Beetlejuice meets Eloise in this humorous, goth debut.

Ruby Gloom is already a best-selling apparel and accessory design of Mighty Fine's, for 'tweens and teens, especially goth girls. Now she introduces herself with seventeen slightly offbeat lessons for life, as seen from the shadowy Victorian mansion where she hangs out with her cat, Doom, the seven skeletons in her closet, and the occasional ghost ("They're so dramatic!").

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder," Ruby tells her three crow companions, "so get lost!" She's the perfect guide for any girl who's ever felt alienated or thought no one quite understood her because she's just, well, different. Ruby's popularity attests to her appeal and her maverick wisdom, reminding girls among other things that "What's ugly on the outside can be pretty on the inside," and that "It's good to take the road less traveled." AUTHOR BIO: Mighty Fine is a Los Angeles-based design team that began designing and manufacturing sportswear for teenagers in 1992.