Ruby Hastings Writes Her Own Story

Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Book banded for guided and independent reading, there are reading notes in the back, comprehensive teaching and assessment support and ebooks available.

Sapphire/Band 16 books offer longer reads to develop children’s sustained engagement with texts and are more complex syntactically. Ruby Hastings dreams of being a journalist when she’s older, just like her idol Susie Starling. However, Ruby thinks she can’t do this due to being dyspraxic. Will what people think of her condition stop her? Pages 54 and 55 allow children to re-visit the content of the book, supporting comprehension skills, vocabulary development and recall. Ideas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities.

Author Biography

Rachel was diagnosed with dyspraxia at age 9 and struggled with her own self-worth in a world that wasn’t built for her. She wanted to write a book that would show neurodivergent and disabled children (and adults) that they can achieve as much as their non disabled counterparts, if given adjustments.

Ruby Hastings Writes Her Own Story is a love letter to Rachel’s younger self and a reminder that all our “weaknesses” can be turned into strengths. Statement from Betsy Falco: As a neurodivergent individual, stories like this are especially important to me and one of the biggest reasons I wanted to be a part of bringing Ruby Hastings to life. Children should be celebrated for their uniqueness and given the time and patience it takes to grow a personal love for one’s differences. This book does exactly that.