Ms Rush Reads

copyright date: May 2011 primarily marketed for: young adults (14 and up) I picked up this book because I had fallen in love with Alyssa B. Sheinmel’s first book for young adults The Beautiful Between .   I have to admit I was slightly disappointed with The Lucky Kind because I had such high expectations.  Both books are about family secrets, but I found the relationships and dialogue in The Beautiful Between to be much more realistically drawn than the family relationships and dialogue in The Lucky Kind.   I am wondering if that might not be due to the protagonist of this book being a guy instead of a girl.  I am curious to hear if guys find Nick more or less believable than I did. The Lucky Kind tells the story of Nick Brandt, a high school senior who is well-adjusted and wants for nothing in life, other than to get Eden Reiss, the girl of his dreams, to notice him. When things start to look like they’re working out with Eden, his ...

copyright date: September 2011 primarily marketed for: young adults (12 and up) I am a sucker for a novel told in verse.   I am a sucker for anything having to do with Mexican culture.   I am a sucker for a metaphor involving a tree.   I am a sucker for a novel that makes me feel .   So, needless to say, Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall has found its way into my heart. The protagonist, Lupita, is the oldest of 8 siblings!   She is used to caring for her brothers and sisters and almost has a friendship with her mother as opposed to a mother-daughter relationship.   But there are still some things her mother doesn’t think Lupita is ready to hear.   When Lupita hears her parents whispering and realizes they are keeping something from her, she demands to know the truth, and finds out that her mother has cancer.   From that point forward, Lupita’s life will never be the same.   She does all she can to keep...

copyright date: February 2012 primarily marketed for: young adults (12 and up) Somebody Please Tell Me Who I Am by Harry Mazer and Peter Lerangis is not your typical war book.   It tells the story of Ben Bright, high school drama star and promising student.   Ben decides to enlist in the army, but keeps it a secret from everyone with whom he is close to avoid being talked out of it.   He is aware of the risks, but he deeply feels a need to serve his country, to do something big.   The book is divided into three sections: Before, During, and After.   Based on the title and the fact that the section titled ‘After’ is the lengthiest of the three sections, it is clear that things don’t go smoothly for Ben in the army.   He is injured and most of the book focuses on the impact of that injury on his family, his friends, and his life after military service. This is not a book with a political message against war, like it might seem to ...

copyright date: March 2012 primarily marketed for: young adults (12 and up) Starters by Lissa Price tells the story of Callie, a teenager living in a world where Spore Warfare has killed off anyone who was middle-aged.   When Spore Warfare was in use, the government gave the elderly (Enders) and those under the age of twenty (Starters) priority when it came to getting vaccinated because they were most at-risk.   So, it turned out they were the only survivors.   Now, without her parents or any surviving grandparents, Callie is left to care for herself and her sickly younger brother.   She has support from a childhood friend, Michael, but that is not enough to keep them safe and well-fed.   Callie is tempted to earn enough money to save her brother and friend by becoming a rental Starter.   She is invited to undergo a complete makeover, and earn a large sum of money simply for signing up to rent her body three times to Enders who ...

copyright date: February 2012 primarily marketed for: (a mature) 12 and up Ever wonder what becomes of the broken hearted?   Read the Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg to find out.   Aubrie, or Brie as she referred to by friends, heard the words she never wanted to hear from her boyfriend: I don’t love you.   Moments later she was dead.   Her heart had literally split in two.   She died of acute broken heart syndrome.   Her story picks up after Brie’s death and follows her journey towards acceptance and, ultimately, peace.   Along the way, she meets a host of interesting characters—including Patrick, her sarcastic guide, who looks like he is ready to attend a costume party dressed as Tom Cruise from Top Gun .   Brie also learns more than she ever thought she might about her family, her ex-boyfriend and the best friends she left behind.   She even discovers she might not be the Brie she always tho...

copyright date: May 2012 primarily marketed for: young adults (12 and up) This is Geoff Herbach 's sequel to Stupid Fast and continues Felton Reinstein’s story in true Felton fashion.   This is definitely a smart guy book—a book for smart guys, who definitely love a good chuckle. The story opens at the end of summer with Felton typing a letter to his girlfriend Aleah while flying in an airplane on his way to retrieve his younger brother from Florida.   The entire book is written as one giant letter to Aleah explaining how his summer led him to this moment in time.   After Felton and his brother Andrew got some help with their mother’s issues, Felton went right back to throwing himself into football and track—because he is stupid fast.   However, Andrew did not cope quite as well as Felton did.   Felton ignores his brother’s cries for help and continuously lets him down.   His brother ends up cooking up an elaborate plan to run ...

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. ...