Ms Rush Reads

copyright date: June 2011 primarily marketed for: intermediate readers (5 th grade and up) Three things I cannot get enough of are: 1.      books that take place during WWII (there is so much to know about this important time in our history that these stories never get old) 2.      books told from multiple viewpoints (I love the layers of story this reveals) AND 3.      books about elephants (I am in love with these emotional creatures) An Elephant in the Garden by Michael Morpurgo (author of War Horse ) satisfies my craving for all three kinds of books.  The story is initially told from the point of view of a nurse whose son comes with her to work at an assisted living facility.  Her son, Karl, bounds into the room of one of her most challenging patients.  Upon meeting Karl, the patient begins talking about an elephant that lived in her garden when she was a young girl.  ...

copyright date: September 2011 (2010 in UK) primarily marketed for: intermediate readers (5 th grade and up) Growing up, I was familiar with Roddy Doyle .  My sister read his books for grown-ups and convinced me to watch a couple of her favorite movies, which were based on those books.  Years ago, I discovered his hilariously clever book for younger readers, The Giggler Treatment , a story about creatures called Gigglers who place dog poop in the paths of adults who’ve done wrong.  So, when I saw he had a new book out for young readers, I couldn’t wait to read it.  A Greyhound of a Girl is a book unlike any other I’ve read.  Roddy Doyle is a genius.  Life is a bit of a struggle for the protagonist, twelve-year-old Mary O’Hara.  Her granny is dying and she lost her best friend when her family moved away.  Now, she has to walk home down the hill from the bus stop alone before heading home to join her mother on a visi...

copyright date: June 2011 primarily marketed for: young adults (12 and up) Imagine waking up every day without a memory of the previous day.   Imagine relying on notes you write to yourself to keep track of the life you are living.   Imagine being able to remember the future, but not the past.   Imagine you are London Lane in Cat Patrick's Forgotten . Every night when London Lane goes to sleep, her memory of the day is wiped clear.   Because she is able to remember the future, she has a loyal best friend Jamie (which she knows without a doubt because they are still friends in her memories of the future).   However, Jamie’s current choices are having a negative impact on her future and London begins to test whether or not she can make an impact on or even completely change future events.   When she meets an attractive new student named Luke, she is unable to remember him from day to day since he is not in her future memories. ...