Tagged: gordon korman
Slapshots: The Stars from Mars by Gordon Korman
(Cover picture courtesy of Gordon Korman’s website.)
School sportswriter “Chipmunk” Adelman knows he’s got a scoop when he finds out that his hometown will play in the Waterloo Slapshot league. The Marsers have never had their own team, but with an ex-NHL player for a coach, they’re headed for stardom. But the Stars are in for a big surprise when they hit the ice and suddenly realize they stink! They’ve got a defenseman who only skates backwards, a star player who wants to be on another team, and a coach who calls everything a whatchamacallit. If they don’t get their game in gear soon, they’ll be booted from the league. This new series by veteran writer Gordon Korman will have kids cheering for the Marsers as they scramble to improve their game and stay in the league!
Gordon Korman’s sense of humour is literally a laugh-out-loud one. That’s a phrase that’s lost a lot of meaning since the invention of texting, but it really is true. There are times when you will quite literally laugh out loud at some of the antics the characters get up to, especially Chipmunk. Even though these books are for 10-13 year olds, I still re-read them every year and still laugh out loud in some parts. Now that is the mark of a good book!
Given that The Stars from Mars sort of has a cliché premise, the characters are surprisingly well fleshed out. Well, the kids are. Alexia, Chipmunk and Trent are all three dimensional and very sympathetic. Boom Boom Bolitsky, the coach, is mostly their for comic relief and he serves his purpose very well. You may not understand all of what he says, but Gordon Korman sets things up so you can at least get the gist of things and why it’s so funny.
The Stars from Mars is definitely a good light-hearted, fast read. At only 145 pages, it’s a quick read, but more importantly, it’s very enjoyable. This is the kind of book you should read if you’re feeling miserable one day. I guarantee it will cheer you up.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
*Only available as a used book.
The Fugitive Factor by Gordon Korman
(Cover picture courtesy of Better World Books.)
Aiden and Meg Falconer are out to find the evidence that will free their parents from a life sentence in prison. But in order to do that, they have to live undercover. Ever since they broke out of a juvenile detention facility, they’ve been chased by the FBI..and by a strange killer they’ve nicknamed Hairless Joe. Now their story has hit the airwaves, and suddenly everyone is looking for them. They think they can hide with an old family friend…but when Meg is thrown in jail, the danger and adventure only increase.
Unexpected betrayal, action, danger and the struggle to prove their parents’ innocence in a country that hates them…Meg and Aiden Falconer have it pretty tough. However, situations like this make for great fiction and as this is targeted at younger tweens and kids, they’ll love it. It’s not really cliché if you’ve never encountered it before and most kids haven’t encountered Gordon Korman’s not-so-unique premise by the time they read his On The Run series.
Whereas Chasing the Falconers (the first book) focused mainly on Meg and Aiden running from the authorities after escaping the farm, The Fugitive Factor focuses on their search for Uncle Frank. Uncle Frank is the only one who may be able to prove their parents’ innocence, but the problem is that he’s missing. No one’s seen him in years and they don’t have any leads other than the name of one of his numerous girlfriends.
Both Meg and Aiden develop as characters and even if they didn’t, readers would still be able to relate to them. As for the scenarios they escape, it’s obvious Gordon Korman has done his research. In theory, many of these escapes could work, so if you’re ever on the run, you should probably read this books. (I’m kidding…sort of.)
I give this book 4/5 stars.
Chasing the Falconers by Gordon Korman
(Cover picture courtesy of J & J Books and Coffee.)
Aiden and Meg Falconer are their parents’ only hope. The Falconers are facing life in prison—unless Aiden and Meg can follow a trail of clues to prove their innocence. The problem? They’re trapped in a juvenile detention center. Until they escape one night—and find themselves on the run, both from the authorities and from a sinister attacker who has his own reason to stop them. The Falconers must use their wits to make it across the country—with plenty of tests along the way.
I admit it: this book is way too young for me. I wasn’t in the target age group when I read it and I’m certainly not now, but it’s still a book I like to re-read about once a year. Why? Because it’s a well-written book with a cliché yet interesting premise.
It’s kind of predictable, but I’ve read a lo of books and watched a lot of movies with a similar premise. However, for the target age group, this would be their first exposure to a premise like this (proving the innocence of someone who’s been framed) and as such, is a great introduction to crime fiction. Gordon Korman is an excellent writer and has obviously done his research when it comes to all of the exciting scenarios in his first book in the On the Run series.
Meg and Aiden are great characters; they’re sympathetic and Chasing the Falconers appealing for both boys and girls. They also don’t like resorting to stealing to survive while they hunt for evidence and feel a lot of guilt when they do, but it shows that they at least refuse to sink to a really low level. Gordon Korman makes the siblings sympathetic (especially when we learn more about their backstory) while at the same time keeping the plot moving at a fast pace.
I would highly recommend it to people ages 10-12.
I give this book 4.5/5 stars.
Son of the Mob 2: Hollywood Hustle by Gordon Korman
(Cover picture courtesy of Scholastic Canada.)
When Vince heads out to sunny L.A. to go to film school, he’s sure he’s left his family and their criminal dealings behind him.
But then Vince finds out the hard way that you can take the kid out of the mob, but you can’t take the mob out of the kid. Soon, his brother Tommy is shacking up in his dorm room, and a steady stream of “uncles” are showing up with his mother’s homemade rigatoni, and a whole lot of trouble, in hand.
Fans of Son of the Mob will enjoy reading more about Vince as he navigates his way through another hilarious adventure, while trying to keep his integrity—not to mention his life—intact.
Most sequels to originally stand alone novels are horrible, but Son of the Mob 2: Hollywood Hustle is definitely a great sequel to Son of the Mob. Gordon Korman fills every page with his usual over-the-top sense of humour that will literally make you laugh out loud in parts. But it does tackle some serious issues and not every part of the book is hilarious, which is partly why I love it. Gordon Korman is one of the few authors I know of that can tackle serious issues with a good sense of humour.
Vince Luca is a great protagonist and is very three dimensional. He is a good guy at heart, but he is definitely not perfect. With his newfound freedom, Vince gives in to the temptation to be lazy, but what college student doesn’t? Despite his faults, readers will cheer him on the whole way through the novel, especially during the climax.
Of course the plot of Hollywood Hustle zips right along in the usual Gordon Korman fashion. It goes along quite quickly, but the pace fits the story without being ridiculous. For young adults who are sick of all the doom and gloom that seems to be the trend in YA literature, this is the perfect book.
I give this book 4.5/5 stars.
*For some reason, Barnes and Noble does not have this book. The link will take you to their home page, so maybe you can find it and prove I’m blind.
Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman
(Cover picture courtesy of BookHound.)
Vince Luca is just like any other high-school guy…with one exception. His father happens to be the head of a powerful crime organization.
While Vince’s family connections can be handy—like when teachers are afraid to give him a bad grade—they put a serious crimp in his dating life. How is he supposed to explain to a girl what his father does for a living? And when Vince finally meets one who seems to be worth the trouble, her family turns out to be the biggest problem of all. Because her father is an FBI agent—the one who wants to put Vince’s father away for good.
Are you tired of angst-ridden, miserable YA books that revolve around magical creatures? Well, Son of the Mob is certainly the novel for you!
In his first novel aimed at teens, Gordon Korman stays true to his over-the-top, laugh-out-loud sense of humour. Vince Luca is the son of a mob boss and that puts a serious crimp in his dating life, especially when his date finds the unconscious body of Jimmy Rat (one of his father’s customers) in the trunk of Vince’s car.
The first chapter of this amazing novel certainly sets the tone well. Gordon Korman’s signature humour is present throughout the novel, yet he balances it perfectly in the climax when all seems lost for Vince. Readers will certainly enjoy the plot twists and turns as well as the three dimensional characters who are sometimes not all that they seem.
Son of the Mob tackles some heavy moral issues involved in organized crime as well as the issues of love and loyalty. Vince doesn’t like how his father makes his money, yet he knows that if the cops found out, his father would go to jail and his family would lose everything. He struggles with this moral dilemma throughout the novel, but finally comes to terms with it in the end.
I give this book 5/5 stars.