Dessen, Sarah Lock and Key, pgs.432 Penguin Group-Viking Juvenile.Language~PG-13, Sexual Content~PG; Violence~PG;
MS, HS –ADVISABLE
Seventeen-year-old Ruby knows how to take care of herself. She has been doing it for the last 10 years ever since her older sister Cora left for college. This left Ruby alone with her mother who is a habitual drug user and alcoholic. With a mother like hers, Ruby has been mostly on her own, even with her mother in the next room. Ruby's mother recently abandoned her, disappearing without a trace. Ruby hasn't heard from or seen her sister Cora, until Ruby is picked up by social services after their mother disappears. Cora takes Ruby into her home and life. Now Ruby has a new home, a new school, and a new life, none of which she really wants. In an unsuccessful attempt to run away, Ruby meets Nate. Slowly, Ruby begins to settle into her new life, however, in everyone’s life there comes unexpected issues that must be dealt with and Ruby isn’t so sure she can.
This novel about family problems, while a unique storyline, seems all too similar to Dessen’s last novel, Just Listen. Fans of Dessen’s work will enjoy this read, but it doesn’t stand out in the field of Young Adult Literature. The main character is sexually active, however, there are no described sex scenes. She also is a recreational drug user and she becomes wasted after binging on tequila and drugs. There is some swearing, but it is minimal.
Allison Madsen~Teen Librarian-SJO Public Library
Seventeen-year-old Ruby knows how to take care of herself. She has been doing it for the last 10 years ever since her older sister Cora left for college. This left Ruby alone with her mother who is a habitual drug user and alcoholic. With a mother like hers, Ruby has been mostly on her own, even with her mother in the next room. Ruby's mother recently abandoned her, disappearing without a trace. Ruby hasn't heard from or seen her sister Cora, until Ruby is picked up by social services after their mother disappears. Cora takes Ruby into her home and life. Now Ruby has a new home, a new school, and a new life, none of which she really wants. In an unsuccessful attempt to run away, Ruby meets Nate. Slowly, Ruby begins to settle into her new life, however, in everyone’s life there comes unexpected issues that must be dealt with and Ruby isn’t so sure she can.
This novel about family problems, while a unique storyline, seems all too similar to Dessen’s last novel, Just Listen. Fans of Dessen’s work will enjoy this read, but it doesn’t stand out in the field of Young Adult Literature. The main character is sexually active, however, there are no described sex scenes. She also is a recreational drug user and she becomes wasted after binging on tequila and drugs. There is some swearing, but it is minimal.
Allison Madsen~Teen Librarian-SJO Public Library
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment