Ms Rush Reads

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 f...

copyright date: 2012 primarily marketed for: young readers (3 rd -5 th grades) “In cheering for Ivan and his friends, we cheer for our own humanity, and our own possibilities.   Read this.” -Gary D. Schmidt “This beautiful, life-affirming story will soar directly from Ivan’s heart into your own.” -Kathi Appelt “A Beautifully written, intelligent, and brave book.   Quite simply, this story is life changing.” -Patricia MacLachlan These are the quotes found on the back of this book.   Enough said, right? Nope. Even these powerful words don’t begin to explain how special this book is.   I want to purchase this book for everyone I know.   I believe this book is the new Charlotte’s Web.   It is that good. The One and Only Ivan is the story of a gorilla who is kept in captivity at a highway-side mall/zoo.   His cage consists of glass walls, a jungle mural, and a cement floor.   Ivan’s story is based on the story of an actual gorilla, w...