A girl with ambition. A clever ruse gone awry. A
fatal encounter…
Eleven-year-old Ruthless will do whatever it takes
to live up to her name. Slaughtering pirates, running an underground gambling
operation, and intercepting Russian spies are just a few examples.
In true Ruthless fashion, she claims
the title of student body president, but her aspirations are cut short after
getting in trouble. Not letting that stand in her way, she runs for Mayor with
the help of her incredibly strong best friend, Owen. Her town of Baton Rouge,
Louisiana, has no age requirement to run for the post. The chances of a child
winning are slim, to say the least, so Ruthless and Owen disguise themselves as
an adult with the good old ‘two kids in a trench coat’ ruse.
This seemingly harmless scheme has
grave consequences that invite the turmoil of her mother’s past back to haunt
her. When the dangers of the adult world come crashing down on Ruthless, she
must learn how to live with her new reality, and ultimately use it to turn her
life into a success story – and live up to her name.
But will she be able to leave the
past behind?
Purchase Links
Amazon UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Girl-Called-Ruthless-moving-coming-ebook/dp/B098X3ZW54/
Amazon.com - https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Called-Ruthless-moving-coming-ebook/dp/B098X3ZW54/
My Review
A Girl Called Ruthless is one of the more interesting middle-grade novels I've read. And while I'm not the target audience, this was one of those books I could appreciate as an adult, and I know if I were in the target age group, I'd like it just the same.
The story follows Ruthless (yes, her name is Ruthless, not Ruth), a young girl with big dreams and ambition. She's got her bestie Owen, who has boatloads of money; she calls her principal by his first name and occasionally talks to him like he's the child (highly amusing, to be honest); and she doesn't back down from doing what she wants, even if it could mean trouble for her.
Ruthless decides, early on in the story, that she's going to become Student Body President. So she cancels a special day the other students look forward to, and if they sign her petition to make her president, she'll basically give the day back to them. Sneaky. Manipulative. Genius.
Ruthless is, well, ruthless. And kind of a jerk. But a good kind of jerk, if there is such a thing.
Unfortunately for Ruthless, she doesn't last long in her new role. But that doesn't stop her from setting her sights higher. She decides to run for Mayor. And, because there's no age restriction, she can totally do it. But not without some help from Owen.
But the past is about to catch up to Ruthless, and soon, she finds herself in over her head. What's a determined little girl to do?
I thought this was a fun little story. It got a little darker than I expected it to, but it's still a safe read for middle-grade readers. Ruthless is definitely an interesting character. She gets a bit wild at times, but overall, she's pretty likeable.
The story itself is engaging and easy to read. I found myself flying through the pages.
The ending was okay. I would have liked it to be a little different, but it wasn't bad.
Overall, not a bad read.
4 stars!
Author Bio
– Melody firmly believes that one should
never completely grow up. That is why she has chosen to spend her days writing
for a younger audience. Melody resides in Jacksonville Florida with her beloved
corgi Gatsby, and her husband Dylan. She started her writing career with
children’s picture books and has now pivoted to middle-grade novels. She
believes that children are eager for more books with strong-willed characters
that deal with darker and interesting topics. Her debut novel, A Girl Called
Ruthless, is inspired by the fiery girls in her fourth-grade class. When Melody
is not writing or teaching kids how to write, she can be found planning her
next big trip to some magical place she has never been to.
Social
Media Links – Twitter: @melodypendy, Instagram and TikTok: @melodypendywrites
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