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Point Blank by Anthony Horowitz, reviewed by Steven S.

Point Blank is an action-packed, exciting mystery for children and young readers. We meet a teenage boy, Alex, who is sent on a mission to collect information for his boss and company. This novel is one that teaches us that although children may be looked down upon by adults because the are younger, they can still accomplish great goals and work just as hard as any other person. The author, Anthony Horowitz, has a very distinct writing style that catches young readers, because he is writing about a boy who is a young teen that we can relate to.

Alex Rider is a fourteen-year-old boy who works for the British secret service known as MI6. He is an average teenager who goes to school and has friends, but is special because many people rely on him to succeed in his job. When Michael J. Roscoe and General Major Viktor Ivanov were killed, eyebrows were raised. These two men both had sons that were fourteen years old and went to the same boarding school in the French Alps called Point Blanc that was run by a man named Dr. Grief. Point Blanc is a school that educates children when they have a difficult relationship with their parents. It normally educates children that come from wealth. MI6 wants to know if the deaths of the fathers has to do with the school that the children are attending. MI6 sends Alex Rider in to investigate what was going on in the school. While undercover in the school, Alex finds the truth about what happened and what Dr. Grief’s plan was to do. While spying in the school, Alex learns the importance of a strong relationship with your parents, and the importance of love in a family.

This novel is filled with action, excitement, and thrills to keep the reader on the edge of his/her seat, not wanting to put the book down. Anthony Horowitz uses very descriptive language to allow the reader to visualize every event. He also doesn’t leave any holes in the story, leaving no events’ outcomes to the imagination. It also keeps the reader from getting confused. He uses a fourteen-year-old boy as a spy, a clever way to keep us interested, because it is hard to imagine that a child can be a spy. Every part of this book was necessary to the outcome, so there were no slow moving or boring parts to the novel.

Some readers may find this novel a little far fetched because it involves aspects of a James Bond and Harry Potter imagination combined. The reader may not appreciate its originality as it may appear too much like these previous characters. Some may also think that the author doesn’t give enough background information about Alex because it concentrates mainly on his job. There was little description on Alex’s thoughts of being a spy, how he became one, and how he likes to lead his life when he is not on a case.

Overall, this book deserves four stars. Point Blank is an excellent novel for young teenagers because it is interesting to see a fourteen-year-old boy be a spy. Although exciting, it also shows the importance of a strong parent-child relationship, and the love a family member requires to maintain that relationship. This book can also inspire young children to believe that they can be anyone they want to be in life, especially if a fourteen-year-old boy aspires to be a part of the British secret service.