Lock and Key

Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

She was doing just fine. A few more months and she’d be out of here, not owing anyone anything. But when they found out she was living alone, everything changed.
Now Ruby lives in a rich neighborhood and goes to a rich school with rich kids. She plans on getting out as soon as she can, but things change. As Ruby sorts through her life, she learns that sometimes you have to be willing to give help and receive it in order to save yourself.

Lock and Key is the first book I've read by Dessen, and I plan on reading more. Told from Ruby's point of view, this realistic fiction novel will hit home to a lot of readers. Issues in this coming of age book include abuse, parental abandonment, teens raising themselves, sibling relationships, being the "new kid" at school, socio-ecomomic class, letting people in emotionally, and bettering oneself.

Always a sucker for a happy ending, I felt like the book balanced reality and a positive outlook.