Honey, Baby, Sweetheart

Gr 8 Up—A quiet 16-year-old girl, a bad boy, a senior citizen book group, and an old-fashioned love story are all wrapped up in this novel (S & S, 2004) by Deb Caletti. Ruby, "The Quiet Girl," feels fearless when she gets involved with motorcycle-riding Travis Becker, a handsome, rich boy who leads her into adventures that are dangerous, exciting, and sometimes illegal. After Ruby makes some bad choices concerning Travis, her librarian mother takes her to the weekly book club she runs for senior citizens, the Casserole Queens. Here, members discover that their current book has one of the club's own members, Lillian, as its subject. The madcap adventure to sneak Lillian out of her nursing home and the resulting road trip to reunite long-separated lovers has some unexpected benefits for Ruby and her mother as they work out unresolved issues in their own relationship. While the story begins somewhat slowly, it picks up speed as Amanda Ronconi perfectly voices all of the club members on their wild trip from Washington State to northern California. Be aware that there is mild swearing throughout the book.—Ann Brownson, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston