Ruby Parker Soap Star [Paperback]

Grade 6–9—When she was six, Ruby Parker landed a part on a popular TV soap opera. Now the 13-year-old spends summers taping the show, and in the fall she returns to a performing-arts school where other students are jealous of her career. Otherwise, she is a typical teen. She has a crush on a boy who ignores her, she giggles and schemes with her best friend, and she worries about the increasing tension between her parents. When Mum and Dad announce that they are splitting up, Ruby is devastated. With the help of friends, familiar and unexpected, she comes to terms with the change and learns more about herself in the process. The book is front-loaded with exposition, but, once established, the story clips along at a good pace. The writing is realistic; the language is suitably naive and particularly poignant when Ruby struggles to explain her feelings about the divorce. Her growth is demonstrated best in responses to fan letters sprinkled throughout the book. Early on, she tells the girls who write to her about their problems that things will be OK, and that they should talk to a trusted adult. The last letter sensitively acknowledges her pain, and she admits that although she doesn't know when or how it will go away, she trusts that it will. The happy ending isn't that everything works out the way she hopes; it's that everything works out in other ways, and she comes to terms with it.—Amelia Jenkins, Juneau Public Library, AK
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

On the outside, 13-year-old British TV soap actress Ruby Parker seems to love her life. She is famous, and she attends a posh performing-arts school. Inside, however, she doesn't feel like a star. Her parents are separating, her classmates talk about--rather than to--her, and she is facing a first kiss with the actor she likes. While she discovers some things are out of her control, she also learns that people and situations aren't always what they seem and that she has choices, on- and offscreen. Coleman's novel is entertaining and insightful, with an engaging protagonist whose droll narrative bursts through soap-opera superficialities touching on familiar adolescent concerns about self-esteem, school, and personal relationships with compassion and humor. Ruby's fan mail and her replies are scattered throughout the book, echoing the young teen's changing perspective. An adept blend of spoof and heart in a fast-paced, lively read. Shelle Rosenfeld
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

"Rowan Coleman's heroine is the sort of character teenage girls love." Sunday Express "An amusing look at how fame can affect even the most normal of people! prepare to laugh and cry all at the same time." Mizz "Two sensational reads! If you're looking for stardom like Ruby, you'll love her two new books." Girl Talk

Child soap-star Ruby Parker discovers fame isn't all it's cracked up to be! Ruby Parker has been acting in the glamorous soap, Kensington Heights, for most of her life. She is stunned when she overhears the script writers discussing whether to kill her character off, or to replace Ruby with a more beautiful actress! She has always felt like the ugly duckling compared to her stunning co-stars, but now more than ever she sees that everyone is disappointed how the cute, chubby dimpled four year old has morphed into a lumpy pimpled fourteen year old. Ruby is feeling more self-conscious than ever, and to top it all off, she discovers she's got to have her first screen kiss -- with the oh-so-gorgeous Justin de Souza, the soap's hunk. What with dealing with fame on a national level, having her first ever kiss in front of cameras and dealing with everyone's jealousy at stage school, Ruby doesn't think things can get any harder. Then her parents give her the most unexpected (and worst) news yet!

Rowan Coleman has been writing books for adults and children since 2002 when she won Company Magazine's 'Young Writer of the Year.' Her books for adults include The Times Bestsellers The Accidental Mother and The Baby Group. Rowan is currently writing the Ruby Parker series for girls, featuring child star Ruby Parker who is just like any other thirteen-year-old girl--except she is famous. Before becoming a writer, Rowan worked in bookselling and publishing for several years. Rowan lives in Hertfordshire with her husband, young daughter and a standard poodle called Polly.