Imagine what it would be like to work for a top-secret spy agency, let alone only being a teenager! This is the life of one unfortunate schoolboy, who is left orphaned at an early age. Written by Anthony Horowitz, Stormbreaker is an action-packed novel filled with adventure. Set in present-day England, a fourteen year old boy named Alex Rider is suddenly thrown into a deadly situation.

When Alex’s uncle mysteriously dies in a car accident, he is forced to take his uncle’s place as a spy in MI6, Britain’s top-secret spy organization. Little does he know that he is being tossed into a dangerous mission to spy on Herod Sayle, the mastermind behind the newest computer, Stormbreaker. Using pure instinct and his intelligence, Alex must fight for his life, as well as save the people of the Britain.

Anthony Horowitz writes Stormbreaker in a very unique way. He builds suspense in every inch of the book, is very descriptive in detail, and is very creative. From Alex being recruited as a spy to dodging bullets, this book makes your heart constantly race with anxiety. I thought Alex is a very brave and likable boy and if he were actually real, I would have liked to have met him. However, I thought Horowitz made this book a little too unrealistic. It is quite impossible for me to imagine Alex being able to escape from circumstances that most fourteen-year-old boys (let alone adults) cannot survive from. For example, how can Alex get caught in a fifteen feet deep and 30 feet long tank with a giant jellyfish and still manage to survive?

I would rate this book nine out of ten because it was fast paced and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I recommend this book for kids ages ten to sixteen who love action, suspense, and mystery all mixed together in one book. I absolutely enjoyed Stormbreaker and will certainly read the rest of the Alex Rider series!

-Riley W., 6th grade