The book Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz is about a fourteen year old boy named Alex Rider. Alex lost his parents when he was young and now he lost his uncle and guardian, Ian Rider. After the funeral, Alex learned that his uncle was not the bank manager at the Royal and General like he said. In fact, Ian Rider was working for MI6. “ ‘As I’m sure you’ve gathered,’ he said,’ the Royal and General is not a bank. In fact, it doesn’t even exist… it’s nothing more than a cover’” (41.) The people of MI6 tell Alex a lot more about their organization in this conversation, and they ask for a favor. In the process of fulfilling this favor, Alex learns the reason why his uncle is no more. Will this dead man’s secret take Alex’s life, too?

The theme of trust is used abundantly throughout this novel. Could Alex trust MI6? “In their own way, they were both as charming as Mr. Grin” (227.) Mr. Grin being a retired circus performer with a knife scar that became the inspiration for his name. Alex doesn’t even trust the idea of being a spy. The once childhood dream for Alex has gone awry. “In the end, the big difference between him and James Bond wasn’t a question of age. It was a question of loyalty” (226.) Alex doesn’t trust anything he’s ever known because of the big lie that his uncle told him. “Another lie in a life that had been nothing but lies” (48.)
Stormbreaker, with its cliff-hanger chapters, I know, is an excellent read that once picked up, was glued to my fingers until I read the very last word. I appreciate how Horowitz paints this plot with exciting and unusual characters, like Mr. Grin, with an exciting ending that stopped my heart and rendered me speechless! This non-stop action thriller is very entertaining; no wonder it’s a New York Times best seller.
Horowitz mentioned his inspiration, James Bond, constantly. Horowitz’s inspiration came from his past. Anthony Horowiz had a bad childhood. It consisted of a father who took all the family’s wealth and a mother who tried unsuccessfully to find it. Mix that in with a bully headmaster and you get young Horowitz finding his only source of happiness in the James Bond movies. In this novel, he compares a modern day spy with one from the olden days.
I recommend Stormbreaker to anyone who enjoys an action packed book of spies mixed with a teenager you can connect well with. It’s any young child’s fantasy come to life!