Relativity

Gr 7–10—Trying to hide from Kandy, her new, unbalanced stepsister, 15-year-old Ruby Wright opens the door she finds in an ancient oak tree just off her stepmother's property in small-town Ohio. She turns a dial in the middle of the tree and finds herself in a parallel universe where she has an older brother and her mother is still alive. As she travels alternative realities, Ruby questions whether she can find the perfect universe where her mother hasn't died, her parents are still together, and her older brother exists. The more she learns, the more she realizes that her time is running short to find that perfect world or return to the one she knows. The real story here is Ruby's acceptance of her current life. Pacing is steady, and the plot moves forward with each new world. The secondary characters do not play a huge part in the story, other than pushing Ruby to understand each one a little better, especially her stepmother and Kandy. She gets a chance to see what she's been missing, but her traveling through these alternatives may have dire consequences on those she encounters.—Natalie Struecker, Rock Island Public Library, IL