Ruby Redfort: A Rather Super Code Breaker

I was rather overjoyed when a fluorescent green proof was plopped in my lap at work, a small white fly staring at me from an otherwise blank cover.  Lauren Child, of Charlie and Lola fame, has jumped into the world of 9 -12 Fiction with a bang...no wait...an EXPLOSION.  This book was great fun, after reading a few rather wordy, and lets face it...very thoughtful books, this novel was like a breath of fresh air, something light and fluffy with just the right amount of silliness.  The book itself is due out on the 29th of Sept 2011 so is something to look forward to if you are a fan of the author or have a little one that is just the right age for this kind of thing...I will say it was a rather girly book, but some lads might like it.

Where to begin?  Ruby Redfort is a rather bored kid, her super rich parents are obsessing over a new exhibition in the local museum and the house help is arguing over silly things.  Ruby, you see, is rather intelligent, she writes down everything that she observes and is obsessed with breaking codes and puzzles with her close friend Clancy.  This all changes with the arrival of the suspicious new 'butler' who is about to introduce Ruby to a world of spies and code breakers in order to solve a mystery and hopefully prevent a massive theft in Ruby's home town.  All Ruby needs to do is to solve a puzzle, and hopefully not get killed in the process.

A really charming read, light, funny and engaging.  Ruby has a habit of breaking her own rules (yes, she lives by a set of rules that she has written out) and it is this that helps us to remember she is just a kid and she is rather prone to getting carried away with her ideas.  She also seems to have a bit of a habit of picking things up and not putting them back, I rather thought of her as a cheeky little clepto in some places, and this made me giggle all the more.  She does try to put these spy gadgets back but this results in her stealing yet more of these priceless items.

I particularly liked the host of characters in the book and the way Child always has some sort of banter between them.  Every exchange is witty and even the super villains are funny in their own way (also of course rather stupid in some instances).

All in all, very, very cute and I would recommend it to anyone that wants a super light and silly read.  It is predictable of course, but in a fun way, it is Child's writing more than the story that had me hooked.  It looks long, but you will whip though it in no time, that is the glory of large font!