Rumble Fish :: Education by Design Store

Customer Reviews

A very moving story...,

2008-09-12
Rusty James, oh boy... What a character, Hinton really portrays the life a young teen in a bad environment. Rusty James recalls when he goes on an adventure that will ultimately lead him to imprisonment and the understanding of how his brother, The Motorcycle Boy, felt. Rusty engages in battles against characters and himself. Biff Wilcox being the opponent in his first encounter, a scuffle with street thugs, and the struggle within himself to show his true side to the world. To show them that he can be like his a brother, a leader, a "tuff guy".

A life filled with violence and misery is not easy on a 14 year old. It's even worse when your mom leaves your side, your dad's a drunk, and your older brother is gone for weeks at a time. Resorting to gangs for comfort, Rusty James shapes his own path to the future. Rusty James, in an attempt to understand his brother follows him to a pet shop and sees his brother set free all the animals. The sirens start, they take the Rumble Fish to the river, but suddenly the Motorcycle Drops dead. They are caught. The Fish make it to the river, but the only place they ended up is dead or in jail.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes reading books that show the true side of life in the cities, a life where there is no such thing as picture perfect. Young adults preferably, but in general this book is overall right for everyone. 5 out of 5...

Classic Teenage Novel

2008-08-17
This book is one of those books that every kid at age 15 should read. It may seem to have subjects that kid shouldn't be exposed to but let's not kid ourselves. Children these days just seem smarter and capable of more and more each day. If they are exposed to such adult topics as adult social interaction, violence, alcohol and broken homes in the world of superbly crafted literature it would do nothing but broaden their understanding of reality and the world around them a hundred times over. They are going to seek out or happen across these topics as the world is getting smaller and smaller so why not allow it under favorable conditions? This book represents a very meaninful moment in my childhood: a day that I grew up a little.

Rumble Fish

2007-12-30
I bought this for a 14 year old, as my children had read it and like it. I myself have not read it, but I should before I give it to her. It is considered a classic youn adult book. I t arrived in timely fashion and excellent condition.

S.E. Hinton at her finest!

2007-11-26
S.E. Hinton is at her finest with rumble fish. if you are a TRUE S.E. Hinton fan as i am you will love this book.

Adventure and deeper thought

2007-10-25
Rusty-James is 14 and idolizes his older brother, the Motorcycle Boy. He wants to be just like the Motorcycle boy but never seems to live up to his brother's reputation. But does Rusty-James really understand his brother and the forces which have made him who he is today?

This is Hinton's shortest novel so far but covers a surprisingly large number of issues. To begin with there is the theme of individualism. Why are people different and can't 'rebellion' be just giving in to the rules of peer groups? Then there is the issue of poverty. Don't environments like ghettoes mold the characters of their occupants? Can the occupants ever really escape for this influence even if they leave the ghettoe? Wouldn't lower class people act differently if they had more opportunity? Also there is the theme of madness. Are ordinary people pushed to extremes crazy? What about weird experiences like out-of-body trips? Are they crazy? Then again there is the issue of drugs and alcohol. Is it really 'cool' to use them? All this material for discussion makes ideal for high school book reviews.

Hinton's The Outsiders probably has more action and excitement, but I believe that is her best work to date.

Aventure and deeper thought

2007-10-25
“Stylistically superb. . . . This packs a punch that will leave readers of any age reeling.”—School Library Journal, Starred

“Sharper in focus and more mature in style than Hinton’s The Outsiders.”—Booklist

An ALA Best Books for Young Adults

A School Library Journal Best Books of the Year

Adventure and deeper thought

2007-10-24
Rusty-James is 14 and idolizes his older brother, the Motorcycle Boy. He wants to be just like the Motorcycle boy but never seems to live up to his brother's reputation. But does Rusty-James really understand his brother and the forces which have made him who he is today?

This is Hinton's shortest novel so far but covers a surprisingly large number of issues. To begin with there is the theme of individualism. Why are people different and can't 'rebellion' be just giving in to the rules of peer groups? Then there is the issue of poverty. Don't environments like ghettoes mold the characters of their occupants? Can the occupants ever really escape for this influence even if they leave the ghettoe? Wouldn't lower class people act differently if they had more opportunity? Also there is the theme of madness. Are ordinary people pushed to extremes crazy? What about weird experiences like out-of-body trips? Are they crazy? Then again there is the issue of drugs and alcohol. Is it really 'cool' to use them? All this material for discussion makes ideal for high school book reviews.

Hinton's The Outsiders probably has more action and excitement, but I believe that is her best work to date.

Adventure and deeper thought

2007-04-26
I really loved this book. I've read The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton and it is almost the same. After my class read The Outsiders, I decided to read one of the sequal's of the book. The book was about Rusty James and Motorcycle Boy, who would steal bikes and just leave them where they were. It was a very good book. If you liked The Outsiders, then you would love Rumble Fish.