Date: 17 August 2009
This title is similar to the others in the Alex Rider series and other action adventure novels for teens. They're plot driven, pacy reads, with an emphasis on action, rather than relationships between characters. Reading them is a lot like watching an action thriller. The detail is in the stunts and the gadgets. You normally can't help but like the main character in each one, because they're often orphaned or alone, or separate from others in some way. They are everyman, ordinary characters in lots of ways, but they always have a few understated talents that make them extraordinary.
I've also enjoyed the Cherub series by Robert Muchamore. The Charles Higson series called Young Bond and the Jimmy Coates series by Joe Craig are popular too, as is the Zac Power spy series for younger readers. It's interesting that primarily adult writers have started to write YA series recently. Who has read the new YA series by James Patterson, Chris Ryan and Andy McNab for instance? What do you think of them?
KW