Alex is wakened in the middle of the night to hear of his uncle's death. The police tell him he died in a car wreck, but Alex knows that is not true, and his discoveries prove him correct.

But what he discovers next is beyond his wildest dreams: his uncle, the man he believed to be a banker, was in reality an agent for M16, Britain's elite spy agency. Alex is then caught up in a game of cat and mouse after M16 recruits him to complete his uncle's mission and his killer.

"Stormbreaker" is a rarity in the world of espionage. While the "Spy Kids" tackle mutants and "Totally Spies'!" gadgets are beyond belief, the Alex Rider series is a spy series that takes a child's fantasy, but brings it to real life. The gadgets and training are realistic, and the battle scenes are not out of this world. While I enjoy movies such as the "Spy Kids" series with their wacky characters and insane missions, it's a breath of fresh air to read a spy story that is completely realistic and yet, not in the least, boring.

Anthony Horowitz has a hit on his hands and I am excited to read the rest of the series.

*A film version of "Stormbreaker" premiered in 2006.