Alex Rider - the reluctant spy (Stormbreaker - Anthony Horowitz)

Member Name: becki110

Product:	Stormbreaker - Anthony Horowitz
Date:	09/09/09 (71 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Exciting, easy to read and good over the top characters.

Disadvantages: Can sometimes be a little too over the top and it is very predictable.

I first read Stormbreaker when I was 9 so this was a brilliant book for me. This book is the first in the series of the Alex Rider books. The tagline being, 'Alex Rider - you're never to young to die' which straight away made it seem that this book will be exciting for my 9 year old brain.

The plot:- Alex Rider's parents died when he was just a baby and now Alex lives with his uncle. One early morning the police knock on the door and Alex and the housekeeper Jack find out that his uncle Ian Rider is dead. Alex thinks that his uncles death is under suspicious circumstances so investigates and this brings him under the attention of Ian Rider's employers who turn out to be MI6.

Alex is blackmailed into carrying on his uncles mission, but not before some SAS training and being equipped with gadgets made by a very likeable Mr Smithers. Alex has a very traditional spy adventure, even to the point where the 'baddie' tells him the plan. The mission is set in Cornwall and involves a millionaire Herod Sayle who is giving every school in the UK a free revolutionary computer called Stormbreaker. Too good to be true? Most definitely.

Alex is a good character who is a 'reluctant spy'. His skills and abilities are in no way realistic but this book isn't really about the believable. At some point, the book can get very unbelievable but it is perfect for any child's dream of being a spy. The reluctance of Alex being a spy does give the book a realistic aspect though.

The other characters are pretty fantastic. Herod Sayle is written as a very bitter rich man with too much money. Jack the houskeeper is very good as the concerned carer. Mr Blunt - the MI6 boss is as cold as you would expect and Mr Grin who works for Sayle is undoubtedly one of the best characters as he is the definition of the bad guys henchmen.

The style of writing is easy to read. Mainly simple sentences to keep in line with the target audience of older children. The description don't go on to much and the dialogue is straight and to the point. Overall, this book is great if you're a child or if you have always dreamed about being a teenage spy. It's in no way brilliant, but it is exciting and good for a bit of very light reading.

Author: Anthony Horowitz

Pages: 236

Summary: Alex Rider becomes a spy and gets the 'baddies'