Ruby Wright is a sarcastic and funny teenager who is frustrated as she is forced to adjust to a new life. Her father recently re-married and moved them across the country, and if it isn’t bad enough that she had to leave her crush behind, she’s stuck in a tiny town with nothing she’s used to and her new new step-sister appears to be a bit like the Wicked Witch of the East. Life starts to get interesting when she pays a visit to a giant tree in the corn field behind her house and discovers it will show her what her life might’ve been like. Relativity is a light, yet thoughtful story. If you’ve ever thought your life could be better with just one little alteration, you need to read this book. I was surprised to learn that this was Cristin Bishara’s first novel–she did an incredible job. I seriously could not put this book down! There was plenty of laughing, and maybe a little crying. I couldn’t wait to see what each alternative reality would bring. If you’re looking for something suspenseful, amusing and unique, you’ll love this top-notch book.
This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: 7 religious exclamations; 10 mild obscenities; 1 derogatory name; 5 scatological words; 6 anatomical terms.
Violence/Gore: Several (16) brief incidents including joking about being killed and kidnapped; imagining getting beat up; verbal threats; implied physical abuse of child by parent; fist fights; second hand report of child’s mother dying in car accident; story about characters getting electrocuted and dying; character catching fire and dying; while in graveyard, speculation of how people died; character getting beat up; character runs into coffee table and severely cuts leg; character electrocuted several times and struck by lightning; character’s room gets vandalized.
Sex/Nudity: Several (14) brief incidents including characters sitting closely enough to touch shoulders and legs; wanting to kiss; kissing; touching arm; making out; character removes clothes to look at injury, ring out wet shirt and to change into clean clothing; mother breastfeeding her baby; character joking that she doesn’t aspire to be a lingerie model; character’s sexual orientation questioned by her mother; character thinking about having sex; character joking that if someone’s parents hadn’t wanted to have sex they wouldn’t have been born.
Mature Subject Matter:
Death of a parent; Bullying; Implied physical abuse by parent to young child; Divorce.
Alcohol / Drug Use:
Character’s father drinks wine; cigarette mentioned; character’s mother asks her if she’s on drugs; imagining a beer-sticky floor.
