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Quick answer: If you loved Ruby Red, try Sapphire Blue, Emerald Green, Silver, Passenger, The Girl from Everywhere and Timekeeper. Each one offers time travel, secret societies, romance and a funny heroine pulled into adventure.
Kerstin Gier's German bestseller, translated in 2011, follows Gwendolyn Shepherd, a London teenager who suddenly travels back in time. Her family expected her cousin Charlotte to inherit the time-travel gene, so Gwen must learn fast. She is paired with arrogant Gideon de Villiers, and they are sent through history for a secret society. Readers love its humor, romance and mystery. These books share its time travel and its charm.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Age | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sapphire Blue | Kerstin Gier | 12+ | readers who want the sequel |
| Emerald Green | Kerstin Gier | 12+ | readers who want the finale |
| Silver | Kerstin Gier | 12+ | readers who want more Gier |
| Passenger | Alexandra Bracken | 13+ | readers who like time-traveling romance |
| The Girl from Everywhere | Heidi Heilig | 13+ | readers who like map-based travel |
| Timekeeper | Tara Sim | 13+ | readers who like clock towers |
| Hourglass | Myra McEntire | 13+ | readers who like time ripples |
| The Name of the Star | Maureen Johnson | 13+ | readers who like London mysteries |
| A Great and Terrible Beauty | Libba Bray | 14+ | readers who like secret societies |
| Howl's Moving Castle | Diana Wynne Jones | 10+ | readers who like humor and magic |
| Outlander | Diana Gabaldon | Adult | older readers |
| The Time Traveler's Wife | Audrey Niffenegger | Adult | older readers |
| Anna and the French Kiss | Stephanie Perkins | 14+ | readers who like romance abroad |
| Clockwork Angel | Cassandra Clare | 14+ | readers who like Victorian London |
| The Inheritance Games | Jennifer Lynn Barnes | 13+ | readers who like puzzles and secrets |
1. Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier
Gwen's travels and romance continue.
Best for: readers who want the sequel.
2. Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier
The trilogy's mysteries are resolved.
Best for: readers who want the finale.
3. Silver by Kerstin Gier
A girl explores the dream world.
Best for: readers who want more Gier.
4. Passenger by Alexandra Bracken
A violinist is pulled through time.
Best for: readers who like time-traveling romance.
5. The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig
A girl sails through time using maps.
Best for: readers who like map-based travel.
6. Timekeeper by Tara Sim
A mechanic repairs the towers that control time.
Best for: readers who like clock towers.
7. Hourglass by Myra McEntire
A girl sees ghosts from the past.
Best for: readers who like time ripples.
8. The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
A girl sees ghosts during a Ripper-style spree.
Best for: readers who like London mysteries.
9. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
A girl at a Victorian school has visions.
Best for: readers who like secret societies.
10. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
A cursed girl moves into a wizard's castle.
Best for: readers who like humor and magic.
11. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
A nurse travels back to 18th-century Scotland.
Best for: older readers.
12. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
A woman loves a time-traveling man.
Best for: older readers.
13. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
An American teen falls in love in Paris.
Best for: readers who like romance abroad.
14. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
A girl discovers a magical world.
Best for: readers who like Victorian London.
15. The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
A girl inherits a billionaire's fortune.
Best for: readers who like puzzles and secrets.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Ruby Red: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Ruby Red. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most. If a pick is part of a longer series, read the first book before you commit, and check the age or content notes in the table before passing a book to a younger reader.
How to Choose
Finish the trilogy with Sapphire Blue and Emerald Green, then try Silver. For more time-traveling romance, Passenger and The Girl from Everywhere are favorites. If you loved the secret society, A Great and Terrible Beauty is perfect. Older readers can move on to Outlander.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Ruby Red about?
A London teen discovers she can time travel and joins a secret society's missions.
What order are the books?
Ruby Red, Sapphire Blue and Emerald Green.
Who wrote Ruby Red?
Kerstin Gier, a German author.
Is there a movie?
Yes. German films were released between 2013 and 2016.
What age is it for?
It suits readers about 12 and up.
Who is Gideon?
Gwen's time-travel partner and love interest.
Is it a romance?
It has a romance, but it is also a mystery and adventure.
What is the chronograph?
The device the secret society uses to send time travelers to specific moments.
What is the Ruby Red series called in German?
Edelstein-Trilogie, meaning the Gemstone Trilogy.