Ruby is drawing – her most favourite thing to do. She’s been grounded by her mum’s boyfriend (Dodgy Dave) and confined to her room she is happy just to be away from him. When she finishes drawing her caricature of him, Ruby climbs out her bedroom window and soon finds herself in a local market.

Drawn towards a stall called ‘Second Hand Treasures’, Ruby picks up a golden pen. It makes her feel strange, somehow even feeling better about everything that has been happening in her life. The stall holder explains the Latin inscription along the pen – “The Future is in Your Hands.” Ruby’s very near future holds Hetherington Hall, a boarding school for both girls and boys, and she has no choice whether to go or not. Maybe having such a special looking pen might help?

Hetherington Hall is awful for the first few days. Ruby is bullied by the soccer team captain and her friend, and even a teacher. Somehow the headmaster Mr Lemon takes a disliking to her too. Ruby falls back on her drawing to make herself feel better – with surprising results.

The more she draws with the golden pen, the better she feels. Some of her drawings are to vent her anger at the unfairness of her new school, but then she discovers that they seem to becoming true. The more she is bullied, the more she refines her drawings until she wreaks havoc on her bullies.

They try to complain to Mr Lemon the headmaster, but he is too busy planning something that will make him rich, ruin the forested area behind the school, and put one of Ruby’s new friends in terrible danger.

Can Ruby use her amazing pen to stop his terrible plan? Will she be able to stop before she becomes a bully herself? All that is messy in her life comes to a head. Her mother’s unhappiness, her friend’s safety, Dodgy Dave’s deals and her terrible teachers are all soon to be faced in a courageous showdown.

With high production values, great b&w illustrations throughout and a fast moving story, Ruby and the Pen is a fun start to a new series for 8+ readers.

This tale has a straight forward storyline including boarding school bullies, problems at home with a step parent, and a likeable main character.

Swirl in a magic pen, hilarious moves on the soccer field and a bumbling headmaster and you will find a light entertaining story with a plethora of engaging illustrations to portray the action.

The image of the cover doesn’t show the eye catching sparkling blue font in the title and stars.

Author – David Lawrence

Illustrator – Cherie Dignam

Age – 8+

Read another book in this fun series (Click on the Cover)

(2023, Exisle Publishing, Humour, Funny, Boarding School, Friendship, Greed, Saving a Species, Birds, Grief, Stepfather, Dodgy Deals, Theme Park, Series, Courage, Bullies, Terrible Teachers)