Dessen, Sarah. 2008. LOCK AND KEY. New York: Penguin Group. ISBN 0142414727
“That’s just the thing, right? Family isn’t something that’s supposed to be static or set. People marry in, divorce out. They’re born, they die. It’s always evolving, turning into something else.”
Seventeen year old Ruby Cooper is used to taking care of herself. So when her mother disappears for the umpteenth time, she tries her best to pay the bills and go unnoticed by her landlords. But two months and a broken dryer later, Ruby finds herself picked up by Child Protective Services and delivered to her older sister, Cora, who she hasn’t seen in over ten years. Now Ruby is stuck living in a huge house with her sister and brother-in-law and going to a private school where she doesn’t think she fits in. Determined to make it on her own, Ruby plans to escape one night by jumping the fence in the middle of the night. When her plan is thwarted by the family dog Nate, the cute neighbor boy, takes a break from swimming laps in his pool to come to her rescue. Little by little, Ruby learns more about her family’s past and discovers she just may want the future that’s in store for her.
LOCK AND KEY is a story about acceptance, love and family; topics that are explored as Ruby develops her thesis for English class. Required to interview others about the meaning of FAMILY, Ruby, as well as the readers come to find that family means something drastically different to every individual. Readers will connect to the feelings of obligation, trust and loyalty as they journey through the pages and gain understanding of each character.
Along the way, author Sarah Dessen tackles some serious issues, such as abuse and neglect, but does so in a way that seems realistic and hopeful. The relationship between the characters and their internal struggles are complicated, but their voices carry listeners through the story's arc to a hopeful and satisfying conclusion (Gallagher 2010). Through these issues, and the ideas of family and love, young adult readers will have much to think about and discuss.
References:
Gallagher, Genevieve. 2010. "Lock and Key." School Library Journal 56, no. 7: 46. Education Research Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed September 30, 2011).
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