On the MyBrownBaby Bookshelf: Ruby And the Booker Boys. Plus, MBB's First Contest!

Ruby and the Booker Boys: Brand New School, Brave New Ruby
by Derrick Barnes and Vanessa Brantly Newton (illustrator)
Scholastic Paperbacks


Ruby Marigold Booker is fabulous: Her favorite color is grape-jelly purple; she’s got an iguana named Lady Love; she can sing like nobody’s business, and; when she grows up, she plans to be the most famous animal doctor on the planet. But she’s got to make it through the first day of school at Hope Road Academy, where her three big brothers run things. Tyner, Marcellus, and Ro are smart, funny, and athletic and musically-inclined, and they’ve got serious reps as The Booker Boys. But Ruby? Well, she’s just their little sister. Not for long though. When Ruby schemes to hijack the school PA system and belt a tune for the entire school, it’s clear she doesn’t intend to be the “little sis” for long.

Oh, the sheer joy that is Ruby, who, in the capable hands of author Derrick Barnes and illustrator Vanessa Brantley Newton, is a spirited, colorful, adorable little character that absolutely charmed my daughters. They loved her spunk and spirit and crazy antics. I loved that Ruby’s got a family, school, and community that adores and supports her, and that she serves up a fantastic example of what it means to square your shoulders and find your way out of other people’s spotlight—and into your own. Even better, in the true tradition of the Ramona, Junie B. Jones, and Judy Moody series, Ruby and the Booker Boys has its own series of books, including “Trivia Queen, 3rd Grade Supreme,” and “The Slumber Party Payback.” A fourth, “Ruby Flips For Attention,” comes out in January ‘09. Ages 7 to 11 can read the Ruby books on their own; younger children will love having the story read to them.

To enhance your child’s reading experience:
• Help her write a short story about her first day at school
• Have him draw a picture of himself doing something he’s good at, or something that he loves about himself.

THE CONTEST:

Win in the entire Ruby and the Booker Boys series, autographed by the author, Derrick Barnes! Imagine that: Three books featuring a character your child will flip for, with the personalized autograph of the writer who penned them. These paperback books can be purchased for $4.99 a piece, but Derrick Barnes’s autograph is priceless.

Here’s how you enter: Visit Derrick Barnes’s website, then come back to MyBrownBaby and leave a comment about something you learned about Ruby or Derrick by 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, November 16, 2008.

Want to enter more than once? Boost your chances of winning by completing one or more tasks on this list:

If you haven’t already, sign up for MyBrownBaby’s email updates by 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, November 16, 2008. To be eligible, you must verify your email subscription when Feedburner sends you a verification email. Your entry will be invalid if you do not verify. If you would prefer to get MyBrownBaby updates via an MBB RSS feed, please leave a comment letting me know you’ve done so, and include an email address, as RSS subscribers are anonymous.

Buy one or more of the Ruby books on Amazon, and email a copy of your confirmation order to mybrownbabycontests@gmail.com.

Blog about MyBrownBaby and post a link to your blog entry here.

Fave MyBrownBaby on Technorati. After you do this, come back to MyBrownBaby to leave a comment with your Technorati user name so that I can verify it.

See? That means each of you can receive up to 5 entries. A winner will be chosen via Random.org, and contacted via email. This contest is available to U.S. mailing addresses only.

Well… what are you waiting for? Go ahead—Ruby is waiting!