcing. Even though her Christian family is religious, she questions the nature of faith, and she struggles to make sense of her situation. Marin High is filled with students who are rich and privileged. While working part-time at her aunt's Underground Coffeehouse & Theater, she joins a group of film students who are making a movie, and her enthusiasm is ignited. Throughout the novel, Ruby remains reflective, and she begins to resolve her conflicted feelings about the past and the present. Readers will enjoy this comforting and current coming-of-age story.—Lori A. Guenthner, Baltimore County Public Library, Randallstown, MD
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Customer Reviews

Disappointed and uncertain
This is the part where I decide that reviewing books isn't all that much fun, because I hate it when I don't like a book, and I can't talk myself into liking it! But this teen lit book not only didn't appeal to me, it left me feeling unsettled.

"Ruby Unscripted" is Cindy Martinusen's first novel in her new series for teen girls. Ruby is on her way up in the world, moving from Cottonwood, California to Marin. Her parents, divorced and now remarried to different people; her brothers, one living with her and the other with her dad; her friends, including the boy she's liked forever and her best friend since kindergarten...

...all about to stand the test of long-distance and change.

And Ruby doesn't know how she feels about that. When the new school turns out to be a bit higher class that she's expecting, and the new kids aren't the crowd she's used to running around with, Ruby's dreams for the big move are shaken.

What left me feeling shaken was the lack of moral assurance in the story. Wait, put down your rocks and let me explain! For a novel about a teen of faith, she just didn't seem to have faith in much of anything.

Granted, her parents' divorce has caused Ruby to question everything, especially God. And her relationship with Frankie was refreshing, but do we have to ignore what the Bible says in order to be friends with people who live opposite it's instruction?

Mom and Austin continued to church shop through the entire novel, and while I don't believe in keeping teens on short leashes, I do believe in some boundaries, especially when they're so young (I believe Ruby is fifteen).

Bottom line, Ruby's story is probably a great reflection of where Christian teens are in their faith: questioning, doubting, and wrestling. My issue is the lack of resolution, which I want in my teen fiction.

Too much of life is uncertain--with questions abounding in the lives of today's teens, let's at least answer the ones we know are absolutely true. God's Word is sound, people can be wrong, and God DOES love us no matter what life looks like otherwise.

These things do not come across in this particular book, and call me unrealistic, but I believe they should. However, Ruby's story is just being written, so I'm going to hold my certainty on whether this is a good series or a great series.

The story is engaging (obviously, because look at how it has me riled up!), but I couldn't tell if Cindy wasn't done with Ruby or if we were all going to be left in this tangled mess of Ruby's life.

Cindy has created some intriguing characters as well, many of whom are searching for what Ruby claims to hold but doesn't live as though she does, which is a faith in Christ. And Ruby's grandmother is a caricature of old time believers, coming across as harsh, critical and judgmental--which is probably what I'll be called after this review!

I just know we have a certain moral compass in Scripture--we must. I just know that we all can't be right, and that God must be. I just know that my daughter would want more from her book than what I found...but I also know she'd love and hurt for Ruby and her friends, and she'd want to see Ruby find her answers...

...so this is a definite mixed review. For that reason, I'm giving "Ruby Unscripted" three out of five bookmarks with a keyring as a charm. I'm hoping that Cindy takes this series to the next level and Ruby not only finds herself, but doesn't forget who she is in the process of searching.

A Good Wholesome Read
Ruby Madden moves to an affluent town in Marin County, California, believing her dreams are coming true, but her hometown life is drawing her back. Her not-so-secret crush finally likes her. Her older brother decides to stay behind with their newly remarried father. And her best friend gets a boyfriend who's all wrong for her.

And Ruby's new life isn't as easy as she envisioned. Marin High School is a place for the rich and famous with their BMWs, chic clothes, and liberal beliefs-a place where she clearly doesn't belong. Even with her new job at the Underground Coffeehouse & Cinema, she is unsure of how to act and feels insecure about who she is.
When she tries out for an amateur film group, the puzzle pieces finally begin to fit. And who is this mysterious guy who's messing with her heart?

This is one of those books that just leaves you smiling when you're finished! Ruby is a character I immediately bonded with...she could be any girl you went to high school with, the girl next door who is dealing with stuff most teens deal with today. Her parents are divorced and her mom is moving to a new town. All Ruby wants is for things to go back the way they used to be.

There are a few perks to her new home... there's a boy (there is ALWAYS a boy :) and her new job at her aunts coffee place. At school she gets teased for being a goody goody and for going to church but even good girls make mistakes. Ruby ends up at a party that her mother would freak out about if she knew she was there.

All in all a beautifully written Christian novel that is uplifting and heartwarming with out being heavy handed. In fact the author is so subtle that I had to double check to see if the book was listed as "Christian fiction" which is great because sometimes kids think these kinds of books will be corny. They will never guess...they will just read a well written, very engaging, positive story about a teenage girl who learns to lean on God and her family when dealing with her problems.

Perfectly suited for 6th grade and up!

Terrific new entry in Christian young adult genre
Ruby Unscripted by Cindy Martinusen-Coloma is the first in a hopeful series about 15-year old Ruby Madden who has moved from rural California to the big city of Marin where the high schoolers all look like they walked off of a movie set and she just may have finally found a place where she belongs. Ruby has spent much of her life daydreaming and thinking about art and travel which sets her apart from her high school friends who are far more focused on who is dating who. This big move could be the answer to her prayers, but living so far away from her father, big brother, and best friend leaves her vulnerable to the predations of high school bullies The author has created a real-life teenager in Ruby full of insecurities, overflowing emotions, and questions about the big picture in life. Ruby stumbles along the way, several times, but she comes across as a girl you'd love to be your daughter's best friend or son's new girlfriend. I hope Cindy writes more about sweet Ruby and her dreams of movies.