The Outsider: Ruth: A Retelling by Katy Morgan

What was it like to be the outsider in Bethlehem? Katy Morgan explores the story of Ruth in this biblical fiction for middle grades.

The Outsider: Ruth: A Retelling by Katy Morgan. The Good Book Co., 2025. 208 pages.

• Reading Level: Middle grades, ages 10-12
• Recommended For: Ages 8 and up.

Ruth is only 12 when the Israelite Naomi and her family move to Ruth’s town in Moab. She and her best friend, Orpah, wonder what this strange foreign family is like. Oddly, they move into Zowelah’s house, fixing it up. And Naomi is always talking about her God and how He cares for His people. Time passes, Ruth and Orpah grow up, and they end up marrying Mahlon and Kilion, Naomi’s sons. More time passes, and as most readers already know: Naomi’s husband, Mahlon, and Kilion all die. In that time and place, a widow is destitute without her family. So Naomi decides to head back to Bethlehem, where she’s heard the famine has ended.

Naomi encourages Ruth and Orpah to stay behind with their own families. Perhaps they will marry again. But Ruth insists on accompanying Naomi back to Bethlehem. Soon, she is experiencing being the outsider, just as Naomi was once in Moab. And will she have a future here? Was she crazy to come back with Naomi?

We don’t really know what Ruth was thinking, do we? Did she and Boaz fall in love the way we think of it today? How old was Ruth? Taking a small, 4-chapter book from the Old Testament and turning it into a 200-page novel necessarily involves some creative license. Morgan does a good job fleshing out the time and place of the story of Ruth. Readers will have a new understanding of the risks Ruth and Naomi both undertook at various times in their story. And they just might want to reread the biblical story once again.

Back matter includes specific information about what Morgan takes from Scripture, what she invents, and what she includes based on archeological and sociological evidence of the time period’s customs and lifestyles.

Considerations:

• It’s always wise with biblical fiction to ensure young readers know what is backed up in the Bible and what is the product of an author’s imagination. Ensure your young readers have already read the biblical account first.

Related Reading from Redeemed Reader:

• A Review: The Promise and the Light by Katy Morgan is a retelling of the Nativity story.
• Reviews: Retellings of the story of Esther (that we’ve reviewed) include One Night with the King (a rare movie review) and Bright Star by Holly Mackle.
• Reviews: More biblical resources for this age group include The Sword: Magnus and the Mystery of Romans by Marty Machowski and The Serpent Slayer and the Scroll of Riddles by Champ Thornton.

You may purchase The Outsider from Westminster Books!

Or, you may purchase The Outsider from Amazon.