Ruby Redfort Look Into My Eyes (Book #1)
In this funny and action-packed first installment of an adventure series from Child, Ruby (who Child’s fans will recognize as her character Clarice Bean’s favorite fictional heroine) quickly becomes bored with her first Spectrum assignment, poring over the files of a code-breaking agent who met an untimely demise. With the help of her sidekick/classmate Clancy Crew, she ventures out from her well-hidden office into more dangerous territory... Child’s sardonic narration will grab readers from the get-go, and puzzles laced throughout will intrigue those who share Ruby’s passion for solving mysteries.—Publishers Weekly (starred review)The detective-heroine of RUBY REDFORT LOOK INTO MY EYES may be small for 13, but she's a prodigy: brilliant, tenacious and observant to an almost Sherlockian degree... As Ruby and her best friend, Clancy Crew (no relation to Nancy Drew, surely) dash about following hunches, they're drawn into a whirl of comedy and menace, espionage and cryptograms, naive townspeople and baleful baddies... Ms. Child's appealing wiseacre tone keeps the mood buoyant throughout, even when it looks as if Ruby herself may be . . . toast.—The Wall Street JournalReaders familiar with Child’s Clarice Bean chapter books will be delighted to see Clarice’s mystery- solving hero, Ruby Redfort, star in her own book, a delightful homage to Louise Fitzhugh’s classic HARRIET THE SPY (1964)... This series opener shows much promise, with a swift pace, clever dialogue, and many codes and puzzles scattered throughout. Bold graphics, well-placed chapter breaks, and just enough irony will appeal to middle school readers who grew up with Clarice Bean. Child’s light, bright wit is in fine form here.—Booklist