Ruby and Olivia - Hardcover

★ "The girls relate their spooky adventure and developing friendship with humor, tenderness, and just the right amount of creepiness. This is sure to delight girls, and there is just enough suspense and mystery to provide an enjoyable read for boys as well."--School Library Connection, starred review

"Equal parts preteen drama and ghost story, Ruby & Olivia will delight young readers with its mild spookiness that remains grounded in the everyday complexities of family, friendship, and finding yourself."--Booklist

"As they work to solve the mystery of Live Oak House, Ruby and Olivia become fast friends while also encouraging the best in each other. . . . This lightly spooky story demonstrates the complexities of preteen girl relationships."--Kirkus Reviews

"This is a lightly creepy haunted house mystery for fans of books like Neil Gaiman's Coraline or Jonathan Stroud's The Screaming Staircase--though not as scary."--School Library Journal

"Readers who enjoy stories where the ghosts turn out to be as real as the friendships required to bust 'em are the audience for this."--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

A spooky middle-grade story that's full of fun, friendship, and humor--perfect for fans of Ingrid Law and Lisa Graff.

Ruby is bold and opinionated, while Olivia has always been respectful and well behaved. But Olivia’s good-girl image is tarnished when she takes the fall for her twin sister’s misdeed. And now Olivia is stuck with Ruby all summer—at a community service day camp for troublemakers.

To kick off the spirit of service, the campers are tasked with cataloging the contents of Live Oaks, a historic mansion in their town. Sorting through objects in an old house sounds boring, and working together is the last thing the girls want to do, but the stuff is actually kind of cool. There’s everything from mink stoles to golf clubs to antique dolls . . . and . . . wait . . . is that doll watching them?

It isn’t long until little tricks—like mysterious music playing, doors slamming, and shadows rising—start to spook the girls. They’d like to think the other campers are pranking them, but they soon realize that this empty mansion might not be uninhabited after all. To solve the mystery at Live Oaks, Ruby and Olivia will have to put their old grudges aside and figure out how to be a team.

This gently creepy middle-grade story is full of all the heart, humor, and authenticity that make Rachel Hawkins a favorite with kids and teachers alike.