Reviews

Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz

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miscamy's review against another edition

3.0

I'm finally reading one of the most popular books of all the middle school boys I've encountered at work. I definitely understand the 5 star reviews by the target audience. However, as a 39-year-old woman, my rating is a 3/5. It is a good book, and side note: the author is the writer for TV's "Foyle's War". Definitely will be recommending the series to my nephews, though I'll probably be content with just book one.

srk001's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

readmaster69's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

abbiexreads's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

tiggy1991's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

naomicorbet's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

reflectiverambling_nalana's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

While this certainly shows some elements that date the story, the core elements still remain an enjoyable little adventure for younger readers. When you consider where the middle grade industry was at the time, it took a lot of gritty risks. It was also, for the time, pleasantly lacking some of the less generous cultural stereotypes I had feared when I saw that it dealt with issues of terrorism. (Though I'd like to note is not devoid of stereotypes in general and there are elements of physical appearance being used in ways that might be demeaning.)

A refreshing element is that while you are forced to take the entire plot with a grain of salt, it is actually the child character who is essentially going: Why would our government organization put a kid through all of this? while the adults pay it no heed, our protagonist is almost in the mind of any older reader. Unlike other adventure stories he doesn't get swept up in the magic and mystique. In fact, he just wants to go back to his old life! This is an interesting perspective for a character at the heart of an ongoing series.

While I won't be prioritizing continuing, I am glad I sampled this author's work for a younger audience.