Book Review: Theodore Boone, The Abduction by John Grisham

Book:  Theodore Boone:  The Abduction (Theodore Boone #2) by John Grisham, Dutton Children's Books, 2011, 217 pages.  Middle school fiction.
Source:  purchased.

Summary (from Goodreads):
Theodore Boone is back in a new adventure, and the stakes are higher than ever.

When his best friend, April, disappears from her bedroom in the middle of the night, no one, not even Theo Boone-who knows April better than anyone-has answers.

As fear ripples through his small hometown and the police hit dead ends, it's up to Theo to use his legal knowledge and investigative skills to chase down the truth and save April.

Filled with the page-turning suspense that made John Grisham a #1 international bestseller and the undisputed master of the legal thriller, Theodore Boone's trials and triumphs will keep readers guessing until the very end.


My Thoughts:
I have read John Grisham novels in the past and enjoyed them and so was excited to read this middle school novel - I was not disappointed, this is an exciting, intreguing read for kids.

The beginning immediately draws the reader in when Theo's friend April has been abducted.  There is a kind of tough talking detective feel to the book, a bit abrubt and edgy.  At the same time, Grisham makes the reader feel for April and her plight and want her rescued, as well as feeling total sympathy for Theo in his plight to find his friend.

Theo is a fun character who will appeal to kids who like smart dectective novels.  He has a passion for the law which is contageous and keeps the reader turning the pages to watch him figure out what happened to his friend.

There are times when the book is a little repetative, but overall, it is well written and kids who like mystery, solving puzzles and suspense will really enjoy this series of books.  Grisham successfully combines the mystery solving Nancy Drew type story with a kid friendly legal thriller.

Theodore Boone:  The Abduction is the second in the series, the first being Theodore Boone:  Kid Lawyer.

This is the TV spot made for this book:

Friday 56 (3) & Book Beginnings (3)

 I haven't participated in these memes for a few weeks due to some general craziness at my house.  Today, for both Friday 56 and Book Beginnings, I will use Theodore Boon:  The Abduction by John Grisham.  This is a middle school book written by Grisham and I was curious to see what it was like, given that I've enjoyed some of his adult novels.  This one is actually the second in the series, but I am hoping that won't matter.  I am only a couple of pages in so far, but will do a review when I am done.


Hi everyone, Here are the Friday meme's I am participating in this week.
The first is Friday 56, sponsored by Freeda's Voice.

Here are the rules:

Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56.
*Find any sentence that grabs you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post in Linky at Freeda's Voice .

It's that simple.

From p. 56 of Theodore Boone:  The Abduction:

Slater was a veteran detective, the highest ranking, and the best in Strattenburg.  He was wiry with a slick, shaved head, and he wore nothing but black suits and black ties.  The city saw very little in the way of violent crime, but when they did Detective Slater was there to solve it and bring the felon to justice.

 ~~~~~~~~~~

The next one is Book Beginnings sponsored by A Few More Pages.

How to participate: Share the first line (or two) of the book you are currently reading on your blog or in the comments. Include the title and the author so we know what you're reading. Then, if you would like, let us know what your first impressions were based on that first line, and let us know if you liked or did not like the sentence. The link-up will be at A Few More Pages every Friday and will be open for the entire week.

The first lines of Theodore Boone:  The Abduction:

The abduction of April Frinnemore took place in the dead of night, sometime between 9:15p.m., when she last spoke with Theo Boone, and 3:30 a.m., when her mother entered her bedroom and realized she was gone.  The abduction appeared to have been rushed; whoever took April did not allow her to gather her things.

Like I said, I've only read a few pages so far, but I think this will really appeal to middle school and even young adult readers, especially boys.  It has a macho feel to it, with all of the typical, grizzly detective themes and stereotypes.  It will be fun to see what Grisham does with this.