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Summary
Summary
Ruthie is an eight-year old tomboy who lives in a small Indiana farming community at the start of World War 1. Rich in setting and full of lovable characters, this story deals with the highs and lows of family life and identity.
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
"Brisk packing, affectionate humor and an unforgettable heroine distinguish this first novel, set in 1916 Indiana," said PW in a starred review. An eight-year-old girl struggles to be the young lady everyone expects her to be in a houseful of boys. Ages 7-12. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Eight years old and an exuberant tomboy, Ruthie, the only girl in a family of seven boys and the only student in the entire third grade, desperately wishes for the companionship of another girl. Set in rural Indiana at the onset of WWI, this brief novel evokes the period as it realistically portrays Ruthie's ups and downs in the midst of her large, loving family. Black-and-white illustrations appear occasionally. From HORN BOOK Fall 1998, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Gr. 3^-5. A real tearjerker, this first novel will move children, not because it wallows in sentiment but because it is honest about the jealousy, disappointment, and mess in family life as well as the fun and tenderness. Bradley has based her story on her grandmother's childhood on a farm in Indiana around 1915, and the characters are drawn with affectionate realism. The nine-year-old's viewpoint and emotions are as authentic as the physical particulars of the time. Ruthie is the only girl in a family of seven boys and the only student in third grade at the local schoolhouse, where the girls treat her like an outsider because she is not a "lady." She would like to be less of a tomboy; yet, when she does make girlfriends, she behaves so badly that she drives them away. As World War I draws closer and her brother Joe dreads having to leave for the army, she is focused on saving pennies for a dainty doll from the Sears catalog. But sorrow hits her, too. In one episode she nearly dies of pneumonia, and a train brings a doctor through a snowstorm to save her life. When the U.S. declares war and Joe has to leave, she can barely stand it. The simple author's note applies to all good historical fiction: "Ruthie's Gift did not really happen, but it is still a true story." --Hazel Rochman
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-5Eight-year-old Ruthie hates being an "only" as in the only girl in the middle of six brothers and the only third-grade student in her one-room schoolhouse. Too impulsive to act in the ladylike manner that would make her mother proud, Ruthie pines for a china doll from the Sears Roebuck catalog. She feels certain that just owning such a doll would confer the female graces upon her. Changes both good and bad are on the horizon. Twin girls move to the farm just down the road and suddenly Ruthie has friends and fellow classmates. The shadows of World War I threaten her older brother, Joe. Even though he is only 15, he knows that war can reach out and pluck him off the farm. Each of the brothers has a sharply drawn personality, but it is Ruthie who will grab readers looking for a fictional friend. She is a homespun young heroine akin to other great girls lacking refinement: Jo March and Anne Shirley. Shorter than Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" books, this title is just the ticket for readers crossing the bridge to chapter books or for adults looking for a good read-aloud choice. Cajole readers to try this in lieu of the "American Girls" series. Also recommend Magdalen Nabb's "Josie Smith," a heartwarming British series written at the same reading level featuring a spirited girl who is short on money but long on love for the mother she sometimes disappoints.Marilyn Payne Phillips, University City Public Library, MO (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Ruthie, eight years old, is a strong and unforgettable character in the enthralling, old-fashioned novel that is Bradley's debut. The only girl in a family of five raucous, teasing boys, Ruthie prays that the new baby will be a girl. When she's disappointed, instead of celebrating the arrival of her new brother, she takes off--typical for her strong-willed personality. Though bright, she has trouble in school with the ""hittable, hateable"" girls who torment her, and she straggles to be the lady her mother wishes her to be. Life on a farm in that time and place--the Midwest just before the first world war--is shown in such subtle details as the wooden latch on the privy, but the story has immediacy and relevance for contemporary readers. There is love and wisdom in the way the adults handle their children: Crises and small incidents alike are informed by a thought-provoking perspective on what it means to grow up and to be a good person. Bradley imbues her chapters with suspense and drama, leading readers from one to the next, where they'll yearn for Ruthie to have the things she so desperately dreams of, suffer through her disappointments, and hurry her through her grave bout with pneumonia. A book and heroine to cherish. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Excerpts
Excerpts
Too Many Boys "How many eggs this morning?" Ruthie's mother asked. She walked slow and heavy around the corner of the hot stove and laid a platter of bacon on the table. "Fifty-seven." Ruthie slid into her chair. "Not bad," Ruthie's oldest brother, Joe, said approvingly. "Not bad," Ruthie's favorite brother, Paul, mimicked, dropping his voice low like Joe's. Joe flushed. He was fifteen, quiet and slow-moving, like the river this time of year. Joe loved the farm and took an interest in every part of it. Paul was nine, just one year older than Ruthie. He was quick as a spring flood and didn't care for farming at all. Paul was an adventurer. Ruthie would have liked to be an adventurer, but she was a girl. She grinned at Paul. Of all her brothers, he was the most like her. Father, Ted, and Luther came in from the barn. Ted whopped Ruthie's head with the back of his hand as he sat down. Ruthie kicked him. "Ruthie!" Father said. "He started it!" she protested. "It was an accident, Ruthie," Ted said mildly. Ruthie knew better than to believe that. Ted was thirteen. Luther stuck his face near hers. "Are you okay?" he asked solemnly. "Yes," Ruthie said, making the word sound long and annoyed. Luther was five, and he was always hanging on her. Mother plucked Charlie off the floor, where he was playing with a wooden horse, and sat him in the high chair. He howled until he noticed the food. Father said grace. When he finished, instead of saying "Amen" the way he always did, he paused a moment, then added, looking at his hands, "We pray for peace, today and for our future. Amen." "Amen," Ruthie said. She wondered what that was about. Grown-ups were always talking about war these days, but the war was somewhere far away. There was no need to pray about that war here. "Amen-pass-the-eggs!" Paul whispered. Ruthie giggled. "Paul Emory Hawk," Mother warned. "Sorry." He ducked his head. Ruthie piled her plate high with bacon, eggs, and toast. She swung her feet beneath her chair, ate, and tried not to worry about school. Today was the first day. She'd heard there were some new families living south of town. Maybe there would be enough new students that school would be different this year. She hoped so. Last year had been horrid. A glob of egg yolk fell off her fork onto her napkin. "Ruthie!" Mother sounded stern. "Did you muss your blouse?" Ruthie checked. "No, ma'am." "Keep yourself clean today, for a change. For this one day you can look like a lady." "I'll try." Mother cooked and cleaned, did housework, gardened, and chased after Charlie without ever getting a smudge of dirt on her. Ruthie despaired of being so tidy. She did try. She just couldn't do it. Maybe if she could, school would be easier. The other girls wouldn't scorn her so. "All of you had better try." Mother's glance swept the table. Joe, Ted, and Paul nodded. Luther nodded too, even though he was too young for school. Mother leaned back in her chair and ran her hand over her belly. She'd taken to doing that lately. "Mother," Ruthie said suddenly, "shouldn't I stay home from school? I could watch Charlie for you. And Luther. I could peel potatoes. I could be a big help." Mother smiled. "Ruthie, you need your education." "But--" Ruthie made a gesture toward Mother's swollen stomach. In just a few weeks, she was going to have a new baby. A girl, Ruthie hoped fervently. No family could have six boys and only one girl. It would be so unfair to the girl that it would never happen. "I'll be fine, Ruthie. Aunt Cleone is coming Friday to help out for a while. You go on to school." Ruthie nodded. It was the answer she'd expected. Mother inspected each of them before they left. She straightened Joe's collar, wiped a smut off Ted's neck, and made Paul tuck his shirttail in. She fussed longest over Ruthie, slicking stray hairs back behind her ears and smoothing and pulling at her new blouse. "Mother," Ruthie protested. "Mother, I look fine. I look better than the boys." Mother smiled. "You should. You're my little lady. Now remember that. Remember, you're a lady!" She gave her a kiss and a little swat on the shoulder. Excerpted from Ruthie's Gift by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.Table of Contents
1. Too Many Boys | p. 1 |
2. The Entire Third Grade | p. 8 |
3. The Baby Arrives | p. 13 |
4. Ruthie Leaves | p. 18 |
5. Happy Birthday, Boiled Bert | p. 26 |
6. A For-Real Invitation | p. 30 |
7. The House with No Boys | p. 35 |
8. In the Graveyard | p. 42 |
9. Poor Paul | p. 50 |
10. How a Lady Should Act | p. 56 |
11. Clarinda | p. 63 |
12. Praying for Peace | p. 68 |
13. Auditions! | p. 73 |
14. Great Tidings of Glad Joy | p. 78 |
15. Tattletales | p. 83 |
16. Sick, Sleepy Angel | p. 88 |
17. A Train Just for Ruthie | p. 97 |
18. The Pickle Jar | p. 103 |
19. Surprises | p. 108 |
20. The Center of Attention | p. 115 |
21. Stampeded into War | p. 121 |
22. Trying to Be Brave | p. 127 |
23. Travel Plans | p. 132 |
24. Sacrifice | p. 136 |
25. The Errand in Town | p. 141 |
Author's Note | p. 148 |