Reviews for Ring from Rairarubia (The Rairarubia Tales Series, Book 5)

The average rating for Ring from Rairarubia (The Rairarubia Tales Series, Book 5) based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2008-09-05 00:00:00 Mark Hobdell Teen / BTSYA reader: Ring From Rairarubia has a very cleverly crafted plot, with many unexpected twists and turns. The characters are realistic, dynamic, and have several dimensions which young readers can relate to. Rich descriptions in the text add to the quality of the plot, the well-roundedness of the characters, suspense, and mood of this skillfully written fantasy tale. To read our full review, go to the Reading Tub.

Review # 2 was written on 2011-07-13 00:00:00 Nigel Harrington Part of Second Story Press's Gutsy Girls series and taking place (set in) 1960's Ontario, Sharon Jennings' Home Free presents and depicts what I for one would definitely and with pleasure consider and call a successful and honest (in other words a realistic) picture and portrait of a mid 20th century Canadian girlhood, with eleven year old Lee (Leanna) Mets portrayed (or actually more to the point presenting herself, for Home Free is penned as a first person narrative, is thus narrated by Lee in her own voice) as an engaging and personally relatable mixture of curiosity, frustration and above all imagination (the latter of course and sometimes indeed a trifle frustratingly being rather too overly romanticising and in definite need of some reigning in, but considering that Lee does strive to, does desire to become a writer, an active and constantly rotating, constantly churning imagination is not really all that much of a negative and in fact also rather a major necessity, a requirement, no matter what Lee's strict Prespertyrian mother in particular might consider with regard to the appropriateness of her daughter's literary ambitions, although Lee certainly does way too often take her imagination to an extreme and to allow herself to be ruled and consumed by it). And bien sûr, considering how much of a fan of L.M. Montgomery's orphan literary character creations (and especially her Anne of Green Gables) Lee obviously is, when she first meets her new neighbour, equally eleven year old and supposedly orphaned Cassandra (Cassie) Jovanovich, Lee (and totally according to her imaginative nature and natural exuberance) is so romantically enthralled by Cassie's reputed "orphanhood" that she both totally wants and expects Cassie to both be a kindred spirit and best friend and therefore also never really at first in any way notices, grasps that Cassie feels at best uncomfortable with Lee turning her parentless status into something wonderful, intriguing and captivating (and Cassie's discomfort certainly does make more than enough common sense, since after Lee's father unexpectedly succumbs to a heart attack and with Lee becoming ever more adamant that because she, that because Lee is now also partially an orphan, that she and Cassie are increasingly akin and alike, increasingly similar due to similar life experiences, namely a parent's death, Cassie in frustration and with indeed rather righteous anger reveals to Lee that she is NOT really an orphan, but illegitimate, that her mother abandoned her, that she has never met her father, but that both are more than likely very much alive). A strong and engaging middle grade story (often humorous, sometimes very much heartbreaking)! But while I have indeed very much enjoyed Home Free and truly loved reading and immersing myself in Lee's voice and musings (and even her rather childish and gushingly immature as of yet attempts at writing), on a personal and emotional level, I have actually found Cassie a trifle more likeable as a character, simply because I do rather wish that Lee had right from square one, right from the start of Home Free noticed that almost all of her questions to Cassie about her life and her supposedly being an orphan were making the latter both uncomfortable and majorly irritable. And while I indeed do highly recommend Home Free and think that Sharon Jennings has penned pretty much a total winner here, Lee's lack of perception and constant gushing about orphans does tend to get if not a trifle stale then certainly a bit tedious and annoying when one realises just how much all of this obviously annoys and chafes Cassie (for while yes, it is only revealed right at the end of Home Free that Cassandra Jovanovich is actually not an orphan, that she feels majorly uncomfortable talking about herself and her past, that is pretty much obvious right from the beginning, but sadly not really to and for Lee).