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Lock and Key | 
 enlarge | Author: Sarah Dessen
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Category: Book
List Price: $18.99
Buy New: $10.69
You Save: $8.30 (44%)
New (34) Collectible (1) from $10.69
Avg. Customer Rating:  49 reviews
Sales Rank: 4853
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 432
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.3 x 1.6
ISBN: 067001088X
EAN: 9780670010882
ASIN: 067001088X
Publication Date: April 22, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Ruby, where is your mother? Ruby knows that the game is up. For the past few months, shes been on her own in the yellow house, managing somehow, knowing that her mother will probably never return. Thats how she comes to live with Cora, the sister she hasnt seen in ten years, and Coras husband Jamie, whose down-to-earth demeanor makes it hard for Ruby to believe he founded the most popular networking Web site around. A luxurious house, fancy private school, a new wardrobe, the promise of college and a futureits a dream come true. So why is Ruby such a reluctant Cinderella, wary and defensive? And why is Nate, the genial boy next door with some secrets of his own, unable to accept the help that Ruby is just learning to give? Best-selling author Sarah Dessen explores the heart of a gutsy, complex girl dealing with unforeseen circumstances and learning to trust again.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 44 more reviews...
 Boring September 15, 2008
Ruby is an abandoned girl. Here mother was an alcoholic and disappeared one day. She tried to live alone, as she was very independent and had learned from life not to trust anyone. But the social worker caught up with her and Ruby is forced to live with her sister, Cora and her husband Jamie.
All of a sudden she is thrown into an exclusive small prep school (from a large public school) and make new friends. She was planning to escape, she carried her home key on a chain--so that she would not lose it--and tries to escape the first night in her new environment.
She meets Nate, as she tries to escape and he helps her and talks her out of it.
Slowly she starts to fit in school and make friends. She gets a part time job in the mall with Harriet--a workaholic who is courted by Reggie.
Thanks to Jamie--who is an eternal optimist, and finally Cora, Ruby works out her problems.
Harriet ends up making a fortune out of a chain-with-key jewelry.
Ruby also helps fix her friends and with the help of Gervais--a small genius--she even passes Calculus and gets into college.
By the end, Ruby ends up saving Nate and in a way to complete the metaphor, passes her chain from her neck to Nate.
The book is corny, the characters don't work, and there is absolutely no suspense. I understand it was written for teenage girls, so don't expect much from it.
 One of best yet September 9, 2008
I have read all of Dessen's works and Lock and Key is one of her best works yet. If you enjoyed this than I suguest that you read Just Listen.
From S. Krishna's Books September 6, 2008
I've always thought that Sarah Dessen writes books that are somewhat miscategorized as Teen novels. While they are usually about teenagers, her books have a depth and wisdom to them that appeal to any age group, and Lock and Key is no exception.
The main theme that underlies this book is family - who are they and what do they mean? Dessen introduces this in a less than subtle way - it becomes Ruby's thesis project on her first day at her new school. Throughout the book, Ruby asks people for their definition of family. As she consolidates this information into a coherent answer, she begins to realize for herself what family means. Slowly, she begins to let others in and begins to trust that they will not let her down. She realizes that her old life with her mother was not all that it may have seemed - her mother had her own agenda that she did not share with Ruby. Ruby grows as a person because she has a family to love her - but more importantly, she has people around her that she learns to love.
One of my favorite aspects of this book was Ruby's character growth. In a book such as this, that development usually comes in a spurt at the very end; the character realizes the error of his or her ways and decides to change. And then the book is over. This is not the case with Lock and Key. Ruby's character changes become evident by the middle of the book. The rest of the book is watching her experience and deal with those changes. It is nice to see a character dealing with the consequences of learning to love and let others in, rather than hearing them say they are going to do it and then never being able to follow up.
The situation with Ruby's mother was difficult. Though we never really saw her as a character, except through Ruby's eyes, her reasoning and decisions didn't really make sense to me. I didn't feel like the excuses given for her behavior (for example, why she kept her agenda hidden from Ruby) really made much sense. They seemed a bit extreme for the situation, but then again, she was obviously an alcoholic and may have had some mental issues to go along with that. It was simply never made clear.
Admittedly, Ruby is a difficult character to sympathize with. Her character experienced horrors beyond most of what the rest of us have seen - therefore, her decisions aren't always easy to understand. She can be frustrating at times, but at the same time, Dessen makes it clear that she could not be any other way. All of the characters in this novel are well written and easy to picture. While I was reading, it was almost as if I had a movie running through my head simultaneously. I couldn't help but cast Ruby as Amy Smart, who played the character Ruby in the show Felicity. I think it was the name that got me, mostly.
Lock and Key is a great addition to the Dessen collection. While I have only read a few of her other books, this one makes me want to devour the rest of them!
it is... September 1, 2008
Well, I've read almost all of Sarah Dessen's books. All but Keeping the Moon, to be exact;
and Lock and Key, wasn't her best. In my opinion.
It was still worth the $17, but. I expected much more from it.
Over all, it was still a good read.
Amazing August 15, 2008
I've recently discovered Sarah Dessen and could not put any of her books down. I borrowed this book from the library, and was bummed when I had to wait a week to get it, but it was worth it!!! Definitely a good read!!!!!
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