With wonderfully nuanced characters, Li crafts a beautiful intergenerational story about grief and the struggle of changing friendships. Engaging, cultural, and authentic—everything I love about storytelling can be found here.” — Chrystal D. Giles, critically acclaimed author of Not an Easy Win
"A warm, beautiful read. Ruby Lost and Found brings the most tender touch to a story brimming with hope and loving memory." — Chloe Gong, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Foul Lady Fortune
“A beautiful story balancing the ever-present question of what to fight for and what to let go of. Full of friendships, loss, and heart-wrenching realizations, Ruby Lost and Found is a guide to overcoming the inevitable.” — M.T. Khan, author of Nura and the Immortal Palace
“Readers will fall in love with Ruby and her quest to find joy, family, community, and friendship after a loss.” — Sylvia Liu, author of Hana Hsu and the Ghost Crab Nation
"A warm hug to readers searching for their own place to belong." — Adrianna Cuevas, Pura Belpré Honor-winning author
"Essential reading for anyone who needs a reminder that the love someone's given them never goes away." — Jake Maia Arlow, Stonewall Honor-winning author
“Vividly imagined characters, relationships, and family dynamics are at the heart of this involving novel. A moving, intergenerational story.” — Booklist (starred review)
“Readers will identify with Ruby’s roller coaster of emotions amid the challenges of growing up. Empathetic and emotionally intelligent.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Affecting. An economically told, emotionally driven story that deftly incorporates multiple strands.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"What begins as an isolating and overwhelming journey through grief turns hopeful as Ruby learns that she doesn’t have to navigate change alone." — Horn Book Magazine
“A thematically rich novel that will spark important discussions, and to which any tween can relate. Perfect for fans of Merci Suárez Changes Gears and Maizy Chen’s Last Chance." — School Library Journal
★ 04/10/2023
In an affecting contemporary novel from Li (Clues to the Universe), Chinese American Ruby Chu, 13, struggles to process the death of her beloved paternal grandfather, Ye-Ye; her sister’s impending departure for college; and the splintering of her friend group. After Ruby gets in trouble for ditching school, her parents decide that she will spend summer weekdays and weeknights with her Nai-Nai, who lives near San Francisco’s Chinatown. Despite some initial awkwardness, Ruby finds comfort and stability in the routine of visiting Nai-Nai’s friends at the senior recreation center, where she also befriends schoolmate Liam Yeung. But the news that May’s Bakery—a Chinatown institution as well as a beloved spot for Ruby and Ye-Ye—may sell to developers, and Nai-Nai’s worsening memory, threaten Ruby’s fragile peace. Interspersing the present-day narrative with past scenes of Ruby and Ye-Ye’s time together, Li balances youthful optimism as Ruby and Liam seek to save the bakery with harder realities as Ruby contends with her guilt about Ye-Ye’s death and her own grief. It’s an economically told, emotionally driven story that deftly incorporates multiple strands—around community care, gentrification, and the messy parts of familial change—while representing an inclusive Cantonese- and Mandarin-speaking Chinatown community. Ages 8–12. Agent: Jessica Regel, Helm Literary. (May)
09/29/2023
Gr 5 Up—A thematically rich novel that will spark important discussions, and to which any tween can relate. Thirteen-year-old Chinese American Ruby is having trouble adjusting to the changes of the past year. She is grieving her beloved grandfather Ye-Ye and the loss of her best friends to new social groups. While staying with her grandmother Nai-Nai for the summer, Ruby must face more changes—to Nai-Nai and to the Chinatown neighborhood she loves. Li establishes a strong sense of place, emphasizing the importance of community and intergenerational connections in overcoming life's challenges. Ruby is a relatable and well-developed protagonist, as are the side characters, who add humor and heart to a sometimes emotionally heavy plot. VERDICT Perfect for fans of Merci Suárez Changes Gears and Maizy Chen's Last Chance, this novel is recommended for general purchase.—Maria Bohan
★ 2023-03-14
Big feelings are uncomfortable but to be expected in this story of finding joy and community amid change and loss.
With her best friend, Mia Ortega-Anderson, moving across the country to New York, Chinese American Ruby Chu was already afraid of seventh grade, but nothing prepared her for another close friend drifting away and the unexpected death of her beloved paternal grandfather. After Ruby’s caught ditching school, her parents decide she’ll spend summer weekdays with Nai-Nai, her paternal grandmother. At first reluctant to stay somewhere her grandfather is noticeably absent, Ruby’s walls lower as she and Nai-Nai speak openly about their grief. As Ruby begins to open up and find a comfortable routine, more big changes threaten her fragile sense of safety. When a family friend’s bakery is poised for closure, Ruby and classmate Liam Yeung set out to save it. The San Francisco Chinatown community is realistically presented: Mandarin and Cantonese are spoken, not every older adult is an immigrant, and a variety of professions and experiences are portrayed. It’s unclear if impulsive, restless Ruby, who struggles in school, is neurodiverse or just stands out compared to the rest of her driven, focused family. Readers will identify with Ruby’s roller coaster of emotions amid the challenges of growing up: loved ones leaving, friendships waning, and fitting into the world authentically. Ruby is incredibly self-aware, and her emotions are given space and validity without excusing harm done.
Empathetic and emotionally intelligent. (Fiction. 9-13)
