Release Date: July 1st, 2014
Source: Received in exchange for an honest review
The book is about a bored schoolboy who daydreams of aerial dogfights and tank battles. An inheritance leads to his dreams becoming reality, and this impulsive boy causes more damage and destruction than the assassin pursuing him. Yet, it is his annoying sister who is the real hero.
The book is YA, adventure, comedy - no profanity or erotica. It has a fast plot, the complications of a dog and a cat, as well as lots of incident and humour.
Here's the blurb . . .
A brother and sister - An inheritance - An assassin
Through every boring day of school Hector Trogg dreamt of adventure. He wanted to fly a fighter plane, drive a tank, and leap from burning buildings. An unusual inheritance and the world's most feared killer turn Hector's daydreams into reality.
While Hector's family struggle to stay alive with the help of French special forces, Hector and his sister Kate carve a trail of destruction, aided by a dog called Bandit. The French fight for justice. The dog fights for the turkey.
Can Hector save the day?
Can Kate rescue Hector?
Can Dad save lunch?
To be honest, this isn't a book I would typically pick up on my own. It seemed like it would appeal to a younger audience, and while I read YA, the age of the characters made me hesitate. Once I started reading, however, I was glad I gave it a chance. The story isn't just a book for 'kids'. It has elements that would appeal to those much older, and while there is plenty of adventure and humor, some of the challenges the characters deal with bring a maturity to this story I feel is missing in a lot of novels in this age range.
I had the chance to listen to the audio book, and it traveled with me on several car rides. P.A. Booth is a wonderful narrator, and I could really imagine parents sitting down and sharing this with their kids. It made me a little sad I didn't have kids of my own to share this with, because I was sure they would find it entertaining.
While the story itself was very engaging, there were a few areas where, as an adult, I was perhaps not as open to as a kid might have been. Some of the scenes with the airplanes and tanks are good for an adventure story, but I did think it venture out of the realistic setting. I'm big on books like this pushing boundaries, but still feeling believable, and some of Hector's accomplishments seemed to cross the line. I do understand a younger audience would enjoy this larger-than-life figure though, so I gave that some leeway.
Overall, this was a good book and I had fun listening to it on all my car rides. Well-written, engaging and willing to tackle hard subjects, I enjoyed the story and see promise in the books to come.
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