Way Down Deep

On the first day of summer in 1944, a red-haired toddler appears on the courtroom steps in Way Down Deep, West Virginia. Nobody knows who she is or how she got there. But Miss Arbus, the owner of the boardinghouse, swoops down and brings her home, and the rest of the town takes her to its collective bosom. Then, when Ruby turns 12, a desperate man tries to rob the bank. Way Down Deep takes in the poor soul and his family as well, not knowing that the newcomers are the key to Ruby's past. White, the author of Belle Prater's Boy (1996), Newbery Honor Book, returns to Appalachia for a story as tender as a breeze and as sharp as a tack. In leisurely fashion, she introduces a cavalcade of idiosyncratic characters who go in and out of Ruby's show more life--among them, Mrs. Rife, a 90-year-old who throws rocks at the kids, and Reese, who serenades Ruby with lines such as, "Now if you were a horsefly, and I'm an old grey mare, / I'd stand and let you bite me and never move a hair." White dabbles in magic realism here (the explanation of how Ruby came to town will vex some and delight others), but at the heart of the story are profound questions that readers will enjoy puzzling out: Who makes up a family? And what do you owe them? Category: Books for Older Readers--Fiction. 2007, Farrar, $16. Starred Review show less

In the summer of 1944, a red-headed, curly-haired toddler mysteriously appeared on the courthouse steps in Way Down Deep, WV. No trace of how she got there or to whom she belonged was ever found.

For 10 years Ruby June has lived a happy, comfortable life, well loved and cared for by Miss Arbutus Ward, owner of the local boardinghouse. The arrival of a new family in town sets in motion the unraveling of Ruby's past and the mystery of her appearance. In the process, readers are introduced to a colorful cast of characters who not only add to the rich Appalachian tone of the novel, but also lace it together with sweet humor, timeless truths, and expert foreshadowing.

At first thought to be the senile ramblings of Mr. Bird Reeder, a former show more resident of Yonder Mountain, VA, bits of information lead Ruby to discover that she might be the child thought to have been carried off by a panther years earlier. She learns of her parents' death when she was a baby, that she has family living on top of the mountain, and of her mystical connections to Miss Ward.

Captivating and thoughtful on many levels, White's novel offers humor, mystery, and a feel-good ending that a multitude of readers will find satisfying "way down deep." show less

Way Down Deep is just quirky enough to edge outside the realm of realistic fiction. Ruby is a toddler found outside the courthouse in 1944 and taken in by the owner of a boarding house, Miss Arbutus. Ruby has a rich, full life in Way Down Deep, but she has always been curious about her people. An inept bank robber comes to town and is befriended in his troubles with the townspeople. The robber knows of Ruby and helps lead her back to her roots. But it is not the happy world of Way Down Deep; instead, Ruby goes to live with a deeply unhappy grandmother, caring for her even though the grandmother is as mean to her as a grass snake. Finally, Ruby cannot take any more and decides to leave. Faced with yet another person leaving her, the show more grandmother resolves to change and to find a way to go with Ruby to Way Down Deep. show less

While I enjoyed previous books written by this author, I was a tad disappointed in this.

Keep track of the many characters presented a problem.

Ruby June resides in a tiny village named Way Down Deep. When a baby, she mysteriously was found on the courthouse steps. Take in by the kind and quirky Miss Alburtus, who runs the local boarding house, we are introduced to a host of down home, kind hearted, quirky folk.

Now, 13, Ruby is happy and is well liked by all members of Way Down Deep. When a new family move to town, they have information which leads to finding Ruby's long-lost grandmother.

Taken from Miss Alburtus and plucked in the far off lonely woods with a cantankerous grandmother brings depression for Ruby and a longing of the town show more folk for Ruby to return.

Some of the passages were laugh out loud and highly creative and thus the book marginally redeems itself. But the attempt at too much creativity undermined the good writing and I give this one a guarded two stars. show less

A coming of age story set is a small Appalachian town. Enjoyable, but doesn't quite have the depth or dimensionality of Rylant's or Wiles's novels. Ruby was abandoned as a baby and appeared in town one day, to be adopted by Miss Arbutus, the matron of the local boarding house. Both the boarding house and the town are populated with quirky characters, including a rock-throwing granny reminiscent of the old woman in Milagro Beanfield Wars. During the course of the story, Ruby's origins are revealed, but things are wrapped up a little too neatly and quickly. Still, fans of Love, Ruby Lavender or Sharon Creech's Chasing Redbird will probably enjoy this.

I really enjoyed this whimsical story of a young girl named Ruby June, who mysteriously appeared in the Appalachian town of Way Down Deep as a child. The story follows Ruby as she discovers her past and opens to the future.

Toddler Ruby June is adopted by Miss Arbutus Ward when she is found abandoned on the steps of the courthouse. Surrounded by the boarders in Miss Arbutus' house and a town where everyone knows one another, Ruby grows up in a loving environment. When Bob Reeder tries to rob the town bank in an attempt to feed his family, the town, rather than throw him in jail, gives the family assistance by moving them into the bank owner's former house. The Reeder family, moving into town from the mountains, knows where Ruby came from. Armed with that news, Ruby is given back to a grandmother she does not remember and who wants her only because she needs help having her daily needs met. Ruby, however, never one to be kept down, finds ways to work things show more out not only for herself, but for the others who love her. Ruth White has created another beautifully written novel with characters a reader will love and long remember. show less