Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com
Ruby is on the verge of turning sixteen. Her friends have been planning her party for weeks. They all have gathered at her house for a pre-party. Her mom has made her favorite dinner - ziti. All is perfect, down to the vintage Polaroid camera her mother has given her. Then it turns horribly wrong. With the ring of the doorbell, her father, who has been gone for years, has come back into her life.
One night, when Ruby was ten, she sat and watched as her father walked back and forth loading up boxes and his suitcases into his blue truck. Then he just drove away. That was it. No contact, no reasons, nothing. After six years, Ruby has finally gotten on with her life, forgetting about her father (who she now simply calls Jim) and wondering why he left.
Ruby's friends all have different levels of advice. But when her best friend fails to hand over a letter that her father left for her the day after her birthday, she has more than her father to think about. She now wonders if she's ever really known her friends at all.
There are so many different levels of conflict in Ruby's life. At the age of sixteen, when girls should be celebrating the best time of their lives and the new independence that the age brings, Ruby feels like her world is falling apart. Not only does she not have a father in her life, she's not sure she can trust her friends anymore, and conversation with her mother is stilted at best. The only bright spot in her life is her possible boyfriend, Charlie. But Charlie may not be around for long either.
Ms. Vivian is a fresh new voice on the young adult book scene. The story is well-written and emotional. Ruby struggles with everyday issues that everyone can relate to. The story moves quickly to a satisfying conclusion for Ruby. A LITTLE FRIENDLY ADVICE is a story that everyone will enjoy and celebrate with Ruby as she comes into her own.
Ruby is on the verge of turning sixteen. Her friends have been planning her party for weeks. They all have gathered at her house for a pre-party. Her mom has made her favorite dinner - ziti. All is perfect, down to the vintage Polaroid camera her mother has given her. Then it turns horribly wrong. With the ring of the doorbell, her father, who has been gone for years, has come back into her life.
One night, when Ruby was ten, she sat and watched as her father walked back and forth loading up boxes and his suitcases into his blue truck. Then he just drove away. That was it. No contact, no reasons, nothing. After six years, Ruby has finally gotten on with her life, forgetting about her father (who she now simply calls Jim) and wondering why he left.
Ruby's friends all have different levels of advice. But when her best friend fails to hand over a letter that her father left for her the day after her birthday, she has more than her father to think about. She now wonders if she's ever really known her friends at all.
There are so many different levels of conflict in Ruby's life. At the age of sixteen, when girls should be celebrating the best time of their lives and the new independence that the age brings, Ruby feels like her world is falling apart. Not only does she not have a father in her life, she's not sure she can trust her friends anymore, and conversation with her mother is stilted at best. The only bright spot in her life is her possible boyfriend, Charlie. But Charlie may not be around for long either.
Ms. Vivian is a fresh new voice on the young adult book scene. The story is well-written and emotional. Ruby struggles with everyday issues that everyone can relate to. The story moves quickly to a satisfying conclusion for Ruby. A LITTLE FRIENDLY ADVICE is a story that everyone will enjoy and celebrate with Ruby as she comes into her own.
