May 1976 in Johannesburg is when apartheid rule has never been more racist. Other than Ruby, who was taught at home to judge character, not colour, and her parents do the best to encourage her. Where Ruby lives, there are only black guests, not black servants. Her mother owns an art gallery where Soweto’s finest work is displayed, and not only by white citizens. When she befriends an Afrikaans girl named Loretta, her parents wonder whether they’ve taught her right.

Don’t let the racism put you off though: this is a fantastic, emotional, enthralling read and I would highly recommend it to those aged eleven or over; children younger may not grasp the concept of racism and how severely it is dealt with today.

Sensitively portrayed characters and between the gaps of the politics, riots and the overall idea of living in Soweto at all, you can see Ruby is a normal adolescent dealing with normal adolescent worries such as love and friendship, a believable character, beautifully narrated and an overall great read.

I am not sure a boy would understand it quite like girls and young women as it is written from a girl’s point of life. Boys younger than thirteen wouldn’t really enjoy this.

Overall I would give this 9/10.