Oh, and for those who need to keep an eye out for this stuff - yes to the sex (off-camera), the swearing, the drinking and the smoking. To allow other people to care about her, and in turn, to allow herself to care about other people. Ruby's real challenge is to let herself let go. So really, it isn't much of an external challenge, except for the more difficult work load. But Sarah Dessen didn't go the obvious route and make the Ruby's classmates obnoxious and snobby. She's also now in a new school, one that's much more challenging and one that's largely populated with very wealthy teens. But she doesn't voice those worries very often, even to herself. Yes, she's worried about her mother, and yes, her relationship with her sister has a long way to go. What's really different about this one is that Ruby's struggles are mostly internal. And social services places Ruby with her older sister, Cora, who Ruby hasn't seen since she was ten years old, since Cora left for college and never looked back. In a few months she'll be on her own anyway.īut she gets caught. While she understands it in others because she deals with it herself, the situation becomes impossible when Ruby discovers that Nate is being physically and verbally abused by his father. There isn't a Perkins bus in the mornings though one runs in the afternoon for those students. As she learns to accept friendship, she discovers that others also feel the need to remain aloof. Ruby announces her intention to refuse Nate's offer of a ride to school, saying she'd rather take the bus. When her mom takes off for good, Ruby decides to stick it out rather than contact social services - after all, she's almost eighteen. In chapter four, Ruby wakes Saturday morning to the sound of a backhoe digging the pond Jamie has planned for the backyard. Even when her mother was around, Ruby took care of most everything - including, oftentimes, her mother's job. Ruby Cooper has had to fend for herself for a long time. See more ideas about lock and key, sarah dessen books, quotes. Lock and Key in three words: Not an exception. Explore Book Lovers board 'Lock and Key', followed by 124 people on Pinterest. Sarah Dessen's books, in ten words: Girl struggles against, overcomes adversity.

Lock and key sarah dessen summary