Ruby on the Outside

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…Baskin delves into her protagonist’s evolving perceptions as her awareness of her mother’s circumstances deepens. Ruby’s gradual revelation of the truth represents her determined, hopeful progress toward healing and acceptance. A deeply compassionate exploration of an experience underrepresented in children’s literature but overrepresented in the real world.

…readers will benefit from Ruby’s emotional evolution as she learns the cathartic power of creativity, honesty, and friendship. VERDICT Sensitively handled and emotionally impactful, this novel is especially a must-have for libraries that serve children of incarcerated parents.

Readers will empathize with her reticence to gamble on a new friend’s understanding and compassion. The plot thread regarding the victim’s identity ramps up the angst, offering middle-graders a tantalizing taste of the melodrama that awaits them around the corner in YA fiction.

Nora Raleigh Baskin, author and advocate wrote the fictional story of Ruby on the Outside to shine a light on the fragile experience of growing up with a mother in prison. Her account is heartfelt and heartbreaking. Readers are moved by Ruby’s courage, and all that it takes to live with the absence of her mother by her side. For Ms. Baskin, the story is timely, essential and deeply personal.