Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that highlights upcoming books we're waiting for.
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This week I am so looking forward to RUBY ON THE OUTSIDE by Nora Raleigh Baskin.
Ruby’s mom is in prison, and to tell anyone the truth is to risk true friendship in this novel from the author of The Summer Before Boys that accurately and sensitively addresses a subject too often overlooked.
Eleven-year-old Ruby Danes is about to start middle school, and only her aunt knows her deepest, darkest, most secret secret: her mother is in prison.
Then Margalit Tipps moves into Ruby’s condo complex, and the two immediately hit it off. Ruby thinks she’s found her first true-blue friend—but can she tell Margalit the truth about her mom? Maybe not. Because it turns out that Margalit’s family history seems closely connected to the very event that put her mother in prison, and if Ruby comes clean, she could lose everything she cares about most.
Full disclosure: My dad is in prison. He's been for a while and will be for a while longer. When I was Ruby's age, I kept this secret close. It felt like holding my breath and knowing that soon, I would have to let go. I was lucky enough to have friends that understood and when I was ready to share, it didn't feel as awful. But for young children, it can be hard to open up. This is an issue with such stigmatization--from the media, society, our own governments--that a lot of people feel the need to stay quiet. I'm so glad that Nora is giving a voice to this issue and hopefully it is one of many to come.
This seems like a great book, Brianna. It's sad to hear that your dad is in prison, but I hope that he's fine now and will be out not sooner than you expect. I might read that book one of these days. It seems like a good reading to recommend to anyone who goes through a situation like yours. Thank you so much for sharing this. Have a great day!
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