wow. that was my first alex rider book and i must admit i finishedit the same day i bought this. great adventures however books are never perfect. one of the flaws for this book would be. well for me, that it didnt seem realistic. but really, you dont notice it when your reading unless you think it over pondering7 like me. haha. i would recomend this book.

Stormbreaker
Anthony Horwitz
Alex Rider was an average kid. Just another British kid that lives with his uncle. But when his uncle dies in a car crash because he wasn't wearing a seat belt, Alex becomes suspicious. After school Alex went to the junkyard and found his uncles car in tact but when he walks around to the drivers side door he sees a spray of bullet holes in the door.
I love this book and I my self am a VERY picky reader and I have read all the books in the series: stormbreaker, Point Blanc, Skeleton Key, Eagle Strike, Scourpia, Ark Angle, and Snake head. It is action pact book with so many amazing I thought I was in the movie theater. I Stayed up to 1:00AM and didn't even realize it this book was so amazing. I highly recommend this to anyone who has read the cherub series, has seen and loved the James bond movies, or just loves super spy books.
By: Richie S.

I was looking at combining some of my reading groups with a mixture of high ability students and my reluctant readers, and I came across Stormbreaker and I knew that it was perfect. What better way to pull in a couple of non-reading boys as well as keep some advanced readers engaged and get hooked on a series?

Stormbreaker may not be the best book out there in regards to character development in regards to its main character of Alex Rider, but it does lay the foundation for a good series. I anticipate that in the future novels (I am aware that there are many already published) will elaborate more on Alex and develop his character more with each novel. One aspect of Alex that I enjoy is that he does have the attitude of a typical teenager. He oftentimes pushes the limits of authority and does what he thinks is best. He disregards advice on occasion and thinks that he can accomplish things although they are filled with danger. This, honestly, is true of many teenage boys. Oftentimes in novels for youngsters, faults are not so easy to see in a main character as they were here.

I do think that the plot of the story was a little weak. Sayer's terroristic plan was a little far fetched, but even more so was his reasoning for revenge. But in defense of this flaw, realize that the book is meant for upper elementary and early middleschool students. Sayer's drive for revenge can easily hit home for many students this age, and therefore will easily wrap up the story in their minds.

All in all, it was an exciting read with a few flaws. I anticipate reading more of the Alex Rider saga in the future and see how the author delves into the personality of Alex within the series.

I bought this book for my 14 yrs old son and read it after he told me he loved it. He was right!

Stormbreaker is a book about a teenage spy named Alex Rider. He started out being a normal kid, except he was a master in many different fighting styles. He knows how to scuba dive, and even at the age of 14, he can drive. All of this is because of his uncle Ian Rider, who used to a top spy, until one bad mission. He was killed when a contract killer shot him.
Alex Rider lived with Ian after his parents died when he was young. Alex had no idea what his uncle really did. He thought that his uncle worked for a bank. All Alex knew was that his uncle would go on long trips to far-off countries. At his funeral Alex was told that his uncle had died of a car accident and had not been wearing his seatbelt. Alex did not believe this, so he went and investigated. He found what he was looking for, and he knew his uncle didn't work for a bank.
I strongly recommend this book to readers who are 10-14 in age because it does have some bad language and has a large number of pages. Overall, this is a great book and think that all readers that like action will like it. I also recommend the rest of the series to readers that liked this book and other Anthony Horowitz novels.


Connor McRae

I checked this out for my 4th grade daughter because it was on her schools AR list and worth 10 pts. It took her about 3 weeks to read it, but she LOVED it! She is getting ready to start the second book. She loved all the spy gadgets and the brave Alex character!

I am coming late to the Alex Rider series as my oldest son is only seven. This is the second Alex Rider book that I've read, for the purpose of understanding when my spy-obsessed son might be old enough to start reading the series.

I enjoyed reading this book. It obviously lacks the complexity and depth of a book written for adults, but it is still a fast paced and enjoyable thriller that borrows heavily on the James Bond and Mission Impossible franchises. Alex Rider makes a likable hero who is brave, tenacious and resourceful.

I would feel comfortable giving it to my son to read when he's a little older - my gut feel is 9-10 years would be about right. He still needs to strengthen his reading skills (words like interrogation, hyperventilating, cloying, claustrophobic and exquisite are typical), but also to develop the maturity to cope with a plot that involves a fair amount of violence (the book opens with the death of Alex's uncle and bad guys get shot on a regular basis).

Here are some things that parents may like to know about this book:
- The storyline is reasonably simple and the bad guy/good guy lines are clearly drawn.
- Violence is not described in overly graphic detail, but it does occur throughout the book. Alex fires a gun twice and hits a bad guy on one occasion. He also causes the death of another villain by causing a plane crash.
- There is no swearing or bad language.
- There is a noticeable absence of positive female characters (unless you count the housekeeper who barely appears). There is a reference by the MI5 into female agents being of use if you need someone to slip in as a secretary or receptionist.

This summer, I was looking for books to add to my classroom library that might entice one of my returning students who LOVES football and HATES reading. The Alex Rider series caught my eye because I had enjoyed watching the BBC TV series "Foyle's War," which was also written by Anthony Horowitz. It worked! The student is already on the third novel of the series. Sometimes it is just finding the right genre. The Alex Rider books are "spy" novels, but Horowitz portrays his protagonist very three-dimensionally with some great "Man (or in this case, Boy) vs. Self" dramatic conflict, which we teachers love to see kids reading and writing about. I read the whole series myself this summer and was delighted to find there are still more being written.

[Fun: 5/5] [Learning: 3/5] [Suitable: 4/5]

For a great action-packed James Bond-esque novel for kids, this has to be the winner. Full of action and adventure, the story follows a reluctant boy-spy for MI6 through his mission to gather information, which inevitably turns out to be a much bigger assignment than anyone would have guessed. Though the book dates itself (several of his gadgets are made from already outdated technology), it does a good job of pulling off the spy-thriller feel. Predictable in points, and a bit violent, Horowitz does do a good job of keeping the gore to a minimum. Though rather cliche (what spy book isn't anymore), it is a fun action read.

Audience:
* Teen Readers (Grades 8-12)

Positive Themes:
* Ingenuity
* Good vs. Evil

Objectionable Content:
* Violence
* Some graphic scenes

My Recommendations:
* Readers may also enjoy the Young James Bond series by Charlie Higson, as well as other teen books by Anthony Horowitz.

Bookmom - Get involved in your child's reading!

I can see why this book and series are so popular-- full of action, cliff-hanger, real danger, technology, and a big story. I don't fault any of this. And I don't mind the similarities with Bond, even down to the characatured cast of villians. But where Stormbreaker lost stars for me was that Alex himself was not enough like Bond. Alex isn't too perfect; he just isn't heroic enough. Take the playboy out of Bond and he's still a patriot. Alex is too post-modern I suppose for that. But then why go through with the whole mess in the first place? It's not revenge. It's not love of country. Then what? Alex needs more than fear of eviction to drive him to fight evil.

I found the audiobook version of "Stormbreaker" at my local library. It looked like a good story, so I checked it out and listened to it. I was amazed. Anthony Horowitz writes a superb story, and Nathaniel Parker is a wonderful narrator. All of the foreign accents sound great, and the story moves along quickly, especially toward the end. I suggest this if you like well-performed audiobooks.

Alex Rider was a pretty normal English schoolboy. At 14, he had a rich uncle who was an "international banker" but, as his uncle dies in a mysterious crash, the even doesn't fit. Ian Rider was too careful. He wasn't careless enough to die in a car crash. As Alex inspects his uncle's car, he discovers bullet holes. Bullet holes in a car crash? What's happening? As Alex is almost crushed, then cut, then pulverized in a compacter, he also notices a label, Royal & General Bank, supposedly the bank Ian Rider works for. It seems unlikely, but what other clue does Alex have? He finds Royal & General, and discovers that his Uncle's whole life was a lie. He takes a job for them, but it's far from banking as you can get. As the book unfolds, Alex in whisked away on a crazy adventure for Britain's best, and most secretive, intelligence agency that he, and readers, will never forget. The nonstop action and adventure in this series will leave you wanting more Rider. It did for me. I thought these books were amazing; so what did I do? I read the next one. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes action, adventure, or cool gadgets.

Matthew H.
Grade 6
Ms. Kawatachi

Alex Rider is the New James bond. He is fourteen years old but just as good as an adult. The book starts out as Alex who has been an orphan since he was less than a year old, loses his uncle Ian. The police told Alex he wasn't wearing his seatbelt and was killed in a car accident, but Alex knows that is not true-and he's right. the book leads Alex to be recruited to work for a british intelligence agency and he is assigned to pick up where his Uncle left off. Alex goes through so much and almost fails, he was shot at, knocked out, handcuffed to a radiator overnight, chased by guards, thrown into an aquarium and worst time is running out.

I read this book in one day and I couldn't put it down. It is suspensful, and just keeps you turning the pages.

"Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz, is neither a masterpiece of writing nor a great, character-driven novel. But then, I wasn't expecting it to be. I was expecting a good, exciting thriller, and that's what I got.

Alex Rider has just received news of his uncle's suspicious death. He doesn't believe for a moment that Ian Rider didn't wear a seatbelt in his car accident -- his uncle was notoriously cautious. But he never guessed the truth -- that his uncle was a spy for the British government and was killed by a hit man working for the other side. His last mission is a desperate one, though, and MI6, the agency he worked for, has now commissioned Alex to finish it.

At times heartily implausible (like the end -- harpooning a plane? And managing not to fall as you're dragged by harpoon gun into the sky?), this novel is still pretty good. As I said before, it's no masterpiece, but again: it doesn't intend to be. It's supposed to be a light, easy, fast-paced, exciting read, and it does it quite well.

One thing, though, that really bothered me, was the treatment of Alex's reaction to his uncle's death. I don't care how distant your guardian is, you don't just "get over" the death of the person who has been your parent for fourteen years, especially not when you find out he was murdered. Alex even meets the murderer himself, in the end, and doesn't so much as get angry! I thought that this was probably the most unrealistic part of the whole book (even more than the harpoon-gun incident.)

A good thriller. 4 stars.

After a friend recommended the Alex Rider books, and the movie adaptation pricked my interest, I settled down with "Stormbreaker", the first of what is (currently) a six-book series. Alex is a fourteen year old English schoolboy who wakes early one morning to find that Ian Rider, his uncle and guardian since his parents' deaths, has been killed in a car accident. It's not long before the truth emerges: Ian wasn't a banker at all, but a high-ranking spy for MI6 who was killed in the line of duty. Now Alex himself has been asked to fill his uncle's shoes, as a lifetime of mountain-climbing, foreign languages, martial arts training and other unusual activities suddenly becomes clear to the young teen.

Ian had been undercover as a security guard at Sayle Enterprises, the company of a Lebanese businessman named Herod Sayle who plans to ship out thousands of cutting-edge computers to schools all around Britain. It sounds like the gift of a great philanthropist, but MI6 are suspicious and Ian's death only confirms their fears. Where does Alex fit into all this? The first prize in a Sayle-run competition is for a young girl or boy to be the first to try out the new Stormbreaker computer, and MI6 want Alex to take the place of the *real* competition winner in order for him to do some snooping. Alex has no choice - if he doesn't comply, the government will deport his beloved housekeeper Jack Starbright back to the United States.

So undercover he goes, armed with some clever gadgets (a zit cream that melts through metal, a yo-yo with a nylon string and a rather extraordinary game boy) in order to investigate the strange individual that is Herod Sayle (who comes complete with dangerous pets, larger-than-life henchmen, and a tragic back-story of his own).

When attention turned from boy-wizards to spy-kids after the success of Robert Rodriguez's movie Spy Kids, the market was suddenly flooded with demands for high-tech, fast-paced, savvy young spies, as seen with the likes of Kim Possible, Agent Cody Banks, the X's and so on. The story may not even be remotely plausible, but Anthony Horowitz has successfully jumped onto the spy-kids bandwagon and run wild with it. Alex is a smart, likeable kid and the plot so breathlessly fast-paced that any discrepancies in the story are effortlessly glossed over. The villains are villainous, the evil plot is nefarious, and the henchmen have names like Nadia Vole and Mr Grin (thanks to a knife-throwing accident at the circus, he sports a scar that pulls his face into a perpetual smile) - what more can you want? With practically every chapter ending on a cliff-hanger, this is a perfect book to try out on a reluctant reader.

If there is one thing that bothered me slightly, it's that Alex is a little too good to be true. I brought the martial arts and the physicality of the teenager, but when Alex bests Sayle in a snooker game or spouts a reel of computer jargon to Mr Blunt, my suspension of disbelief was stretched somewhat. Oh come on, I hear you say - in a story filled with giant jellyfish, submarines and teenage espionage, what's the big deal? In my opinion, it's fine - no, *necessary* - that in a book like this there are wild plot turns, but it needs to be balanced with a grounded, realistic protagonist that the reader can relate to. Alex makes too few mistakes during the course of the story (there are a few slips of the tongue, but nothing too serious) and at times displays superhuman skills, all of which distance him a little from the average reader. Looking at our culture's typical heroes, our favourites always seem to be the ones that slip up now and then, chastise themselves, have physical limits: Indiana Jones, John McClain, Batman - we like our heroes dark, fallible, and *human*. Am I expecting too much from a story that's meant to be pure entertainment? Probably, but it's also true that we never really get inside Alex's head, particularly as to his relationships with (what we suppose) are the two most important people in his life - Jack and Ian, and as such, he remains a little distant. However, this may change in future books, as it does seem that Horowitz is laying down seeds that will come to fruition in later books - I expect to see a lot more from Jack Starbright, Mrs Jones and Yassen Gregorovich (the Russian assassin that killed Ian Rider) in future books.

Other than that, I have little to complain about. The "Alex Rider" series is all set to be a great reading experience, and Point Blank (Alex Rider Adventures) is next on my reading list.

Stormbreaker is a book that is full of suspense and action!!! It is about a boy whose uncle died in a supposed car crash. Then, some peple come and tell him that his uncle is part of M16, a British intelligence agency. They say his uncle was on a mission called,Stormbreaker when he died and they want him to complete the mission. This fast-paced book was so good I could never put it down!

Alex hears the door bell the ring. It's never good news when the doorbell rings at 3 o'clock in the morning. Alex looks out his window to see who it is. There are two police officers standing out side waiting. Alex tiptoes down stairs and answers the door "Can I help you guys?" Alex says.

"Are you Alex Rider?"

"Yes I am, what can I do for you guys?"

"Actually, we came here to give some bad news. Your uncle, Ian, is dead. He died earlier this morning in a car accident." What would you do if this happened to you?

Alex Rider is a Fourteen year-old boy who finds out his uncle just died from a car accident. At his funeral he meets Alan Blunt, he worked with Ian Rider. He tells Alex to come meet with him. Alex does and there he finds out his uncle was a spy for MI6. He was on a mission and had been killed because of it. Now Alex must complete the mission his uncle had been on.

My favorite part in this book is when Alex is sent to a training camp to train and get himself ready for the mission. At the training camp he's the only fourteen year-old there, the other guys are about seventeen years or older. All the guys there think he's not capable of doing any of the training. He proves them wrong. Alex does all the training but at a slower pace. He's not as fast and strong as the others, but he still does it. That was pretty cool.

The theme of this book I would have to say is, believing in you and to care about others, not just yourself.

I really liked this book. It was an intense, action packed book that will keep you reading on and cheering for Alex Rider throughout the whole book. I would recommend it to people who are into adventurous and action type books.

Boy, was I suprised at how wonderful this book was. I sometimes read books my children are interested in and they raved about this and the rest of the Alex Rider series. They were right. It reads so fast and easy that you feel you're gulping it down.
Anthony Horowitz has a way of making you want to be a part of Alex's world. The gadgets and scenarios he finds himself in are not so out of this world that you can't relate. Once again, he has created a character that you need to know more about. I highly recommend this book and the movie for adults as well!

This book was. Magnificent; it combined real life with action packed spying. This is the type of book that makes you want to read the rest of the series. The concept of the book is really intriguing. While reading this you just don't want to put the book down. Here is what I thought about the story plot of this book.

The book is based on a 14 yr old boy named Alex Rider. He lives in London, England with his uncle Ian Rider in apartment in Chelsea. One day Alex woke up and heard the police say Ian Rider killed in car accident. After Alex does a little snooping he finds out his uncle was not a normal bank employee. He finds that his uncle was involved with a spy organization named M16. After training M16 with Alex finds he has to go undercover into a millionaire's mansion and find out why his uncle was killed. Alex doesn't know that the villains have no mercy. Alex does find that out as multiple people try to kill him. After a while Alex finds himself in a big mystery. Alex also doesn't know the evil plan that's happening right in front of his eyes.


This book had some very good qualities and here are some of them. This book puts a very descriptive picture in the readers head. "He knelt beside the first window and looked through into a large white- tiled room, a laboratory with complicated glass and steel equipment laid out over work surfaces." This book left every chapter with a cliff hanger. ("It was only now that Alex realized he had been following the trail of a dead man, and now it might only lead to his grave") Also the book was good in telling how the main characters were feeling. `His face was bored and businesslike and his eyes were full of menace

The only downside to this book was there weren't enough good characters. Alex was mostly alone and had know partner. With a partner Alex's character would seem more sentimental and caring.

I would recommend this book to everyone. This book is extremely suspenseful, and relates to all audiences. I don't know anyone who wouldn't like this book. This is very similar with James Bond.

Fourteen-year-old Alex Rider knows something bad has happened when the doorbell rings in the middle of the night. He soon learns that his caretaker uncle, Ian Rider, was killed in an automobile accident on his way home. A banker who works for Royal & General, Alex's uncle was a fine man who wasn't home much--but he's still devastated by his death. Except the appearance of some strange people who claim to be his uncle's co-workers, a gun-toting man at his uncle's funeral, and the findings of his uncle's bullet-ridden car make Alex think that there's more than meets the eye to the "automobile accident" story.

Alex soon finds out that his Uncle Ian's life, at least where he himself was concerned, was based on a lie. Ian Rider was a spy, employed by the Special Operations Division of MI6. And the last case he was working on, concerning multi-millionaire Herod Sayle, was a case that got Ian Rider killed. Now Mr. Blunt and Mrs. Jones, head of SOD, want Alex to pick up where his uncle, their operative, left off--infiltrate the compound where Herod Sayle is building his new Stormbreaker computers, and find out what Ian Rider had to die for.

What follows is an action-packed story of danger, bullets, viruses, and out-and-out excitement. At fourteen, Alex is savvy, trained in martial arts, can speak multiple languages, and is, in fact, a truly bliddy good spy!

Anthony Horowitz has devised a real winner with Alex Rider and his new career (although he was actually forced into working for MI6), and I can't wait to read the next book in the series and see what mission Alex will be sent on next!

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

This book, was a very good beginning to what I hope will be a great series to read. The 14-year-old trying to be a kid, but knowing that he never will be able to jsut be a kid again is great. Its a young James Bond, but one who is not there on his own free will, at least at first it seems. I can't wait to read the rest of the books, that are out, and are yet to come out, and I might watch the film when it is released, this August. You won't be disappointed parent, if you give it to your child, as its quite tame in the teen market, no sex, and just enough violence to make sense in a spy novel. Its fun for all ages, and Horowitz seems to have a good style ot his writing, its not to young, nor to old for almost anyone to read. Have Fun with this people.