
In Deb Caletti's lyrical young adult novel, sixteen-year-old Ruby McQueen, often called 'The Quiet Girl,' finds herself drawn into a thrilling but risky first romance with Travis Becker. Simultaneously, her mother, Ann, also dealing with a broken heart, enlists Ruby in a senior book club. When the group uncovers a tragic love story involving one of their own members, Ruby and Ann embark on a heartwarming road trip to reunite the long-separated lovers. This multigenerational story beautifully explores themes of love, loss, redemption, and the evolving relationship between a mother and daughter, offering rich opportunities for discussion about identity, courage, and the enduring nature of love.
In the summer of her junior year, sixteen-year-old Ruby McQueen and her mother, both nursing broken hearts, set out on a journey to reunite an elderly woman with her long-lost love and in the process learn many things about "the real ties that bind" people to one another.