Title: Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer
Author: John Grisham
Published: May 2011 by Puffin Books
Genre: Young adult mystery
How I got the book: I bought it
Summary:
In the small city of Strattenburg, there are many lawyers, and though he’s only thirteen years old, Theo Boone thinks he’s one of them. Theo knows every judge, policeman, court clerkNand a lot about the law. He dreams of a life in the courtroom. But he finds himself in court much sooner than expected. Because he knows so muchNmaybe too muchNhe is suddenly dragged into the middle of a sensational murder trial. A cold-blooded killer is about to go free, and only Theo knows the truth. The stakes are high, but Theo won’t stop until justice is served.
My Review:
I’ve heard a lot of great things about John Grisham. He’s a well-known mystery author for adults, so when I saw his book targeted for younger audiences I wanted to give it a try.
This book follows Theodore Boone, nicknamed Theo, as he’s fascinated with the court and law surrounding it. His mother is a divorce lawyer and his father is a real estate lawyer so Theo knows more than a college student practicing law.
When a huge murder case goes to trial, Theo wants more than anything to skip school and sit in the trial. It’s not until a friend at school tells him an incriminating witness saw the culprit at the scene of the crime. The case is weak, the killer is about to go free, so Theo has to figure out a way to get this witness to step up so justice is served.
This plot is similar to other plots crime plots where the protagonist is trying to find loopholes in order to bring someone to justice. There was a slight twist on it as Theo is a 13-year-old kid and, surprisingly enough, unlike most plots, he doesn’t take matters into his own hands. He goes to his uncle and his parents for help. They band together to do what’s right.
I think my favorite characters in this story was Theo’s parents. Theo was a good protagonist, but he was 13-years-old and since he knew so much about law, everyone at school went to him for their problems (meaning their parents’ problems). I felt as though he was a bit of a Gary Stu, which was why I was so impressed that he went to his parents to help him out when he didn’t know what to do.
His parents were stern, but they were great people. In some books, the parents are weird, too strict, too nice, whatever. I felt as though they had a nice balance between them. They had their quirks, but they cared for Theo and his friends and did what they felt was right.
The other characters in the book, such as Uncle Ike, were great as well. I could have done less without Theo’s classmates, but it gave good insight into what Theo was like at school and such. However, he was in a Government class and his teacher often had Theo teach the class, which I didn’t agree with.
This book is classified as young adult, but I found it in the middle-grade section at my local bookstore. It was an easy, quick read. The chapters were fairly short and the narration was easy to follow along.
There wasn’t anything too special about Grisham’s writing style, but I’ll be checking out his other books nonetheless. I’m sure his adult books are great.
This is the first book in a series and I’m interested in reading the other books. Still, I wasn’t into it enough to run out and get the next books right away.
Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham gets…
4 out of 5 stars
Favorite Quote:
“He did smile at her, though, but she did not return the smile. Her teeth were somewhere in the house.” –John Grisham, Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer
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