Book: Stormbreaker
Author: Anthony Horowitz
Rating: 7/10
recommended age: 10 - 16/17- this book isn't too violent or graphical although their is fights and one or two occasions of people getting shot, there's no bad language but some language in the book is complicated so I would hesitate giving it to a younger child
This is the very first book of Horowitz's"Alex Rider" series of books.
Alex Rider is just a normal teenager living in London with an uncle who works for a bank and his house keeper Jack ,he goes ot school and his life is fine. But when the doorbell rings at 3 in the morning it's never good news...
His uncle Ian Rider has been found dead in a car accident,he wasn't wearing his seatbelt, so sorry.
But Alex knows his uncle was a careful man and the no seatbelt doesn't quite fit. Then at the funeral attended by people he has never even met before from the bank , Mr Crawley a man from personnel, Mr Blunt with eyes as hard as steel the supposed head of the bank and then a man with a gun hidden in a holster, what normal bank workers carry guns?
Little did Alex know his whole view of his uncle is about to change.
Called into the bank the next day he discoverers something remarkable there is no royal and general bank, it's a front for MI6. His uncle was a spy!
But now MI6 show a nastier side, blackmailing Alex to accept a part on the mission that got his uncle killed ,investigating Heord Sayle a apparent do gooder who wishes to repay Britain by gifting every school a new state of the art computer, this seems to good to be true and as Alex is about to find out their is a mad and sinister plot in Sayle enterprises,one that could destroy Britain for generations to come.
alone and armed with a few gadgets and 11 days training Alex is against the odds to find out what's happening, why his uncle died and how to stop a madman form killing every child in Britain...
This book is a very gripping and thrilling read and once you've started it's hard to put down. The book has a near perfect mix of action and mystery and who doesn't enjoy books about spy's and secret missions?
add the fact his just a kid mean you've got the making of a good book and a brilliant series.
Hope you found this review helpful,
The Devonian Reviewer
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Tuesday, 5 April 2011
Friday, 25 March 2011
BOOK REVIEW: Eagle Day(Robert Muchamore)Hendersons boys book 2
Book: Eagle Day
Author: Robert Muchamore
Rating: 7/10
recommended age: 12+
In the second installment of Henderson's boys, Henderson and the kids he was with in the first book are stuck in France after Henderson and Marc were refused entry to the boat due to Marc's lack of passport. Then a few miles out of Bordeaux and the documents the kids were carrying are lost to the water. Fortunately they survive and regroup with Henderson and joined by the American teen PT. Staying with Maxine(a assistant of the British consul) they originally plan to head south into Spain. But that changes
Now heading north into the military zone Henderson is tasked with gathering intelligence for the British government on the German occupation.
By a stroke of luck Henderson's considerable language skills get him a position as a translator for the oberst in charge of organising the invasion of England in the north of France. This is perfect, but with the Germans on the looks out his life gets much harder.
Sending secret radio transmissions, some of the others getting arrested for peeing in a car, long work hours and growing suspicion lead him to one course of action.
They must escape back to England.
But before they go they must do something to help sabotage the invasion plans and scupper the Boche barge fleet. they make a daring scheme to set of a number of explosions and phosphorus bombs in the main dock yards whilst a British air raid attack comes in in the dead of night therefore making it easier to hit the boats and less likely the planes will get shot down. The only thing is they will have to leave from a small harbour on a tug boat at the same time the British are bombing them.
And what other complications will occur?
Read this book
it is a very good second book of the series focused even more on the spying side of the operations and the various problems the Germans had. It is a very worthwhile read but you absolutely have to read the first book first or else you will find it rather tricky working out the characters.
see my review on The escape(book 1) at http://devonianbookreviewer.blogspot.com/2011/03/book-review-escaperobert-muchamore.html
Hope you found this review helpful,
The Devonian Reviewer
UK and Europe:
USA:
Germany:
Author: Robert Muchamore
Rating: 7/10
recommended age: 12+
In the second installment of Henderson's boys, Henderson and the kids he was with in the first book are stuck in France after Henderson and Marc were refused entry to the boat due to Marc's lack of passport. Then a few miles out of Bordeaux and the documents the kids were carrying are lost to the water. Fortunately they survive and regroup with Henderson and joined by the American teen PT. Staying with Maxine(a assistant of the British consul) they originally plan to head south into Spain. But that changes
Now heading north into the military zone Henderson is tasked with gathering intelligence for the British government on the German occupation.
By a stroke of luck Henderson's considerable language skills get him a position as a translator for the oberst in charge of organising the invasion of England in the north of France. This is perfect, but with the Germans on the looks out his life gets much harder.
Sending secret radio transmissions, some of the others getting arrested for peeing in a car, long work hours and growing suspicion lead him to one course of action.
They must escape back to England.
But before they go they must do something to help sabotage the invasion plans and scupper the Boche barge fleet. they make a daring scheme to set of a number of explosions and phosphorus bombs in the main dock yards whilst a British air raid attack comes in in the dead of night therefore making it easier to hit the boats and less likely the planes will get shot down. The only thing is they will have to leave from a small harbour on a tug boat at the same time the British are bombing them.
And what other complications will occur?
Read this book
it is a very good second book of the series focused even more on the spying side of the operations and the various problems the Germans had. It is a very worthwhile read but you absolutely have to read the first book first or else you will find it rather tricky working out the characters.
see my review on The escape(book 1) at http://devonianbookreviewer.blogspot.com/2011/03/book-review-escaperobert-muchamore.html
Hope you found this review helpful,
The Devonian Reviewer
UK and Europe:
USA:
Germany:
Monday, 14 March 2011
BOOK REVIEW: THE ESCAPE(Robert Muchamore) Hendersons Boys series
Book: The Escape
Author: Robert Muchamore
Rating: 6.5-7/10
Recommended age: 11+
This book and the rest of it's series are a prequel to his amazing series of books called Cherub. But In
Henderson's Boys is based on a unit of British intelligence in World War 2. This unit is run by Charles Henderson. A professional spy who after the events of this book and the 2nd of the series set up a training camp. The only thing about this unit is that all the spy's are teenagers!
But In this book you follow 2 groups of people
Group 1 is
Paul and Rosie Clarke, 2 kids who are alone among millions of refugees fleeing the German advance. Their Dad having died in a bomb attack and in possession of a very important document. along and scared they find shelter with a priest but the German secret police won't give up that easily....
The second group is British agent Henderson and french orphan Mark Kilgour. Drawn together by chance they meet when Marc breaks into Henderson's house and is ruthlessly tortured by German gestapo who Rip out his tooth in their task to find Henderson. hours later Henderson arrives and helps Marc. But now they are in a race against time they must reach the Clarkes before the Boche, but they must also deal with the french scientist who created the documents.
All of this equals a firefights in a hotel, a motorbike race through the streets, sunk ferries people getting shot and a gripping first of the series that can only become better.
Hope you found this review helpful,
The Devonian Reviewer
UK and Europe:
USA:
Germany:
Author: Robert Muchamore
Rating: 6.5-7/10
Recommended age: 11+
This book and the rest of it's series are a prequel to his amazing series of books called Cherub. But In
Henderson's Boys is based on a unit of British intelligence in World War 2. This unit is run by Charles Henderson. A professional spy who after the events of this book and the 2nd of the series set up a training camp. The only thing about this unit is that all the spy's are teenagers!
But In this book you follow 2 groups of people
Group 1 is
Paul and Rosie Clarke, 2 kids who are alone among millions of refugees fleeing the German advance. Their Dad having died in a bomb attack and in possession of a very important document. along and scared they find shelter with a priest but the German secret police won't give up that easily....
The second group is British agent Henderson and french orphan Mark Kilgour. Drawn together by chance they meet when Marc breaks into Henderson's house and is ruthlessly tortured by German gestapo who Rip out his tooth in their task to find Henderson. hours later Henderson arrives and helps Marc. But now they are in a race against time they must reach the Clarkes before the Boche, but they must also deal with the french scientist who created the documents.
All of this equals a firefights in a hotel, a motorbike race through the streets, sunk ferries people getting shot and a gripping first of the series that can only become better.
Hope you found this review helpful,
The Devonian Reviewer
UK and Europe:
USA:
Germany:
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