Finding Ruby Starling

August 18, 2014
Rivers's (The Encyclopedia of Me) epistolary novel conveys both the unique intimacy created by writing letters (or, in this case, emails) and the thrill of discovering an unknown family member. When 12-year-old adopted New Yorker Ruth Quayle plugs a photo of herself into a search engine, she's shocked to find images of what appears to be an identical twin living in England. She sends an enthusiastic missive to the girl, Ruby Starling, who is initially skeptical but soon becomes convinced that Ruth is her sister. Both girls get migraines and find small spaces comforting, but otherwise their lives are very different. Ruth writes poems and is working on an animated documentary with her best friend; Ruby is into fashion, crushing on a pop star, and prone to panic attacks since her grandmother died. The two make plans to meet, but are nervous to discover why they were separated. Amid a flood of escalating emotions, the emails exchanged among the girls and their friends and parents blend to create a lively chorus of voices. Ages 10â14.