Really Rubie

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Author(s)

Maddie Frost

Publisher

Aladdin

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

June 02, 2026

ISBN

979-8347103997

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The true middle school experience—awkward, DRAMATIC, and really fun!—comes to life in this hilarious diary-style series featuring color-lined pages and black and white illustrations. In the first book, Rubie has to face sleepaway camp without her BFF!

Hello, summer! Eleven-year-old Rubie Fox can’t wait to go to sleepaway camp for the very first time. She and her best friend Riley Swisher will go away for an entire month TOGETHER, and they’ll even be able to spy on Riley’s crush Owen, who will be across from Camp Pineview, over at the boys’ camp, Moose-Ridge.

But when Riley drops a bomb—she can’t go to camp because she broke her ankle—Rubie has to go by herself. Which sort of makes her feel RAGE…how can she go to camp without Riley?! But her mom has already paid for it, so she’s stuck with her plushie chicken Jim the Duck and a cabin full of girls she doesn’t know.

But Rubie just might make another BFF, break out of her shell, and even meet a boy…all without Riley. Camp might be more eventful than Rubie ever thought it could be—with more drama than she ever imagined!

Editor review

1 review

Hilarious Middle Grade Fiction

June 18, 2026 (Updated: June 22, 2026)

Overall rating

3.8

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

3.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

Really Rubie by Maddie Frost is a middle-grade illustrated novel that humorously explores friendship, self-discovery, and the awkwardness of first crushes. The story is told from the perspective of eleven-year-old Rubie through a journal filled with hilarious doodles and authentic insights into the tween mind.

Rubie and her best friend, Riley, have major plans for their summer at sleepaway camp, including making friendship bracelets, eating s'mores, and performing together in the talent show. Riley also plans to confess her feelings to Owen, a boy attending the brother camp, at the end-of-summer dance. It sounds like the perfect summer until Riley breaks her ankle right before they leave, forcing Rubie to navigate camp entirely on her own. Without her best friend by her side, Rubie must learn to make new friends, manage an accidental crush on the very guy her BFF likes, and figure out who she is when she steps out of her comfort zone.

What I Liked: The journal format is the perfect way to tell this story, and the doodles and illustrations make it so fun to read. Visually, I know this will appeal to reluctant readers, who will appreciate that the book is not very text-heavy and that illustrations are sprinkled on every page. Rubie is written in a way that makes her feel relatable. She has normal tween reactions and makes mistakes. I think most readers will be able to relate to something that Rubie is going through in this book.

Really Rubie is the perfect book for readers who love books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Dork Diaries.