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Your next favorite book
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by Laura Ruby
From the author of Printz Medal winner Bone Gap comes the unforgettable story of two young women - one living, one dead - dealing with loss, desire, and the fragility of the American dream during WWII.
When Frankie's mother died and her father left her and her siblings at an orphanage in Chicago, it was supposed to be only temporary—just long enough for him to get back on his feet and be able to provide for them once again. That's why Frankie's not prepared for the day that he arrives for his weekend visit with a new woman on his arm and out-of-state train tickets in his pocket.
Now Frankie and her sister, Toni, are abandoned alongside so many other orphans—two young, unwanted women doing everything they can to survive.
And as the embers of the Great Depression are kindled into the fires of World War II, and the shadows of injustice, poverty, and death walk the streets in broad daylight, it will be up to Frankie to find something worth holding on to in the ruins of this shattered America—every minute of every day spent wondering if the life she's able to carve out will be enough.
I will admit I do not know the answer. But I will be watching, waiting to find out.
That's what ghosts do.
"Powerful plotting, masterful character development, and a unique narrative device set this work apart. Make room on the shelf next to Code Name Verity and The Book Thief." - School Library Journal (starred review)
"Ruby's delicate, powerful storytelling reveals profound, bewitching truths about the vast, sometimes cruel, sometimes loving, possibilities of human nature. Subtle and stunning." - ALA Booklist (starred review)
"A layered, empathetic examination of the ghosts inside all girls' lives, full of historical realism and timeless feeling." - Kirkus Reviews
"Though a slow unspooling may frustrate some, the women's resonant journeys, marked by desire and betrayal, thoughtfully illuminate the deep harm that women and girls suffer at the hands of a patriarchal society as well as the importance of living fully." - Publishers Weekly
"A numinous tale of love and restlessness and dark histories that rises like a tide till you're up to your neck in its magic. My very favorite kind of read." - Melissa Albert
This information about Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Laura Ruby is the author of books for adults, teens and children. Her titles include the Edgar-nominated tween mystery Lily's Ghosts (now updated for 2011), the children's fantasy The Wall and the Wing (3/06) and a sequel, The Chaos King (5/07) all published by Harpercollins. She writes for older teens as well, and her debut young adult novel, Good Girls (9/06), also from Harpercollins, was a Book Sense Pick for fall 2006 and an ALA Quick Pick for 2007. She followed this with the teen novels Play Me (2008) and Bad Apple (2009).
Her short fiction for adults has appeared in various literary magazines, including Other Voices and The Florida Review. A collection of these stories, I'm Not Julia Roberts, was published by Warner Books in January 2007. Called "hilarious and heart-wrenching" by People and "a knowing look at the costs and rewards of remaking a family," by the Miami Herald, the book was also featured in Redbook, Working Mother, and USA Today, among others.
Raised in the wilds of suburban New Jersey, Laura Ruby now lives in the Chicago area with her husband and two cats that serve as creative advisers.
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