The Rules for Hearts: A Family Drama

By Sara Ryan

Book Overview

In this companion novel to Empress of the World, a vibrant summer unfolds as Battle Hall Davies finds herself immersed in the quirky found family dynamics of Forest House.

"The Rules for Hearts makes its own rules. That's what I love about it."--Lauren Myracle, New York Times bestselling author of TTYL and TTFN

"Sara Ryan puts the world of downtown theater in all its brilliance and insanity on the page."--Jacqueline Woodson, Newbery Honor-winning author of Feathers and Show Way

Battle Hall Davies is sure of some things: she's going to Reed this fall; she loves girls; and her older brother, Nick, is cooler and more together than she'll ever be. Nick ran away from home when Battle was thirteen. Now, four and a half years later, he's tracked her down, and she's spending the summer between high school and college in Forest House, the group house where he lives in Portland.

It is a summer of surprises. Battle is swept into Forest House's community Shakespeare production and its all-night card games and into the arms of her new housemate, Meryl. It turns out that Nick is not who Battle thought he was--and Battle's not who she thought she was either.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0142412376
• ISBN13: 9780142412374
• Release Date: January 2009
• Publisher: Speak
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.0" x 7.0"
• Age Range: 14 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 9 and higher

Customer Reviews

Rules for Hearts

good second book... would have like to see more at the end of the book though

A welcome return.

Sara Ryan is back with her second novel, a sequal to Empress of the World. Battle hall Davies has graduated and heading off to college, her somewhat estranged brother lives in Portland Oregon and Battle has moved in with him and the various other roommates that inhabit the house. Ryan's writing is more assured and stronger in this book and it was an enjoyable read. I loved the theatre bits and the various character's, while some are cliches, they are good cliches and really round out the parts making the scenes fuller and realistic. My favorite part is the wedding scene and I must give Ryan props for having one of the character's wear a kilt and not present it as a man in drag or the source of drunks attempts at humor. The relation between Battle and her brother is the main focus of the book though Battle's attempts to have a lesbian relationship are explored as well, it is the family story, blood family and adopted family, that is the true heart of the book. Ryan has shown herself to be a writer that improves with each work and I look forward to reading more of her prose work as well as her comic book writings. The Rules for Heart's is definately going on my growing shelf of YA books.