This book deals with a lot of family issues e.g breakdown of nucleus family, step father, step brothers, favouritism, small house large blended family. All these issues are fraught with the frustration of individuals feeling undervalued and not part of the family, 'End of the Alphabet' looks at this in a diluted way. Ruby Yarrow is a 14 year old who lives in a busy, loving, chaotic family with her mum, stepdad, brother and two little stepbrothers. Ruby's surname Yarrow is at the end of the alphabet and when the roll gets called out she's always at the end and she hates it. Ruby feels a bit like a doormat - she has to help out in the family a lot while her brother Max doesn't. He wins lots of prizes at school and she has a learning difficulty and needs a reader/writer to help her in exams. She has great friends and loves clothes, fashion magazines and sewing and she's got a real knack for it. She's very keen to go on the school trip to Brazil and so gets a job to earn the money to go - works in a supermarket for an old grump, learns a bit of Portuguese, meets exchange students, doesn't get to go on the trip but stands up to her parents (gets some backbone) and starts to see herself in a much better light. There's even a bit of romance thrown in. It's about having a dream and aiming for it. But it's not sentimental, it's a great read, very real and it has a lovely upbeat tone. ( )

Not only does Ruby Yarrow have to put up with her annoyingly brainy twin brother Max, sharing room with her two little brothers but she ends up doing all the cooking, cleaning and babysitting. Until one day Ruby finally gets a backbone and all hell breaks lose.

Ruby has a learning difficulty and finds life a struggle most days. But with a simple comment she overcomes her demons and learns to live life without being a doormat. This decision has wonderful consequences.

Fleur Beale has again written another enjoyable teenage novel which relates to family life her in New Zealand. It is written using easy to understand English and demonstrates that even if you have a learning difficulty you don’t need to feel lowly and worthless. Well suited to teens 13 years and over ( )

Extract from my review for cmis: Ruby Yarrow, the girl least likely to succeed, is a naïve fourteen year old New Zealander struggling to find her place in a blended family ( )

Another superb book by Fleur Beale. Ruby is 14, and taken for granted by her mother and family. She cares for her two younger half brothers, does the cooking, dishes, washing and cleaning, and has been moved into a smaller room which she has to share with the younger boys, so her brother Max can have his own room, supposedly so he can study. Ruby feels like a doormat, and has had enough. She goes on strike, refusing to do extra until Max, her 13 year old brother, also does the jobs he is expected to do, but constantly evades. Although the storyline seems simple, the characters are developed fully and the plot twists engage the reader's interest to the end. The ending is left open, and I do hope there is a sequel. I cannot praise this book too highly. ( )