Laura Ruby
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Laura Ruby is an American author of twelve books, including Bone Gap (2015), winner of the 2016 Michael L. Printz Award and finalist for the 2015 National Book Award for Young People's Literature. She is also a professor at Hamline University.
Bone Gap is a coming-of-age mystery about a kidnapping in a small Midwestern town, and it incorporates elements of mythology and magical realism. The New York Times Book Review called it a "lush and original young adult novel". In an interview with Publishers Weekly, Ruby characterized her award-winning novel as an "oddball" book that doesn't fit neatly into one genre.
Biography
Ruby grew up in New Jersey, and now lives in the Chicago metropolitan area.
She is a faculty member at Hamline University in the low-residency MFA program in writing for children and young adults.
She teaches fantasy writing workshops for children's authors at Highlights.
Awards and honors
Ruby's books and audiobooks constitute seven Junior Library Guild selections: Bone Gap (audiobook and book) (2015), The Shadow Cipher (2017), The Clockwork Ghost (2019), Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All (audiobook and book) (2020), and The Map of Stars (2020).
In 2015, Bone Gap was named one of the best books of the year by Bank Street College of Education, Chicago Public Library, Locus, the New York Public Library, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal.
In 2017, The Shadow Cipher was named one of the best books of the year by the Chicago Public Library, New York Public Library, and Los Angeles Public Library.
In 2019, Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All was named one of the best books of the year by the Chicago Public Library,Locus, NPR, School Library Journal, Shelf Awareness, and Tor.com.
| Year | Title | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Lily's Ghosts | Edgar Award | Juvenile | Finalist | |
| 2007 | The Chaos King | Cybils Award | Elementary and Middle Grade Speculative Fiction | Finalist | |
| 2012 | Bad Apple | Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults | — | Selection | |
| 2015 | Bone Gap | Booklist Editors' Choice | Books for Youth | Selection | |
| Cybils Award | Young Adult Speculative Fiction | Finalist | |||
| National Book Award | Young People's Literature | Finalist | |||
| Nebula Award | Andre Norton Award | Finalist | |||
| 2016 | ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults | — | Selection | ||
| Michael L. Printz Award | — | Winner | |||
| The Shadow Cipher | ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults | — | Selection | ||
| 2019 | Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All | Booklist Editors' Choice | Books for Youth | Selection | |
| Geffen Award | Translated Fantasy Book | Finalist | |||
| National Book Award | Young People's Literature | Finalist | |||
| 2020 | ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults | — | Selection | ||
| Rise: A Feminist Book Project | — | Selection |
Published works
Standalone books
- Lily’s Ghosts (2003)
- Everything I Wanted to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume (2006)
- I'm Not Julia Roberts (2007)
- Good Girls (2006)
- Play Me (2008)
- Bad Apple (2009)
- Bone Gap (2015)
- Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All (2019)
York series
- York: The Shadow Cipher (2017)
- York: The Clockwork Ghost (2019)
- York: The Map of Stars (2020)
The Wall and the Wing series
- The Wall and the Wing (2006)
- The Chaos King (2007)