Really Rubie
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- Pre-Order
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- Expected Jun 2, 2026
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
The true middle school experience—awkward, DRAMATIC, and really fun!—comes to life in this hilarious diary-style series featuring color-lined pages and black and white illustrations. In the first book, Rubie has to face sleepaway camp without her BFF!
Hello, summer! Eleven-year-old Rubie Fox can’t wait to go to sleepaway camp for the very first time. She and her best friend Riley Swisher will go away for an entire month TOGETHER, and they’ll even be able to spy on Riley’s crush Owen, who will be across from Camp Pineview, over at the boys’ camp, Moose-Ridge.
But when Riley drops a bomb—she can’t go to camp because she broke her ankle—Rubie has to go by herself. Which sort of makes her feel RAGE…how can she go to camp without Riley?! But her mom has already paid for it, so she’s stuck with her plushie chicken Jim the Duck and a cabin full of girls she doesn’t know.
But Rubie just might make another BFF, break out of her shell, and even meet a boy…all without Riley. Camp might be more eventful than Rubie ever thought it could be—with more drama than she ever imagined!
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Eleven-year-old Rubie Fox's first time attending sleepaway summer camp goes hilariously awry in this frenetic illustrated series launch from Frost (Farm Shark). Though Rubie and her BFF Riley make detailed plans for tackling their time at Camp Pineview, these are upended when Riley breaks her ankle the day before departure, and Rubie pinky swears to not engage in any fun camp activities without her. Though Rubie initially resolves to spend all of her time in her cabin, she's overjoyed to find a friend in fellow artist Eliza. But when Eliza expresses interest in bracelet-crafting, water-tubing, and s'mores-making, Rubie wrestles with remorse over breaking her promise to Riley. To assuage her guilt, Rubie plots to complete Riley's mission to deliver a letter to Riley's crush, Owen, at neighboring boys' camp Moose-Ridge—only for her scheme to backfire when he confesses that he likes Rubie. As the weeks wind down, Rubie struggles to figure out how to maintain her relationship with Riley while making friends and embarking on new adventures without her bestie. Laugh-out-loud digital b&w line drawings portray stick-legged figures with round, expressive eyes, whose skin tones match the white background. Rubie's earnest first-person narration unspools across lined composition notebook pages, evoking tween diary charm as handwritten entries recount her experiences and observations. Ages 8–12.
