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The Ruby Notebook

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
Sixteen-year-old Zeeta and her flighty English-teaching mom, Layla, have traveled the world together, settling in a different country every year, making a whole new set of friends and adopting new customs. This year, they’ve chosen to live in Aix-en-Provence, France, an enchanting city full of fountains, creamy yellow light, and a fascinating group of scarlet-clad street performers.
Zeeta soon begins to receive mysterious notes and gifts from someone she calls her fantôme, or ghost, admirer. But she is expecting her boyfriend, Wendell—the love of her life, as her friends call him—to arrive in Aix for a summer program very soon. Zeeta brushes off her curiosity about her fantôme, and her simmering attraction to one of the street performers, Jean-Claude, until Wendell arrives and she begins to fear that her feelings for him have truly changed. Perhaps—like Layla—she’s simply not made for long-term romance.
As Zeeta tries to draw away from Wendell, however, circumstances seem to force them together. Zeeta’s friendship with a local antiques dealer and his reclusive artist friend leads to a dangerous adventure. When Zeeta and Wendell join forces to find a secret underground spring whose water is rumored to bring immortality, they are forced to reconsider their own desires, and their beliefs about true love. Yet as soon as Zeeta decides that her mind has cleared, she’s confronted with the biggest shock of her life: the incredible true identity of her fantôme.
Vibrant, warmhearted, and evocative, The Ruby Notebook is a remarkable novel about learning to accept love in all of its wondrous and imperfect forms.
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    • Publisher's Weekly

      November 22, 2010
      This sequel to The Indigo Notebook (2008) blends romance and intrigue in an evocative setting. Sixteen-year old Zeeta and her free-spirited mother have just moved from Ecuador to Aix-en-Provence, where Zeeta's boyfriend, Wendall, will soon join them. While counting the days until his arrival, Zeeta befriends a troupe of street performers and two elderly companions—an ailing artist and an antique dealer, who are intent on finding the city's legendary fountain of youth. When Zeeta discovers that someone has been slipping unusual objects into her bag (all clues about the father she's never met), she endeavors to uncover the fantôme gift-giver. The longer Zeeta stays in France, the more she feels herself changing, and she feels that her connection to Wendall may be weakening, especially when she becomes attracted to one of the street performers. Characters and events in the novel are painted slightly brighter than life, but readers who become absorbed in Zeeta's passionate endeavors and romantic mishaps will likely be willing to suspend disbelief enough to accept the rather contrived resolutions. Ages 10–up.

    • Kirkus

      Starred review from August 1, 2010

      Thoughtful, intense Zeeta and her free-spirited mother return in this follow-up to The Indigo Notebook (2009). Perennial travelers, the two have now settled in the atmospheric city of Aix-en-Provence. Zeeta eagerly anticipates the arrival of her boyfriend Wendell from Colorado, but when he changes the terms of his visit, Zeeta is hurt and confused. Their relationship is further strained by her involuntary attraction to Jean-Claude, a member of a street dance troupe. At the same time, Zeeta begins to discover strange notes and items left in her bag. Weaving bits of magic, city lore and bittersweet romance into each of the many plot lines, Resau has again crafted a complex and satisfying novel that is both a mystery and a tender, wise meditation on love and self-identity. Characters are rich and vibrant, each of them bringing their own past to bear on the story at hand. Readers will want to read the first before starting this one and will likely be clamoring for the third, the groundwork for which is nicely set up here. (Fiction. 12 & up)

      (COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

    • School Library Journal

      October 1, 2010

      Gr 9 Up-In this sequel to The Indigo Notebook (Delacorte, 2009), Zeeta and her single mother, who have spent each of Z's 16 years in a different country, are teaching English and making friends in Aix-en-Provence. Z always buys a new notebook in each country and fills it with observations, thoughts, dreams, and the answers to questions she asks people. As a way of making friends and getting to know her new country, she interviews people everywhere she goes. France is proving to be most intriguing: Z befriends an elderly couple who offer her a mystery to solve; the love of her life, Wendell, is flying in to spend time with her; she becomes smitten with a young street performer; and she is suddenly being given meaningful gifts by an anonymous admirer. With a hint of mystery, a bit of romance, a touch of travel, and some coming-of-age, this book covers a lot of ground without ever feeling scattered or haphazard. Resau's robust descriptions give readers a good picture of France and its people. Although one can guess where the plot is headed, teens will still want to go along for the ride, so enjoyable is the writing. The pace can be slow at times, even when Z and Wendell are sneaking about in tunnels below the town, trying to solve the mystery. But anyone who enjoys detailed settings and thoughtful narratives will be rewarded with this story.-Geri Diorio, The Ridgefield Library, CT

      Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • The Horn Book

      January 1, 2011
      Zeeta (The Indigo Notebook) and her carefree mom have moved again, this time to Aix-en-Provence, France. The book's mystery involves someone from Zeeta's past leaving gifts for her. Meanwhile, she's attracted to street performer Jean-Claude, complicating her relationship with boyfriend Wendell. For fans of the first book especially, this volume's vivid setting and romance more than compensate for a few credulity-stretching details.

      (Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Formats

  • Kindle Book
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Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:4.6
  • Lexile® Measure:750
  • Interest Level:6-12(MG+)
  • Text Difficulty:3-4

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