Ruby Starr Series, Book 1

by Deborah Lytton

  “I’m making lemonade, Gram,” I tell her. “That’s what I am doing.” I am taking the lemons Siri and the other girls have handed me. And I am turning them into something sweet—a new book club.

  Gram is pulling Grambus into a parking space at the library. She turns to grin at me. “You can see a glass as half-full or half-empty, pumpkin. It’s all completely up to you. Myself, I choose the half-full every time.”

  “I hope we can find the book I need for tomorrow. I want to get started on the first chapter at least.” Mrs. Cheer didn’t give us any homework tonight so I have lots of time to read.

  We head straight for the children’s library on the right side. It’s behind an open archway entirely made out of wooden books. And the best part is that all the wooden books have titles. They aren’t just fake-to-look-real books. All the classics are represented: Peter Pan, The Secret Garden, Little Women, Black Beauty, Grimm’s Fairy Tales. So when I pass underneath the archway, it’s like I am being welcomed by my oldest friends.

  My favorite librarian is Miss Mary. She is in college, studying to be a teacher. So she works at the library in the afternoons. The best thing about Miss Mary is that she knows every book in the entire children’s library. Seriously, she has read every single one—which is pretty amazing since there must be thousands and thousands of books here.

  “Miss Mary!” I whisper, excited to see her curly brown hair and big smile.

  “Hi there, Ruby. How’s my favorite reader?”

  “Actually, it’s been kind of a tough day so far. I’ve actually named it ‘the Very Horrible Day.’”

  Miss Mary scrunches up her nose, which makes her look even younger than she usually does. “I’m sorry, Ruby. That’s not what I like to hear. But you know, there’s one thing that can always make a bad day better—books.”

  I grin at her. Book people understand one another. I know exactly what Miss Mary means. You can lose yourself in a book. That’s the absolute best thing about reading.

  “I’m looking for a particular book today,” I tell her. I would love nothing more than to roam the shelves and find a book that no one (except Miss Mary) even knows is here. But today, I am on a mission. “The Secret Merlin Society.”

  Miss Mary’s eyes twinkle, and she smiles really big. “Best book ever. It’s definitely in my Top Ten Favorites of All Time category.”

  I turn to grin at Gram, and she winks at me. Suddenly, the day isn’t so completely horrible after all. Only, just then, Miss Mary says these words:

  “But I’m not sure we have a copy right now.”

  “She needs it for a book club meeting tomorrow,” Gram explains.

  “I understand,” Miss Mary says, puckering her lips. “Let me do some checking. Just give me a couple of minutes.”

  Gram offers to help me choose another book. But I don’t want to look for another book when I need this one. It seems disloyal somehow. So instead, I sit down on the yellow-and-white polka-dot chair in the corner. Gram sits on the blue-and-yellow-striped sofa. And we wait.

  I can see Miss Mary from where I am sitting. First, she types on the computer. Next, she picks up the telephone. Then, she searches the back shelves. How many places can one middle-grade book hide? Finally, she comes over to us.

  “So here’s the thing, I have good news and bad news.”

  I’d rather have the bad news first, to get it out of the way and all. But she gives me the good first.

  “The good news is that we have one copy here in the library.”

  I smile.

  “The bad news is that I can’t seem to locate it.”

  And the frown is back.

  “But don’t worry, Ruby. It has to be here somewhere. It’s just been misfiled or pulled for some reason. I am going to look now.”

  Miss Mary disappears into the main part of the library. I can see her talking to another librarian. They turn back to look at me, so I know they are talking about me. Then that librarian walks with Miss Mary to a third librarian. Soon, there are five librarians searching for my book.

  It should make me feel good that so many people are trying to help me. But it doesn’t. It actually makes me feel bad that they are all looking for this book for me. And that I am causing them so much trouble. Because if the Unicorns were still a book club, like they were supposed to be, I wouldn’t be rushing out at the last minute trying to find a book. I would already have the book, and no one would have to work so hard to help me.

  My eyes start stinging a little bit at that last thought. Gram must realize because she moves over to stand beside me. She reaches out and touches the top of my head.

  “Give them a few more minutes. I think they’ll find it for you.”

  I know that a minute is only sixty seconds, and a few is about three minutes. So altogether, a few minutes should only be one hundred and eighty seconds, which really isn’t that long. But it seems like a thousand minutes go by before Miss Mary returns.

  “Only good news this time, Ruby,” she says as she holds up a copy of The Secret Merlin Society with the society’s symbol of stars in the shape of a sword on the cover.

  I can’t help myself. I know I am in fifth grade and all, but I jump up and down and squeal like I have just won a trip to Disney World. I’m that happy. I hug Miss Mary. Then I hug Gram. Then I hug both Miss Mary and Gram.

  “Thank you, thank you, thank you. This is the best day ever!” I tell them.

  “I’m so happy to know that we’re past the Very Horrible Day,” Gram responds with a grin.

  “Oh, that’s ancient history.” I return her smile with a giant one of my own. “I can’t wait to start reading right away. Right this very minute.” I plop down on the blue-and-yellow-striped sofa and open to page one.

  “Not so fast,” Gram says with a wink. “We’re out of time. We have to go get your brothers now.”

  I sigh. Page one of The Secret Merlin Society will have to wait just a little bit longer.

  Gram turns back to Miss Mary and thanks her again for all her help. “You have been a real lifesaver today.”

  “A superhero of extraordinary powers,” I add. “I’ll let you know how the first meeting of the Polar Bears Book Club goes tomorrow.”

  “I can’t wait to hear,” Miss Mary tells us.

  Then I follow Gram through the library and out the door, cradling the book like a baby kitten the entire way home.

  • • •

  By morning, I have read all of chapter one and half of chapter two. I am thrilled to report that the girl in the story, Navera, is the most powerful of all the magicians. The society meets in a secret basement underneath the oldest library in their town, and they wear special golden rings to connect with each other.

  I can’t wait to discuss this with Will P at lunch. I even pack extra cookies and raisins to share with the group.

  When I arrive at school, I don’t go over to Siri and the other Unicorns like I usually would. I am giving them the Shun. The Shun is when someone close to you is mad at you, and they decide to shun or ignore you like you smell bad or something.

  I have nothing to say to any of them (except maybe Jessica because she did vote for the Unicorns to stay as a book club). Charlotte must not understand the Shun though. Because she actually comes and stands next to me in line.

  “Hi, Ruby. I like your dress.” Today is Picture Day, so I am wearing a pink dress with green and white flowers on it. My hair is in two ponytails that kind of bounce around ’cause of the curls. Of course, I have on my green sneakers with the pink laces. They go perfectly with everything.

  It’s an upside-down, backward sort of day: giving the Shun to Siri and receiving a compliment from Charlotte.

  “Thanks,” I mumble. “I like yours too.”

  Charlotte smiles at me, a real smile that even shows her braces. And then I realize. Charlotte is the onl
y one who is happy I am not part of the Unicorn Drama Club, because now she can have the Unicorns all for herself. And by Unicorns, I don’t just mean the book club part of the Unicorns; I mean the members of the Unicorns also known as my friends.

  Charlotte is wearing a striped dress. Her hair is brushed out long, and she has a red ribbon tied around her head like a headband. I figure even though I know her niceness isn’t really coming from the heart, I shouldn’t let on that I know. Maybe sometimes it’s better just to pretend. So I smile back and compliment her outfit too. “Red looks nice on you.”

  The compliment is out of my mouth before I can stop it. What am I doing? I am being nice to the enemy!

  “At my old school, they let us hold a special item in our class pictures,” Charlotte tells me. (If her wonderful old school was so fantastic, why didn’t she just stay there?)

  I have no comment to make. What can I say anyway? How terrific that your old school was so much better than ours. But you’re stuck here now, so you might as well make the best of it. Or, Wow, I wish I could go there. You are so completely and totally lucky, Charlotte.

  Instead, I try to smile. My lips curve up, but the frown pushes down. Up, down. Up, down. In the end, the frown presses the smile into a straight line. So that is the expression I turn toward Charlotte.

  “You would probably hold a book, I’m guessing,” Charlotte says with her chin jutting out toward me. Before I can even think of a comeback, Charlotte moves ahead of me to follow Mrs. Cheer into the classroom. Yep, that’s right. Mrs. Cheer is back for Day Two. As I pass Mrs. Cheer at the door, I can positively say that my expression and her expression are the same. And that neither one of us wants to be here right now.

  Chapter 13

  The Lowercase m Mistake Has a Sequel

  Will P stops by my desk first thing. He points to his socks. They are bright red with books all over them. For a moment, the socks make me so happy that I forget about everything else.

  “Will, I absolutely and completely love your socks!” I tell him.

  Will poses in them like he is in a fashion show. “I’m fantastically stylish, Ruby. It’s one of my gifts,” he tells me and then hurries away to take his seat before Mrs. Cheer marks his name on the board.

  That’s Mrs. Cheer’s revenge. She writes on the board the name of every person who doesn’t behave perfectly. And when I say perfectly, I mean hands folded in lap, eyes on the board perfectly. That way, Mrs. Sablinsky can “deal” with us when she gets back. So far, my name is not on the list. Siri and Charlotte have both made the board though—for talking. I have to look at their names written there in red, side by side. It almost looks like an advertisement for the new BFFs in class. Siri and Charlotte.

  After we read a chapter of social studies out loud, Mrs. Cheer tells us to line up at the door.

  “It’s time for your class pictures,” she announces. I wonder if substitute teachers get to stand in for the teacher in the class picture. I imagine Mrs. Cheer and I could stand side by side, with our matching upside-down smiles (a.k.a. frowns).

  We walk in a single-file line to the auditorium, which would normally make me really unhappy because I couldn’t talk to my friends. Today, it feels like a little surprise, like spotting a monarch butterfly gliding past.

  “Please line yourselves up in height order,” Mrs. Cheer tells us when we arrive outside the auditorium. Everyone scurries around, arguing about who is taller. I just find a place between two people I barely know.

  Someone passes me a basket with tiny plastic combs. If we need to fix our hair, we can take one. My hair is too curly to even try one of the combs. I would either break it or end up with the comb knotted in my hair.

  I see my class photo in a fancy golden frame hanging on a museum wall. A crowd stands in front to look. The caption underneath my photo reads: “Princess Ruby, Age 10.” And there I am, wearing a ruby tiara and a strand of pearls and diamonds around my neck. Only a black plastic comb is stuck in my curls, and I have a giant frown on my face. The crowd points and laughs at my horrifically awful class picture. Their cameras flash as they take pictures.

  Flash. My eyes blink as I realize the camera flash is real.

  I quickly put on my best picture smile. I’ve been perfecting this one since I was four.

  “That’s it. You’re all finished. Next…” The photographer shoos me away and turns to the next person in line.

  I stand to the side, waiting for the rest of the line to finish. Some of the boys are sword fighting with the combs. Daisy and Jessica are braiding each other’s hair. I refuse to even look at Charlotte and Siri. So I tie and retie my shoes as long as possible. And then I play with the ruffles on my dress. I multiply the number of ruffles times the number of flowers. Then I divide. Then I add them together, and then I subtract. Math is my new best friend.

  “Time for the class photo,” Mrs. Cheer finally says. It is with relief that I follow her to the front of school where we line up in the same height order to take our class photo. I notice that Mrs. Cheer isn’t allowed in the picture. Her face doesn’t look all cranky just then. In fact, I think it might look almost sad. I know how it feels to not belong.

  “You can go outside for a half-hour break,” Mrs. Cheer tells us. Mrs. Sablinsky never gives us breaks like this. I’m guessing Mrs. Cheer needs the break more than we do.

  Everyone runs across the yard. I walk. I have nowhere I need to be.

  Jessica moves next to me. “I’m sure you’re really sad about the book club. I am. I just wanted you to know that,” she tells me in a quiet voice.

  When someone does something really truly nice, it takes your breath away. That’s what happens to me when Jessica talks to me. I lose my breath.

  “I know,” I tell her. “But I don’t want the Unicorns to be a drama club. That’s not why we started it.”

  Jessica nods like she agrees. But she doesn’t say it out loud.

  “Wanna sit with us at lunch?” she asks.

  I want to say yes, I really do. But I’m giving the Shun to Siri, even if I’m not giving it to Jessica. And when you are giving the Shun to someone, you don’t eat lunch with them.

  So that’s why I answer like this: “Not today, Jessica. But thank you.”

  • • •

  And that’s how I end up spending my free time with Mrs. Xia in the library. It’s not that I’m afraid to make new friends. I’m not. I try walking around the yard once. I even see some girls I might want to get to know better. But the truth is that when people are already grouped together, it’s hard to join. Not impossible, just hard. So I pretend like I am just walking to the library. And that was my plan all along. Only I know the truth.

  “Welcome!” Mrs. Xia says as I walk through the door. “What are you reading today?”

  “The Secret Merlin Society,” I answer with a smile. I know she will love this choice. And I am right. Because Mrs. Xia claps her hands together.

  “Wonderful! Such an exciting adventure. I’d like to be in the Society myself.”

  “Me too,” I tell her. “And I’m only on the second chapter.”

  Mrs. Xia chats with me about—what else?—books and then puts me right to work.

  “You can reshelve all these books. The first graders returned them this morning, and I haven’t had a chance to put them back.”

  I breathe in the smell of the library—old books and new books. It is comforting and exciting at the same time. Old friends and new friends are all gathered in this place. Then I stack the books really tall and lift them into my arms. I can’t see over the top, so I have to crane my neck to the side. If my mom were here, she would ask me to put half of them down and make two trips. But Mrs. Xia is at her computer tapping away on the keys. And she doesn’t see.

  I make my way to the fiction section and set the stack of books on the round red table in front of the bookshelves. I l
ook at the titles wistfully as I put each one away. These are some of my favorite books. And I can still remember my excitement at finishing a whole story all by myself. I open the books and read a few pages of each, sort of like saying hello to old friends.

  I open a book and look down at the page. I see a picture of a meadow. Suddenly, I am inside the meadow. I have stepped right into the book. A white horse with a pink mane and tail gallops out of the trees and comes to stand beside me. I have read this story before, and the horse is an old friend. He lets me ride him around the meadow. Then we collect wildflowers to braid in his tail. I wish I could stay, but I know I am only visiting.

  • • •

  Time flies quickly in the library, almost at warp speed. Before I know it, the half hour is over.

  “Thank you for your help today, Ruby,” Mrs. Xia tells me as she offers me a present from her treasure box. I’d like to say I am too old for these things. At the dentist I usually refuse a prize, now that I am ten and all. But Mrs. Xia has book-related prizes, and many of them are really, really old. I choose a bookmark from the nineteen-fifties with a small Scottie dog holding a book in his mouth. Underneath the dog in bright-red letters it says, Reading Makes Me Happy.

  Four words have never been so true. Because I leave the library with a smile on my face.

  Back in class, I am still giving Siri the Shun, and now I have added Charlotte too. So even though my table, Table 3, is assigned to study social studies with Table 1 (Siri’s table) and Table 5 (Charlotte’s table), I avoid making eye contact or even speaking to them. I answer questions and work with the other students, but I act like Siri and Charlotte are completely and totally invisible.

  When lunch arrives, Will P meets me at the backpacks.

  “Ready for book club?” he asks.

  I grin and nod. I’m making lemonade, I remind myself. On the way, I tell him about my library adventure yesterday and the search for the missing book. Will P is a great audience. He listens to my story and smiles at all the right parts.

  When we arrive at the lunch tables, I notice that the Unicorns are sitting at a different table than our usual one. They are all the way across the yard. I try not to let it bother me. I really and truly do. But it does. It tugs on my heart, like it’s stretching it to pull off a piece, like you do with licorice. You have to pull and stretch it before it breaks off.