RUSH: Here’s John. We have a 10-year-old young man on the phone who wants to talk to me about Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims. His name is John. He’s from Smithton, Illinois. Hi, John.
CALLER: Hi.
RUSH: I’m so glad that you called.
CALLER: Yeah.
RUSH: Yeah. How are you?
CALLER: Good.
RUSH: Well, that’s wonderful. What is it that you wanted to say?
CALLER: I wanted to tell you how good they are. I mean, I really like ’em. My dad got the first one for me for Christmas, and I read it, and I really liked it. I can’t wait until the next one comes out.
RUSH: Ah, that is so cool. John, I don’t know if you know yet what it’s like to make other people happy, but you have just made me really, really happy. You have given me one of the best compliments anybody could give me, and I appreciate it. There’s another book coming. We put it up for pre-order two Fridays ago, and it actually will be for sale on March the 11th, and it’s called Rush Revere and the First Patriots. It’s about the Boston Tea Party, actually more than that, but that’s the event that it is built around. And I just want to tell you, I think you’re gonna like it as much, if not more, than the first one.
CALLER: Yeah, I hope. My dad’s getting it for me for my birthday. He already pre-ordered it.
RUSH: Oh, really? Okay, cool. So it’s on its way as soon as it’s released.
CALLER: Yeah.
RUSH: Well, John, I tell you what I want to do. Who’s your favorite character in these books?
CALLER: I really don’t know. I like ’em all.
RUSH: Okay, well, then I’ll tell you what, I’m gonna sign one to you. When the new one comes out I’m gonna sign one to you and send it to you and I’m gonna send you the audio version of Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims. Just hang on so Mr. Snerdley can get the address for me to send this stuff to you when it’s ready. Don’t hang up.
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RUSH: You know, speaking of Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims, over at Amazon, there are currently 2,600 reviews of Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims, and it has a collective rating of 4.8-out-of-5 stars. Now, I don’t study these things a lot, but I have to tell you, I don’t think I have ever seen such a high review ranking for any book at Amazon, as 4.8 out of 5 with 2600 reviews. That’s 2,277 out of 2,600 reviewers gave it 5 out of 5 stars — and the audiobook’s unabridged.
It’s the whole thing. It is every word, the audio version of Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims, and the audio version of Rush Revere and the First Patriots — which, again, will be out for sale on March the 11th. We made it available for pre-order at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Books-A-Million, everywhere, a couple of Fridays ago. I had to make mention of these reviews, because you people are doing that, and I just need to thank you again.
Another thing: These kids that call here. I had some snarky e-mail saying, “Where’s your agent finding these child actors?” because they sound so good. They’re not actors.
Those are real kids. Those are real readers. Snerdley answers the phone, and they get through here. Don’t act so surprised that a child of parents that listen to this program would be so well-spoken and polite and mannerly. I think it’s great, and that last caller from Smithton, Illinois, that called here, the 10-year-old?
Bam! “Hi, John. How are you?” and he’s right in there. Some people think parents put ’em up to it; they’re sitting out there. Maybe, I don’t know, but that young man was saying what he really thought. He wasn’t saying it ’cause he was coached or had it written out for him. It’s great, folks. The feedback and the reaction that we’re getting, you can see some of it ’cause it gets posted at the Adventures of Rush Revere portal at TwoIfByTea.com.
Again, the second book in the series — and there always was going to be a second book. You don’t want to cannibalize the first one, and we’ve got the second one in the series, and it comes out on March the 11th, Rush Revere and the First Patriots, and we got some good stuff in this one. We got a young student who attempts to undermine some other student. It’s just perfect. We have a conversation between Rush Revere and King George — and let me just let you something on this now.
You know, these books are not political. They’re not overtly so. They’re just true to American history, and that’s their mission. That’s their purpose, is to simply teach the truth of American history in a very proud, uplifting, positive, honest manner. That’s what’s going on here, specifically to counter what has become the way American history is taught in the public schools. It’s taught that people should feel guilty about this country, that it’s imperfect, that it’s not exceptional and all that, and I just think that’s horrible.
So these books have a mission to counter that with just the truth, and they’re not overtly political. However, I mean, we do teach. It’s American history. And so the conversation between Rush Revere and the king (this is for you parents) is a way of explaining tyranny and socialism in a way that kids 10 to 13 will read about say, “Oh, my God, that’s horrible.” But there’s no mention of Republican, Democrat, liberal, conservative, or any of that.
There’s no preaching. It’s just honest, straightforward — and that conversation is not a long one. It’s not a whole chapter, for example, but it’s a seminal moment in the book. I loved doing it. I loved crafting that, ’cause it’s crucial in terms of the mission. But there’s all kinds of historical figures. You meet Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Samuel Adams, and a number of other major, major figures in American history in Rush Revere and the First Patriots.
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RUSH: You really should read some of the reviews of Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims on Amazon. They’re just astounding. It has 4.8-out-of-5 stars with 2,600, 2,700 reviews? And the reviews are just over the top. It really is gratifying.