Grisham is a well-known adult author. He writes about mysteries in the legal world. Theodore Boone is his first try at writing for young adults. He sticks with what he knows, which is the law.
This book is interesting, it deals with a trial for murder that is taking place in a small town. Theodore Boone is an eighth grade boy with an obsession for the law. Both his parents are lawyers and for reasons that aren't well explained, Boone knows everyone in the legal system.
As a teacher, I try to teach my students that stories need to have a problem and a solution. The great authors make the problem something people care about, or might possibly face themselves. Grisham doesn't really do that in this book. The big problem is that Boone knows something that could change the outcome of this trial. Grisham doesn't really go into enough detail about why we should care. There isn't really anything scary or mysterious about the plot. The cover-and other adult Grisham books usually have a suspenseful middle action where the person with the truth is trying to win out over the bad guys. None of that happens in this book, although it could have easily taken place.
All in all, I’m not sure how this book will be received by kids. There is no doubt that Grisham knows a lot about the legal world- I’m just not convinced that kids will buy into it.
I usually don't mind vague endings, but this one bugged me. Its a first novel, and how ballsy is it of Grisham to leave the reader waiting for a sequel? There are too many unanswered questions, not just about the plot, but also about Uncle Ike (what happened in the past, his relationship with his brother, etc). I don't think that the YA reader has the stamina to wait fir a next book to fill in the gaps. ( I don't)
ReplyDeleteGreat! Grisham is just as good in the youth venue as in the adult. I enjoy everything he writes and my granddaughter loves this series.
ReplyDeleteMica
Sprinkler Systems Olympia WA site info