Aka Ruth Elaine Starke, she lived in Adelaide, South Australia. She wrote for children and teens.

From "Contemporary Authors":

"Although I have some regrets about my late start, I think all budding writers need to get some life experience under their belts first. I've lived and worked in the United Kingdom and Italy, and my years in travel marketing gave me numerous experiences to explore the world. I think the biggest and best change in Australia during my lifetime has been brought about by migration, and I wish that our multiculturalism was better reflected in our media and literature."

About "Noodle Pie" (from Goodreads):

"Experiencing culture shock during a family visit to Vietnam, Andy struggles to respond to a Vietnamese name he does not recognize and is surprised by a family restaurant that is nothing like what he expected."

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/ruth-starke/noodle-pie/
(Kirkus review)

https://www.mytributes.com.au/notice/death-notices/starke-ruth/5970871/
(short notice)

https://blogs.flinders.edu.au/encounter/2022/10/05/tributes-flow-as-flinders-remembers/
Excerpt:

Dr Ruth Starke (1946-2022) (BA(Hons) ’96, PhD(EHLT) ’01)

Beloved writing academic Dr Ruth Starke passed away on 5 September. Dr Starke was an outstanding graduate of Flinders University’s Bachelor of Arts Honours program, and in 1995 was jointly awarded the Ann Flaxman prize in English.

The following year she was awarded the University Medal for outstanding academic achievement. She completed her PhD in English and Creative Writing in 2001. She was invited to become a writer-in-residence to support the creative writing program, where her incisive editorial eye and characteristic wit helped to develop the talent of both honours and postgraduate students.

Ruth also published more than 20 novels for young people, including the award-winning NIPS XI, which was named Honour Book (Younger Readers) in the 2001 CBC Awards and is currently on the Fiction for Young Readers curriculum, Noodle Pie and the Captain Congo series of graphic novels.

She was awarded the Carclew Fellowship in 2002, and served as a judge for both the Colin Thiele Writing Fellowship and the Independent Arts Fellowship, as a book reviewer for Australian Book Review, Viewpoint and Radio Adelaide, an editorial adviser for ABR, and a past Chair of the SA Writers Centre..

Until her passing, Dr Starke retained her academic status with Flinders, where she was Editor, Creative Writing, for Transnational Literature, and she nurtured many creative writers through that role. She is remembered by colleagues as being great fun and for having a wicked sense of humour.

https://twitter.com/writerssainc/status/1567308248533061633

https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/author/1290-ruthstarke
(reviews she wrote of other authors' works)

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/625564.Ruth_Starke
(reader reviews)

WORKS BY THE AUTHOR (this may not be complete):

The Great Violin Fiddle, Reed Books, 1995.
The Psychic Dog, Reed Books, 1995.
Stalker, Omnibus (Norwood, Australia), 1995.
Coming Out, Omnibus (Norwood, Australia), 1996.
The Twist in the Tale, illustrated by Tom Jellett, Lothian (Port Melbourne, Australia), 1997.
(Editor, with Chris Tugwell) Solo Spots: Senior Drama Monologues, Oxford University Press (Melbourne, Australia), 1998.
Writers, Readers, and Rebels: Upfront and Backstage at Australia's Top Literary Festival (adult nonfiction), Wakefield Press (Kent Town, Australia), 1998.
NIPS XI, Lothian (Port Melbourne, Australia), 2000.
Dead Red, Lothian (Port Melbourne, Australia), 2001.
Saving Saddler Street, Lothian (Port Melbourne, Australia), 2002.
Starstruck, Lothian (Port Melbourne, Australia), 2002.
Noodle Pie, 2008.

https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=583177807&q=%22ruth+starke%22+books&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiXquG028mCAxVJlokEHbtrDVYQ0pQJegQICxAB&biw=1920&bih=925&dpr=1
(book covers)

> About "Noodle Pie" (from Goodreads):
>
> "Experiencing culture shock during a family visit to Vietnam, Andy struggles to respond to a Vietnamese name he does not recognize and is surprised by a family restaurant that is nothing like what he expected."
>
> https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/ruth-starke/noodle-pie/
> (Kirkus review)

I can't believe no one has updated her entry at Goodreads...

Anyway, just wanted to say that I just read "Noodle Pie" and enjoyed it.

Yes, it's kind of sanitized and a bit predictable, but I'd still HIGHLY recommend it for middle-schoolers everywhere. Maybe even older kids!

(Just a note - since the description doesn't make this clear, Andy is 15 and Australian, not American. He's from Adelaide. He's also reasonably sharp and sensitive to other people's needs - mostly.)