In a race against time, Ruby and Scout learn that winning isn't just about being the fastest—it's about working together, making smart choices, and helping others along the way in the toughest off-road rally of their lives!
Packed with thrilling challenges, colorful landscapes, and valuable life lessons, Ruby and The Off-Road Rally incorporates themes of perseverance, friendship, and the true meaning of victory.
Perfect for readers ages 5-8 who love action, adventure, and stories that inspire them to be their best selves, on and off the road. Support our crowdfunding campaign and inspire young readers with a story that drives home important life lessons.
Special thank you to our sponsors, Leonard Motorsports for sponsoring 50 books, The Drifters Jeep Club for sponsoring 20 books, Nancy Angelo Real Estate for sponsoring 10 books, and to The Grandparent Read Aloud Book Club for sponsoring 10 books. So happy to have you a part of Ruby's off-road adventure!
Backers get to vote on fun elements of the story to help bring Ruby and Scout to life!
We want our backers to be super involved with future adventures Ruby and Scout experience.
Through this campaign, we are inviting backers to vote on certain aspects of the story like a Rally competitor's name, the color of a character's rig, or accessories featured during the rally.
We want this to be an interactive experience for everyone!
The funds generated from this campaign will go toward:
Cover design embellishments like UV spot gloss (unlocks when we reach $6k)
High quality off-set printing of our 210mmx210mm (8.5" square) book with thick 170gsm paper
Premium paperback with full-color customized endpages
Colorful Illustrations by the amazing Alvin Adhi
Editing
Formatting and design
Creating the fully accessible audio and videobooks for blind and deaf children
Your pledge to this project at any level will help make it possible to produce this book and give you the opportunity to be a part in creating this story from the beginning!
The plan is to feature backers in the story itself through our reward levels, and eventually upgrade all of the books to have UV Spot Gloss on the cover so that Ruby's title and tires will shine in the sunshine.
The UV Gloss is an extra cost in the publishing process, so we will only unlock them once we pass certain funding milestones.
Help Ruby cross the finish line with your pledge and get limited rewards!
Head to the Pledge Levels tab at the top of this page OR click on the blue Back It button on your screen to find your perfect reward tier for your favorite reader(s) in your life.
Your pledge will secure your order for the limited edition premium paperback copy of Ruby and the Off-Road Rally, digital rewards, and glitter and holographic character stickers.
Featured Reward - Get Two, Give Two - We will give two books to a child in STEM on your behalf! You will get two copies of Ruby and the Off-Road Rally, the accessible ebook and audiobook formats, glitter Ruby stickers and holographic Scout stickers. Help us reach our goal with this pledge!
Special Reward (only 10 available) - if you want to be in the rally with Ruby, you have a unique opportunity to customize your own off-road vehicle and be a part of the book forever! (In my opinion, this is the best part about supporting a book before it is published!)
Off-roading is an accessible activity for the entire family and encourages children who have mobility, sensory, vision, and hearing issues to get out and enjoy nature.
With your pledge to this campaign, you are helping make this book accessible to all children.
We are fully committed to all children enjoying Ruby and the Off-Road Rally, which is why we have partnered with Richard Rieman, our BackerKit cross-collab partner, who works with blind and low-vision voice actors to create fully accessible audiobooks and videobooks for blind and deaf children.
Ruby and the Off-Road Rally will have a fully accessible videobook with:
Fully described illustrations so children can imagine the pictures in their heads
Captions on-screen
On-screen American Sign Language Translation
Made freely available to Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) Children's Book catalog.
The DCMP provides services designed to support and improve the academic achievement of students with disabilities. They partner with top educational and television content creators and distributors to make media accessible and available to these students.
Bonus Rewards! As part of Booktopia, we are offering limited edition Ruby and Scout playing cards when you support other Booktopia projects!
When you support both Ruby and the Off-Road Rally and The Wizard of Oz campaigns (and they both fully fund!) you will get access to the incredible cross-over audiobook version of Ruby and The Yellow Brick Detour in Oz.
In the exciting world of off-road rallying, each team is made up of two essential members: a driver and a navigator.
Together, they must communicate clearly and work together to navigate from checkpoint to checkpoint, relying solely on their compass, topographic map, rulers, and plotters.
In Ruby and the Off-Road Rally, Ruby and Scout are a dynamic duo who must not only master the technical skills of navigation and driving but also learn to communicate effectively under pressure.
As the navigator, Scout must plot precise routes and give clear, calm directions. Ruby, the driver, must focus on safe driving, being mindful of the environment, and staying alert to any dangers on the trail.
As a mother of young children (Lisa) and a former elementary school teacher (Julie), we knew how important it was to weave both technical and emotional themes into Ruby and Scout's story—skills we’ve had to reinforce ourselves during our training.
Girls in STEM: Ruby and Scout are strong, smart female characters who navigate using topographical maps, calculate speed, distance, and time, and understand car mechanics—all crucial for completing the rally.
Real-World Problem Solving: The rally challenges Ruby and Scout to apply their knowledge in real-time, solving complex problems with precision and creativity.
SEL (Social Emotional Learning) Themes:
Perseverance: Ruby and Scout demonstrate the power of perseverance, showing young readers that setbacks are part of the journey and that determination is key to overcoming challenges.
Communication Under Pressure: The duo learns the importance of clear and calm communication, especially when the stakes are high, teaching readers how to manage stress and emotions.
Teamwork and Empathy: As Ruby and Scout race against the clock, they also learn the value of supporting others, even competitors, highlighting the importance of empathy and teamwork.
Thrill of Adventure: The book captures the excitement of off-road rallying, encouraging readers to embrace adventure and push beyond their comfort zones.
Ruby and the Off-Road Rally is perfect for readers ages 5-8+, offering a fun and inspiring story that encourages everyone to work together, compete with integrity, and push themselves to new limits.
Looking Ahead: We’re already planning more adventures for Ruby and Scout, where they’ll continue to grow as an effective team. But first, let’s get Ruby off the starting line in this first book!
Lisa and Julie are a mother-daughter team who signed up for the Rebelle Rally Trials in Ridgecrest, California and unknowingly discovered a vibrant and supportive community of women off-roaders. During the Trials, they learned how to navigate Death Valley using only their compasses, topographic maps, rulers, and plotters. Inspired by their experience, they couldn't wait to share the life lessons of off-roading with kids everywhere.
We couldn't write Ruby and the Off-Road Rally without the amazing input from rally drivers and navigators! We appreciate all of your insights and feedback! We are incorporating all of your comments to make Ruby the best role model for responsible driving and environmental stewardship!
Ruby and the Off-Road Rally is Lisa's fourth children's book, so she is familiar with the process for writing, editing, formatting, and negotiating multiple rounds of printing proofs with the printer.
September 5-26: Booktopia craziness! We have no idea how this campaign will fund, so you are in the driver's seat here!
October 2024: Finalize manuscript and backer details and work with the editor to get the book in tip-top shape.
October-December 2024: Alvin Adhi illustrates the adventures in the book.
January-February 2025: Creation of the fully accessible audiobook and videobooks with illustration description and on-screen American Sign Language translation for blind and deaf children.
March - April - May 2025: Review printed proofs from the printer and make any final adjustments.
If there are any changes to the timeline, you will be the first to know!
Important: The Backerkit platform does not collect the shipping cost for your reward at the time of your pledge during the campaign.
Instead your shipping will be calculated after the campaign when you fill out a survey and provide your address so that the cost of shipping can be accurately calculated based on your location. If you have concerns about the shipping cost at that time, I’ll be happy to work with you and find a solution.
We estimate US packages of a 1-4 books will cost around $6 to ship. International packages will cost between $15-$20 USD.
After the campaign ends, you will be able to let us know of your delivery address, and also to add extra books and options to your pledge, depending on availability. All digital rewards will be available on your BackerKit account.
When you pledge for your reward today, you help the project reach more people and maintain momentum. We are looking for as many readers as possible to find Ruby and help bring her story to life!
Thank you so much for helping make this book possible!
We can't make this book happen without YOU and other readers! Word-of-mouth book recommendations are the best and mean the most to parents and teachers.
Please share this campaign to your network by clicking on the links below or by copying and pasting the text below to your Facebook page or by sending it to a friend in an email. Click to share on Facebook
Q: I want to order Ruby and send it as a gift or donate it to an individual, classroom, or group of my choosing. Can you send my rewards to someone else?
A: Yes, first of all, THANK YOU for helping us reach more kids by donating your books to a classroom or group of your choosing. Yes, at the end of the BackerKit campaign, you will receive a survey where you can select more add-ons, and there you will enter the physical mailing address where you want your reward(s) sent. Please note that shipping fees will be charged after the campaign ends.
If you'd like us to donate it on your behalf, there will be no shipping fees incurred because we will hand deliver the book(s).
Q: Is my card charged during or after the campaign?
A: Your card is not charged during the campaign. A pledge is just a pledge. Your card is charged only on September 26th and ONLY if the campaign reaches its funding goal. Therefore, there is no risk in supporting this campaign.
Q: Do I have to pay extra for shipping?
A: USBackers: Shipping will be assessed at the end of the campaign during fulfillment. We realize that it isn't super fun to pay for shipping in a few months when the book is done, but it is the most accurate way for us to charge the exact costs for shipping each reward. Add-ons may incur additional shipping costs for physical rewards.
InternationalBackers: We will do our best to keep the costs for our international backers as low as possible. Please note that recipients may be charged VAT depending on your location. The books will be shipped from the US, but if we receive a large number of international orders, we will figure out another option so that it is as cost effective as it can be for our readers.
Q: Why are you doing a crowdfunding campaign? Isn't it easier just to publish the book first?
A: When BackerKit announced Booktopia, we thought this would be a wonderful opportunity to collaborate with other authors and generate excitement for this book. BackerKit is a great platform where backers like you can help creative projects like this come to life.
Launching on BackerKit allows us to do a print run and create a higher-quality book for you. It also allows backers like you to get unique opportunities and rewards - like being featured in the book itself, adding your name to the end pages, and featuring sponsors. These are all fun things that we wouldn't be able to do if we published it straight away.
Q: What happens if you don't make your goal?
A: This campaign is all-or-nothing, so if we don't make our goal, we will be disappointed, but we will assess what went wrong, and adjust our timeline to have the book published in a different way.
Q: Will I be able to buy the book after the campaign?
A: Yes. The book will be available to purchase once it has been published and printed. If the campaign is not successful this will take longer to be available. All of the special BackerKit reward tier packages and pricing are only available during the campaign (Sep 5-26, 2024), so if you wait until the book is published, you will not be able to access the limited reward tiers.
Please submit any general, sponsorship, or press inquiriesto Lisa:[email protected]
Crowdfunding is a group effort! Show some love to some amazing children's book authors who are also raising funds for their projects. The more you support, the more rewards you'll unlock! Click below to meet our KidLit Booktopia Projects!
