Ruby Red Trilogy facts for kids

The Ruby Red Trilogy is a series of three young adult fantasy novels by German writer Kerstin Gier. The three books are: Ruby Red, Sapphire Blue and Emerald Green. These books have been translated into over twenty-seven languages and sold all around the world. The series tells the story of Gwyneth Shepherd, a girl who can travel through time, living in modern-day London.

Main Characters

Gwyneth Shepherd

Gwyneth (called Gwendolyn in the original German books) is the main character of the series. She is 16 years old. Gwyneth grows up thinking her birthday is October 8th. This makes her believe she didn't inherit her family's special time-travel gene.

However, she later finds out she did inherit the gene, not her cousin Charlotte. Gwyneth is the last of twelve time travelers, known as the Ruby. She is a bit clumsy and can talk to ghosts and gargoyles.

Gideon de Villiers

Gideon is the male time traveler who works with Gwyneth. He is the eleventh person in the time-traveling group, known as the Diamond or Lion. Gideon is 19 years old and lives in London.

He was trained his whole life for time travel, making him very skilled and smart. At first, Gideon acts a bit arrogant towards Gwyneth. He thinks she isn't good enough for time travel. As the story goes on, he starts to care for Gwyneth and eventually falls in love with her.

Grace Shepherd

Grace is Gwyneth's mother. She has curly red hair and blue eyes, like other members of her family, the Montroses. Grace often acts mysterious and seems to know more than she lets on.

She helped Lucy and Paul hide when they ran away with a special time-travel device.

Charlotte Montrose

Charlotte is Gwyneth's cousin. Everyone thought she would be the one to inherit the time-travel gene. Because of this, she was trained for her role her whole life.

Charlotte is very talented and beautiful. She can be quite arrogant because she's always been praised. Charlotte doesn't like Gwyneth because Gwyneth gets all the attention. She also has a crush on Gideon.

Lesley Hay

Lesley is Gwyneth's best friend. She has freckles and blonde hair. Lesley is the only person outside Gwyneth's family who knows about the time-travel secret.

She is very smart and helps Gwyneth by finding information online and in books. Lesley is always supportive and encourages Gwyneth.

Falk de Villiers

Falk is Gideon's uncle and the leader of the Lodge, a secret society. He looks a bit like a wolf, with amber eyes and dark hair. Falk used to be in a relationship with Grace when they were younger.

Lucy Montrose

Lucy is Gwyneth's cousin. She ran away from home at 17 after falling in love with her time-travel partner, Paul de Villiers. They discovered a secret about what happens when all twelve time travelers' blood is used with the time-travel device.

To stop this, they escaped to the year 1912 with one of the devices. This means they can never return to their own time. Lucy is the tenth time traveler, known as the Sapphire or the Lynx. In the third book, Emerald Green, Gwyneth learns that Lucy is her real mother.

Paul de Villiers

Paul is Falk's younger brother and the ninth time traveler, known as the Black Tourmaline or the Wolf. He fell in love with Lucy. Together, they stole the time-travel device and went to the past, unable to return.

Like his brother, he has dark hair and amber eyes. In the third book, Emerald Green, Gwyneth finds out that Paul de Villiers is her real father.

Count Saint-Germain

Born in 1703, the Count is the founder of the Lodge. He invented the time-travel device, called the chronograph. This device helps time travelers control their jumps through time.

He is the fifth time traveler, known as the Emerald or the Eagle. He seems to have special powers like moving things with his mind and reading thoughts. He is the main bad guy in the book series.

Other Important Characters

• Lady Arista: Gwyneth's strict grandmother. She wishes Charlotte was the Ruby time traveler instead of Gwyneth.
• Glenda Montrose: Gwyneth's aunt and Grace's sister. She is also arrogant and prefers Charlotte.
• Lord Lucas Montrose: Gwyneth's grandfather, who has passed away. Gwyneth travels back in time to meet him. He helps her solve the mystery of the chronograph and stop the Count's plans.
• Madeleine Montrose: Gwyneth's great-aunt and Lucas's sister. She sometimes has visions of the future.
• Nick Shepherd: Gwyneth's younger brother, who is 12 years old.
• Caroline Shepherd: Gwyneth's younger sister, who is 9 years old.
• Lady Margret Tilney: Gwyneth's great-great-grandmother. She was born in 1877. She helps Lucy and Paul after they escape in 1912. She is the eighth time traveler, known as the Jade gemstone or the Fox.
• Miroslav Alexander Leopold Rakoczy: The Count's bodyguard, known as the "Black Leopard."
• Mr. Bernard: The butler of the Montrose house. It is later revealed he is a descendant of Lucy and Paul's second child.
• James August Peregrin Pympoole-Bothame: A friendly school ghost who is Gwyneth's friend. He died at 21 from smallpox and thinks he is just dreaming.
• Mr. Thomas George: A member of the Lodge's Inner Circle. He was Gwyneth's grandfather's assistant and friend. He supports Gwyneth and her mother.
• Dr. Jakob White: The Lodge doctor and an Inner Circle member. He is often rude because his young son died years ago. Gwyneth can sometimes see the ghost of his son, Robert.
• Mr. Whitman: Gwyneth, Lesley, and Charlotte's English and History teacher. He is also an Inner Circle member. Later, it is revealed that he was the Count of Saint-Germain in disguise.
• Madame Rossini: The costume designer at the Lodge. She dresses the time travelers in old-fashioned clothes so they fit in when they travel to the past. She likes Gwyneth and calls her a "swan-necked beauty."
• Raphael Bertelin: Gideon’s younger brother. He helps Gwyneth and Gideon on their adventures. He is also a possible love interest for Lesley.
• Xemerius: A talking cat-like ghost who follows Gwyneth. He is very helpful for spying on people and getting information, as only Gwyneth can see him.
• Lord Alistair: The main enemy of Count Saint-Germain. He leads the Florentine Alliance, a group that believes time travelers are evil. Lord Alistair tries to kill the Count many times.

The Circle of Twelve Time Travelers

The Circle of Twelve is a group of special people who can travel through time. Each time traveler is connected to a specific gemstone, animal, tree, and other qualities. Here is a list of the twelve time travelers:

Movie Adaptations

Ruby Red Film

A movie based on the first book, Rubinrot, came out in Germany on March 14, 2013. Maria Ehrich played Gwyneth, Jannis Niewöhner played Gideon, and Laura Berlin played Charlotte. Felix Fuchssteiner directed the film. The script was written by Katharina Schöde and the author, Kerstin Gier.

The movie was filmed mostly in Germany, with some scenes in London. It was nominated for an award for Best Original Score in 2013.

Sapphire Blue Film

The movie sequel to Rubinrot, called Saphirblau, was released in Germany on December 18, 2014. Many of the same actors, producers, and writers from the first movie worked on this one. It was released earlier in Luxembourg and Austria.

Like the first film, Saphirblau was mainly filmed in Germany. This movie, and its sequel, are quite different from the books.

Emerald Green Film

The third movie, Smaragdgrün, which is the sequel to Saphirblau, was released in Germany on July 7, 2016.