A review by reflectiverambling_nalana
Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz

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.