Spring 2025

The Red Car to Hollywood

  • Interest Level: Grade 9 - Grade 12
  • Reading Level: Grade 7

Los Angeles, 1924

Sixteen-year-old Ruby Chan considers herself a modern, independent American girl. But when her secret relationship with a white boy implodes—and then is revealed to her very traditional Chinese parents—she’s in a tough spot. Horrified that Ruby’s reputation is at risk, her parents hire a matchmaker to find her a Chinese husband. Ruby is determined to foil their plans. But how?

Meanwhile, Ruby meets the nineteen-year-old film star Anna May Wong, one of her neighbors in LA’s Chinatown. The girls quickly strike up a friendship. Anna May defies Chinese convention by working as an actress on the silver screen, and she scoffs at white people’s assumptions about her. If she can forge her own path, surely Ruby can too.

Not everything is as it seems, though. Danger and betrayal lurk amidst the new possibilities. To build the life she wants, Ruby will have to contend with how others see her—and decide if she’s ready to truly see herself.

Format Your Price Add
978-1-7284-9321-3
On pre-order until 03/04/2025
$14.99
979-8-7656-5087-5
On pre-order until 03/04/2025
$24.99
Available at all major wholesalers and distributors. Save 25% off list price on hardcovers and ebooks when you buy direct! Digital purchases will be accessed on Lerner Digital Bookshelf. An account will be created for you after purchase.
Interest Level Grade 9 - Grade 12
Reading Level Grade 7
Genre Young Adult
Category Diverse Books: #OwnVoices, Diverse Books: Race & Ethnicity, Diversity
Copyright 2025
Publisher Lerner Publishing Group
Imprint Carolrhoda Lab ®
Language English
Number of Pages 256
Publication Date 2025-03-04
Text Type Fiction—Historical
BISACS YAF046130, YAF024170, YAF058190
Dewey [Fic]
Dimensions 5.5 x 8.25
Features Author/Illustrator biography, Author/Illustrator note, and Reviewed

Author: Jennie Liu

Jennie Liu is the daughter of Chinese immigrants. She has been fascinated by the attitudes, social policies, and changes in China each time she visits. Her young adult novels have won honors including a Freeman Book Award Honorable Mention and an In the Margins: Best Books for Teens award. She lives in North Carolina with her family.

Reviews

Kirkus Reviews

“Ruby’s determination and pride in her cultural heritage are easy to root for, and her narrative closes on a satisfying note.”—Kirkus Reviews