Point Blank
by Anthony Horowitz

This is the second adventure of teen spy Alex Rider, who in Stormbreaker was recruited by the British secret service to save the world as only a teenage spy could do. To be more precise, MI6 blackmailed Alex into joining them, but he had the talent and the world needed to be saved and what better secret weapon could they have than a kid like Alex? His uncle, now dead, didnÂ’t so much raise him as train him to be a spy like himself. But Alex just wants to be a normal kid.

Tough luck, Alex. The world needs saving again, this time from something sinister going on at an exclusive school for troubled sons of the rich and famous. Alex goes into deep cover, donning a punk outfit and a bad attitude and a filthy rich family that really, really hates him. When he arrives at the Point Blanc Academy, high in the Alps, he encounters a sinister mystery. The school, accessible only by helicopter or skiing, is patrolled by guards armed with machine guns. All the other troubled rich kids are being turned into perfectly behaved scholars. Drones. Stepford children. Are they being drugged? Hypnotized? And who knows what plans the academyÂ’s creepy headmaster, Dr. Grief, has in store for them?

Alex is there to find out. But as he does so, he must take dangerous risks – while MI6 lingers in the background, hesitant to come to his aid even when the boy’s spy caper turns into a desperate fight for survival.

Are you ready to take a break from boy wizards? Try a boy spy. The overall concept is basically the same: when adults canÂ’t do it, send a kid! Alex is an engaging young hero, and his adventures are full of suspense, action, gadgetry, and teen sex appeal. Also as with Harry, you find yourself feeling concerned about how all this danger and violence is going to effect the heart and soul of the heroic boy. But most significantly, youÂ’ll find yourself unable to wait long before reading the next book in the seires, Skeleton Key.

Robbie Fischer
USA

Recommended Age: 14+

If you would like to contact Robbie, you may do so here.