Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz

My latest book is the first book of the Alex Rider series, Stormbreaker. I have about 60 pages left of the book, and I totally understand why many of my middle school students are "into" this particular series.

Alex Rider, the main character, is led into a world of intrigue and spying quite accidentally after his guardian and uncle (Ian) dies. Alex soon discovers suspicious circumstances surrounding his uncle's death and that his uncle wasn't just a finance manager at a bank. Instead, Uncle Ian, who really was involved with a top-secret intelligence agency, was killed when he got "too close" to unraveling the mystery behind what turned out to be his last mission. Ian's "co-workers" recruit and train Alex in the ways of spies (very quickly, mind you), and he and a few cool spy tools (i.e. zit cream that can melt metal) are thrown directly into his first case. Main players in Alex's first mission include a man named Herod Sayle, developer of a rockin' computer known as "Stormbreaker," the Russian hit man Yassen Gregorovich, the poor Mr. Grin whose face has been majorly damaged, and a German woman named Nadia Vole. Of all of his skills, Alex's greatest asset is his mind; his quick thinking allows him to overcome multiple obstacles (for example, being chased by killers on 4-wheelers) and sticky situations (maneuvering through an underground railway line, part of which has been submerged beneath water). I look forward to reading how Alex finishes his first mission. (Of course, we know he'll be successful; there's about 5 more books in the series!)

To learn more about the author, Anthony Horowitz, and the other books in his series, check out Mr. Horowitz's website.