Ruby René Always Gets Her Way

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Author(s)

Ashley Iman

Co-Authors / Illustrators

Gladys Jose

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

June 24, 2025

ISBN

978-0593858882

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A sequel to Ruby René Had So Much to Say that explores the importance of listening, making new friends, and teamwork.

Ruby René had so much to say…so she got her own segment on the school's morning announcements. But now Ruby’s got a co-host! After an unexpected sick day, Ruby René returns to someone new sitting in her anchor chair–Yanin Luray. Ruby reluctantly agrees to a shared show and is surprised that she loves having an assistant to bounce ideas off of.

But when Yanin refuses to come back to do the show, Ruby René is forced to reflect on how it’s not only important to share her voice, but her ears, too. As the girls learn to listen and talk in equal measure, they discover how to both get their way, as co-hosts.

Editor review

1 review

Working Together is a Skill

August 10, 2025 (Updated: June 30, 2026)

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

In Ruby René Had So Much to Say, Ruby finds out that it is all too easy to get in trouble, even when you're just trying to do the right thing. She's finally harnessed her energetic questions and love of trivia and is the voice of the school announcements, where it is great to share her fun fact of the day. When she gets sick and has to miss a couple of days of school, she is flabbergasted to find that another student has been announcing in her absence. Yanin has done a good job, and keeps showing up for announcements even though Ruby is back. The two girls warm to each other and are soon finishing each other's sentences. They get along well, until Ruby referes to Yanin as her sidekick, and doesn't give her a chance to do anything but listen to Ruby's great ideas. Yanin avoids Ruby, and then ignores her entirely. Hurt, Ruby is sad when the principal tells her that Yanin wants the girls to take turns doing the announcements rather than doing them together. Neither girl is as good alone, and eventually Ruby realizes that she hasn't really taken an interest in Yanin or asked her any questions. The two are able to reconcile and continue to work on the morning announcements together.

Good Points

It's not just elementary students who need to learn to listen to others and work collaboratively; there are adults who only want to talk about themselves and their own ideas! It's easy to get caught up in wanting to share what's in our own heads, and hard to cede the floor to the ideas of other's. Ruby doesn't do anything malicious; she just doesn't always THINK. This is definitely something that need help navigating.

There are a lot of words on each page, but this makes it perfect for third graders (as well as younger children), who seem to be the hot spot for troublesome relationships. The illustrations will appeal to this demographic, and the text is helpful without talking down to young readers.

There's no shortage of books about friendships, but this look at Ruby's relationship with Yanin definitely is more instructive and timely than many other titles. I can't think of any books from my own childhood that address issues of getting along with others, but there are now a lot of books on this topic, including Horáček's A Best Friend for Bear, Hest and Denton's Billy and Rose: Just the Way We Are, and Agee's George and Lenny are Always Together.