Stormbreaker

My oldest son brought me Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz after a recent library trip.

"Mom," he said. "Would you please read this book and let me know if it's OK for me to read?"

I greatly appreciated his asking.

And honestly, I enjoyed the book.

Basically, Stormbreaker is James Bond for preteen and teenage boys... without all the swearing and sex.

It's rather unbelievable, but I think that's what makes it so fun. What 14-year-old boy wouldn't love to be able to train as a spy, hunt down the bad guy, and parachute out of a plane in order to save the day?

Alex Rider, the main character, makes it a point to try to avoid killing anyone. However, plenty of people around him are killed, including his only living relative, and his life is in danger frequently. If you have a child sensitive to being left alone or violence, then this book is not for him.

I told my son, who's 11, that he would enjoy reading it, but asked that he not share it with his little sister. She just turned 10, but I don't think she's quite ready for the action in this book.

He ended up reading it in one day - on a long car ride over the holiday. What did he think of it?

"I liked Stormbreaker because of the gadgets. Those are pretty cool," Nathaniel told me. "The story has good action, excitement and lots of suspense. I would definitely recommend it to other boys."

Since then, he has quickly read through the other Alex Rider mysteries - I think there are six in all. He tells me that in a couple of them, there are some swear words. If that concerns or offends you, you might want to pre-read them for your boys.