Ms Rush Reads

 copyright date: February 2, 2021 primarily marketed for: Middle Grades I devoured this one in a single sitting. The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (as told to his brother)  by David Levithan is the book I did not know I needed.  The story opens when Aidan S. has gone missing. His parents are distraught. His brother, Lucas, is beside himself. The town is pitching in to help search. As the days pass, the outcome looks more and more grim.  And then Aidan shows up in the attic, wearing the same pajamas he had on when he left, and everyone wants answers. Is he alright? Where was he? What made him disappear?  Although Aidan's story is the driving force behind this novel, it is really Lucas's story readers enter. When Aidan returns with an explanation beyond belief, Lucas is left to decide what really matters. Levithan hints at classic tales, but his perspective is uniquely fresh and inventive. Readers will be left thinking about what really makes a story true.  I am looking fo

copyright date: January 5, 2021 primarily marketed for: Middle Grades Unplugged  by Gordon Korman overflows with humor, action, and heart. If you are a Korman fan, this is a perfect addition to your collection. If you are new to Korman, this will be the perfect gateway book. Jett Baranov is the son of a Silicon Valley tech genius. To call him spoiled would be a massive understatement. After a particularly risky stunt, from which his dad had to bail him out, Jett has been sent to spend a rehabilitative summer at the Oasis with his father's right hand man as a caretaker.  At the Oasis, Jett is forced to exist completely unplugged from the devices, social media, and entertainment he has come to rely on. Instead, he is invited to meditate, eat healthy, and relax in natural hot springs.  Of course, Jett is much more interested in finding a way out of the Oasis than he is in participating in any wellness activities. However, as the summer unfolds, Jett becomes entangled in a deception in

copyright date: August 3, 2021 primarily marketed for: middle grades I have been a fan of Jerry Spinelli's work for a long time, and  Dead Wednesday  did not disappoint. The narrative style in this one struck as me being similar to Loser, but not just because of the third-person point of view. The protagonist of Dead Wednesday , Worm Tarnauer, will tug at your heartstrings the same Zinkoff did in Loser. Dead Wednesday is a tradition the whole town gets behind in an attempt to help 8th graders avoid potentially fatal decisions as they head into their high school years. Each 8th grader is assigned the name of a local teen who passed away due to avoidable reasons (mostly accidents involving risky behavior). Students were black t-shirts and are ignored by others for the day to encourage quiet reflection. However, for most 8th graders being ignored by adults is more of an invitation to act out than to turn inward.  Worm approaches the day expecting to celebrate his freedom in the comfor

copyright date: January 1, 2021 primarily marketed for: middle grades The Greatest Superpower  by Alex Sanchez is a gem. I was in a bit of a reading slump until I picked up this book, thanks to NetGalley .  This middle grades book is about comic book loving Jorge who is navigating his parents' divorce and his first crush on a girl. Jorge's parents not only announce they are getting divorced, but his father also reveals to Jorge and his twin brother Cesar that she is transgender and wishes to live as her true self.  Although this announcement is a confusing surprise to Jorge, his love for his father ultimately trumps all. Cesar, however, is angry at their dad and works to prevent Jorge from sharing the truth with his friends.  In the midst of the changes in Jorge's family life, he and his friends are trying to invent a new superhero for a comic book contest. When Jorge blurts out the idea of the superpower to gender-shift, his friends jump on board.  Conversations about the

copyright date: October 2015 primarily marketed for: young adults (6th grade and up) The Beast of Cretacea by Todd Strasser is just the book the world needed.   Strasser’s futuristic retelling of Herman Melville’s classic, Moby Dick, is a dystopian adventure story that is filled with heart.   The story opens with protagonist, Ishmael, waking up on a ship on Cretacea after being transported from Earth, which is covered by the Shroud and becoming a less and less viable home for humans.   Ishmael hopes to earn enough money hunting sea creatures called terrafins to pay the way for his foster parents and brother to join him.   Readers get details about Ishmael’s past in chapters that flashback to his life on Earth.   These chapters develop Ishmael’s relationship with his foster family and solidify our understanding of his motivation to be successful aboard the ship.   However, there is much more to Ishmael than his past.   He forms strong bonds with his fellow

copyright date: February 2014 primarily marketed for: young adults (high school) I have been a fan of Lynne Ewing ’s Drive By for years.   It is a short, easy to read story about a boy whose older brother is gunned down in a drive by while they are walking home together.   At first, it seems to be a case of an innocent child in the wrong place at the wrong time.   That is, until the younger brother is approached about taking his older brother’s place in a gang.    It is a story filled with action and tough choices.   So, when I saw that Lynne Ewing’s new book The Lure , I immediately knew it would be one I would want to share.   Ewing gives us a hard core look at life in the inner city.   The Lure is the story of Blaise, a self-reliant teenage girl, living with her grandmother.   She has a rough history and often eats ketchup packets and sugar packets as meals to leave enough money for her grandmother to eat.   Blaise sees joining Core 9 as a