The Center of Everything
By Sally Engelfried,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Sweet, funny story of girl recovering from grandma's death.
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What's the Story?
Ruby's always done what she's supposed to do. Calm and competent, everyone relies on her not to be any trouble. But when her grandma Gigi dies, Ruby can't seem to get back on track even weeks after everyone else seems to have moved on. When she's chosen to be the Essay Girl at Bunning Day, the town's annual holiday to celebrate the inventor of donuts, she places all her faith in a wish made on a quarter tossed though a bronze donut. This, she hopes, will mend her relationships with her longtime best friend and a new friend, as well as fix the mistake she made on her grandma's last day. In chapters that alternate between the Bunning Day parade and flashbacks of the events since her grandma's death, Ruby waits for the sign that everything will be all right.
Is It Any Good?
As in her previous novels Hound Dog True and A Crooked Kind of Perfect, Linda Urban perfectly captures here the essence of being a sensitive tween girl wrestling with an internal problem. She addresses Ruby's grief with delicacy while highlighting the humorous aspects of her quirky town. Though this could not be called fast-paced, patient readers will stay interested as Urban gradually reveals the roots of Ruby's problems and retraces the events leading up to the Bunning Day celebration -- all of which adds up to a satisfying resolution.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about community festivals like Bunning Day. What are the advantages of in-person celebrations like this compared with social networking? What are some disadvantages?
Why do you think books and movies about small towns are so popular?
Can you think of other books that deal with the death of a loved one? Do you think it's important to include humor in a book about death?
Book Details
- Author: Linda Urban
- Genre: Coming of Age
- Topics: Friendship
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
- Publication date: March 5, 2013
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 9 - 12
- Number of pages: 208
- Available on: Nook, Hardback, Kindle
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
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