Point Blank
The Alex Rider Series
Anthony Horowitz

Puffin (Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-14-240612-0 (0142406120)
ISBN-13: 978-0-14-240612-0 (9780142406120)
Publication Date: February 2006
List Price: $7.99

Review: Have you ever wanted to read a James Bond-like book with G-Rated actions? Well then, the book Point Blank is for you. It is the second book in the Alex Rider series written by Anthony Horowitz. It is about a 14-year-old called Alex. Alex lived with his uncle who was a spy for the M16 (British Secret Agency). When his uncle died on a mission, they got Alex to take his place. This series has a lot of weapons, gadgets, twists and everything you would expect from a spy story. Alex also gets to work with the SAS which is kind of like the elite British army.

Alex just got back from a mission and the usual drug dealer Skoda is there. He sells drugs and cigars to the students. They call him Skoda after the kind of his car. After school he follows the dealer and got wound up with the M16 again after having some fun with Skoda. They wanted him to go to an academy for rich, delinquent boys called Point Blanc. The cost to get in is $15,000. They have him pretend to be the son of millionaire David Friend (the owner of Friend supermarkets). The M16 wants him there because the fathers of two of the students were killed. After spending five days at the Friend house, Alex was already shot at and he used his only weapon (one shot) on someone you wouldn’t expect. When he gets to the academy he knows there is something wrong. There are armed guards everywhere, the 3rd and 4th floors are off limits and it’s almost at the top of a mountain. After awhile Alex realizes almost all the other kids talk, eat, and act the same. Then he gets captured by a villain called Dr.Grief and he plans to have Alex dissected with no pain relievers instead of just killing him. At the end there is a big twist I think no one will see coming.

I would give this book a 9 on a scale of 1-10. I liked all the action and the gadgets. I also liked how clever the author made Alex. My favorite part is the last few chapters. Especially the battle with the SAS. I have played a video game about the SAS and the people in the book and game are pretty similar. But the author could have made the villain not use the “I have the hero and he won’t escape so I don’t have to kill him” act when he caught Alex. He also could have given the villains better names because “Dr. Grief” and “Mrs. Stellenbosch” aren’t good names. Overall I think the book is pretty good and it made me want to read the rest of the series, as well as see the movie of the first book.

Review written by Zach, Grade 6. Date of review: October 2009.

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