Kissing the Rain [Paperback]

Kevin Brooks (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 6, 2006

Moo Nelson walks through life alone with his eyes down, avoiding the rain - being pushed and laughed at by others - and wishing things were different. Until the night he sees a car chase - and a murder ...Or does he? What is the truth and who wants to know? It seems a lot of people do - the police, the lawyers, the bullies at school, and one very bad guy indeed. Moo must decide between truth and lies and he must do it soon, before someone else gets hurt...

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Moo Nelson is fat--pale white blubbery fat--and he gets rained on every day at school for it. The jokes, the insults, the snide laughter, the beatings--all of it he calls the RAIN. Moo has learned to "umbrellarize" it, to walk through it with his eyes down. Because after school there is always the bridge--a place where he can where he can watch the cars go by on the highway and find some shelter from the RAIN.

That is until the day he sees two speeding cars, a crash, a scuffle, and a murder on the bridge. Moo is the only witness, and his story is not what the police want to hear. If he tells the truth, Keith Vine, a notorious bad guy, will go free, and Detective Inspector Callan will retaliate by sending Moo's father to jail for welfare fraud. If he lies, Vine will take violent revenge. The secret pressures mount on Moo from all sides--money and gifts, threats and beatings--until he chooses to kiss the RAIN, to take action against his tormentors.

Kevin Brooks again shows the brilliance that won him acclaim for Martyn Pig and Lucas. The story emerges through a murky stream of consciousness; Moo's working-class British voice swirls past the boulders of plot events. Moo is befuddled, hurting, and enormously touching as he struggles toward a dimly perceived Right Thing to Do, and misses the mark badly. This third YA novel from Kevin Brooks' is evocative of the best of PBS' Mystery! Series. (Ages 12 and older) --Patty Campbell --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up--Michael "Moo" Nelson is an uncouth, overweight, working-class 15-year-old who escapes the daily harassment--the "rain" as he calls it--he faces at school by riding his bike to a bridge, climbing to a familiar vantage point, and losing himself in the Zen of watching the endless flow of traffic. His life is changed when he witnesses a murder from the bridge. The alleged killer is a notoriously ruthless organized-crime figure and Michael is the only one who knows that the man is innocent of this particular crime, but is being framed by the police, who are eager to see him behind bars. Michael quickly becomes the recipient of bribes and threats from parties on both sides of the high-profile case, and his knowledge unwittingly translates to power at school where his former tormentors, aware of his potent connections, are suddenly reluctant to mess with him. Ultimately, he faces a dilemma: he can tell the truth and allow a nefarious thug to remain free, in which case the police have made it clear they'll pursue welfare-fraud charges against the teen's freeloading father, or he can lie and send the gang boss to prison, in which case he seems bound to be targeted for retribution. Brooks abruptly finishes the novel with Moo considering a third, violent alternative--one that, while risky and rash, would clearly demonstrate his growth as a character. Unfortunately, readers are left to guess how things turn out, and that is likely to infuriate those who've hung with Moo till the end.--Jeffrey Hastings, Highlander Way Middle School, Howell, MI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: The Chicken House (March 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1905294182
• ISBN-13: 978-1905294183
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,284,313 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT novel! - Julia Tramantano, November 8, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Kissing The Rain (Hardcover)

Kissing the Rain was an amazing fictional book by Kevin Brooks. While reading this book it's like living a different life, understanding exactly how the main character is feeling: all the pain and the anger. You can really relate to the main character in one way or another, by getting to know him page after page. This book makes you want to read on and find out what is going to happen next, "What is Moo going to do?" "How is he going to react?" It really makes you want to know how the story ends-even after you have finished reading it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Rain: We all live it, August 9, 2004

By 

Dare2bestupid "Dare2bedifferent, Dare2beyourself" (Rhode Island) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kissing The Rain (Hardcover)

Moo Nelson is a young man who has to face the everyday chellenges of an oveerweight adolescent. His friends are not real friends, his enemies are real enemies though. He must deal with the "rain" (insults and beatings) every day of his life, but rather than drugs or alcahol, he escapes his inner torments with the simple peacefulness of a bridge.

One day however, the peacfulness is shattered as a case of road rage turns violent. Suddenly Moo is hurtled into a confusing series of events that endangers his well being. If Moo tells the truth, or if he lies, something terrible will happen. All Moo does know, however, is that he somehow has to overcome the rain.

This book is speactacularly written, truly revealing the inner torments of an overweight teenager. The confusing thoughts, the pain, the misery all comes pouring out in a horriyingly calm and accepting manner. I am 15 years old and an avid reader, so I am not easily impressed, but the book was very impressive. If you enjoy this book I would recommend "Crusader" as well.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars WHAT HAPPENS?!?!?!?!?, October 30, 2005

By 

BOOK GIRL 2007 (OSLO NORWAY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kissing The Rain (Hardcover)

THIS IS A GOOD BOOK, WITH A GOOD PLOT, BUT I WAS DISSAPPOINTED THAT I SPENT 4 DAYS READING IT AND NOT GETTING TO KNOW WHAT MOO CHOOSES IN THE END. THE BOOK MADE ME THINK, BUT IT CONFUSING IN SEVERAL PLACES.