Alex Rider

Title: Alex Rider

Author: Anthony Horowitz

Genre: Fiction

A fourteen-year-old boy, Alex Rider, learns that his uncle Ian Rider, who he lived with, was killed in a car accident. This doesn't make sense to Alex since his uncle always wore a seatbelt. At the funeral, he meets Alan Blunt, the bank chairman, who dismisses Alex's concerns. After the funeral, Alex sees a mysterious van leaving his house. When he investigates, he finds Ian's car with bullet holes and realizes his uncle was murdered. His uncle had previously enrolled him in karate classes, and Alex also spoke several languages, which prepared him for what was to come. Alex visits John Crawley, a colleague of Ian's, trying to uncover his uncle’s affairs but finds Ian's office locked. 

He breaks in and discovers espionage documents called "Stormbreaker." Blunt and Mrs. Jones from MI6 inform Alex that Ian was a spy investigating an Egyptian millionaire, Herod Sayle, who plans to distribute potentially dangerous computers to schools. They blackmail Alex into going undercover, posing as a schoolboy. Upon arriving at Sayle’s house, Alex discovers a note from his uncle and a plot involving viruses in the Stormbreakers that could harm kids. After a narrow escape from Sayle's servant, Mr. Grin, Alex confronts Sayle, who reveals his plan to unleash a modified virus on schoolchildren. 

Alex cleverly escapes and races to the Science Museum, where chaos unravels. Blunt and Mrs. Jones congratulate Alex on his success, mentioning the Stormbreakers' recall and the ongoing mission to apprehend Sayle and Yassen Gregorovich, the assassin who killed Ian. Alex feels a mix of emotions after Yassen intervenes during a kidnapping attempt by Sayle, leaving him with a promise of revenge. I really liked this book because it was suspenseful, keeping readers guessing. Anthony Horowitz did a great job writing this novel. I have read some spy books that weren't as detailed and suspenseful.

If you enjoyed this one, try "Alex Rider: Point Blanc" by Anthony Horowitz, "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer, or "Ali Cross" by James Patterson.