The Beat on Ruby's Street
A Beat Street Book
Author: Jenna Zark
Published: October 2015
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The last thing eleven-year-old Ruby Tabeata expected to happen on her way to a Jack Kerouac reading was to be hauled to the police station.
It’s 1958 and Ruby is the opposite of a 1950s stereotype: fierce, funny and strong willed, she is only just starting to chart her course in a family of Beat Generation artists in Greenwich Village.
Ruby dreams of meeting famous poets while becoming one herself; instead, she’s accused of trying to steal fruit from a local vendor and is forced to live in a children’s home. As Ruby struggles to return to family and friends, she learns her only choice is to follow her heart.
Join Ruby’s journey as she finds unexpected friendships, the courage to rebel against unjust authority and the healing power of art in this inspiring middle-grade novel by Jenna Zark.
It’s 1958 and Ruby is the opposite of a 1950s stereotype: fierce, funny and strong willed, she is only just starting to chart her course in a family of Beat Generation artists in Greenwich Village.
Ruby dreams of meeting famous poets while becoming one herself; instead, she’s accused of trying to steal fruit from a local vendor and is forced to live in a children’s home. As Ruby struggles to return to family and friends, she learns her only choice is to follow her heart.
Join Ruby’s journey as she finds unexpected friendships, the courage to rebel against unjust authority and the healing power of art in this inspiring middle-grade novel by Jenna Zark.
My thoughts and review
This book starts out quick paced and doesn't slow down. Ruby is on her way to a reading by her favorite writer, Jack Kerouac. Due to unseen circumstances she never gets to meet her idol. Instead, her life and those around her is thrown into a tailspin. Set in the 1950's beatnik generation, this book allows us to catch a glimpse of this era. Ruby is a street smart kid who writes her own poetry, does not trust 'The Man" including cops and authority figures and is wise way beyond her years. Being a Kerouac fan I enjoyed this book tremendously and read it in one sitting.
Jenna Zark is an extremely talented writer who takes us back to this generation. This is not the book that I would typically read but I am glad that I did. I did give the book 4 1/2 stars. The ending could have been tied up a little more neatly but hopefully this leaves room for another book in this series. It is hard for Ruby to understand that those around her only want what is best for her. Sometimes it is hard to remember that she is only a child despite her grown attitude.
I am also giving away a Kindle or Nook eBook to one lucky reader. I enjoyed this book so much and I know you guys will to. Enter using the Rafflecopter below.
Thank you so much to the Author and Editor for supplying me with a copy of this book for review.
About the Author:
Jenna Zark is a columnist, lyricist, and playwright. Her play A Body of Water was published by Dramatists Play Service and produced regionally after its debut at
Circle Repertory in
New York. Other plays were produced in the Twin Cities, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and St. Louis. As a columnist at TC Jewfolk, Zark writes about her relationships to Jewish holidays, rituals, and more. Columns have been reprinted in MinnPost, the Star Tribune, the Forward, and elsewhere. Literary essays and poems appeared in FieldReport and Stoneboat; articles have appeared in Woodbury magazine, Minnesota Bride and Midwest Home. Zark is also a member of the songwriting collective Prosody. She is still trying to figure out if it’s harder to write a play, novel or a song. To share your thoughts on that or learn more, please visit www.jennazark.com.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/
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