Ruby Redfort: Catch Your Death

The third book in the popular Ruby Redfort series sees our intrepid heroine get lost in the wilderness, while on a mission from her spy agency, Spectrum. She makes mistakes, but will she make it out alive?

Ruby finds herself out of her depth when she realises that there is more to life in the wild than simply sticking to the rules. As things start to go wrong for her, she begins to fear that while she might be super brainy, she is hopeless at following her instincts.

This highly stylised series channels the drama and dialogue of early US cop shows and movies – a kind of film noir-lite for 9-12 year-olds. ‘You better believe it, Buster,’ is the catchphrase of Ruby, the 13-year-old child genius who works as a secret agent outside of school hours. Readers, for whom the retro dialogue will mean little, do have to tune in to the offbeat rhythm of Lauren Child’s writing. But, without doubt it is worth that effort. Edgy, cool, and completely different to anything else on the market, Catch Your Death is an utterly refreshing read. This chunky, bubble-gum scented hardback would make an excellent gift for the smart kid in your life.