The Ruby in the Smoke
Philip Pullman
In foggy Victorian London, sixteen-year-old Sally Lockhart's father has drowned at sea, and a strange letter warns her about the Seven Blessings. When she says those words at her father's old office, a man drops dead of fright. With a sharp office boy called Jim as her ally, Sally sets out to find the truth, and someone dangerous is watching her.
- Length
- About 60,000 words
- To read it
- About 40 days
- Stage
- Key Stage 3
Reading time at 1,500 words a day, the pace we start from until we know your child’s own.
Where it is taught
Why The Ruby in the Smoke is on the list
- Year 8, Stretch. A step up in length or difficulty, for a confident reader.
Reading it here
What your child does with it
- 1
Choose it and set a finish date
You get a suggested target from the length of the book and your child's reading pace.
- 2
Check in along the way
A longer book has short check-ins every week or two, so it keeps moving and nothing is forgotten.
- 3
Answer two questions
When they finish: a review of the book, and a deeper question about how it works.
- 4
Get it marked, and redraft
Every answer is marked against the rubric for their year, with a reason for every score.