Point Blank (Alex Rider, Book 2) by Anthony Horowitz

Reviewed by Chris

Ratings

Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content

Guide to Rating System

LANGUAGE

VIOLENCE

SEXUAL CONTENT

ADULT THEMES

Ratings Explanation

Violence:  Alex takes over a crane to lift a boat and accidentally dumps it on a building full of people; is shot at by teens in a hunting outing; thrown against a wall a few times; chased down a mountain by men on snowmobiles with machine guns; captured and threatened with vivisection, “We will not use anesthetic, and it will be interesting to see how long you last before your heart gives out”; drugged; hit in the face, “Alex felt every bone in his body rattle.  White light exploded behind his eyes.”  Crashes at the bottom of a ski chase, “he bounced twice, then hit a wire fence and came to rest with blood spreading around a deep gash in his head.”

A man is shot through the middle of the forehead, is thrown off his feet, and lays still; snowmobiles crash and explode; a helicopter is hit by a flying snowmobile and explodes; special forces engage in a fight, mentioning anesthetic dart, crossbow, machine guns, blackjacks, tear gas.  The agency will not give Alex a gun, and he does not kill anyone.

Adult themes:  A teen is used as a spy in a very dangerous situation. Help from the spy agency is intentionally delayed when he calls for help.   Teens are abducted and held captive.

Synopsis

Alex Rider is a 14-year-old engaged by MI6 as a secret agent.  He has returned to a normal life after his first spy experience, but everything as a regular schoolboy seems a little odd to him now that he has seen real danger and adventure.  On his own volition, he starts following a known drug dealer lurking around his school and ends up in big trouble.

MI6 gets him released from the police and then sends him on a mission to a boarding school for rich, troubled boys, high on a mountain top in Europe.  Two men who have children at the school have been killed, and MI6 wants to know if there is a connection.  When Alex arrives at the school called Point Blanc, there are only five other teens enrolled there.  He is befriended by James, who has been there a few months, and they talk about the other boys.  James says they used to be defiant, but they have each suddenly become obedient, robotic, and although they have the same mannerisms and voices, their compliance is completely different from their previous personalities.  Alex starts snooping around and knows something very dangerous is going on, but it takes a while to sort it out.  There seems to be no escape from the mountain, and while he has a gadget to help him call for help, he has no two-way communication with the spy agency.

When James is dragged away from his room one night and then suddenly takes on the personality of all the other boys, things start to come together.  The boys are being replaced by imposters!  Alex sends a signal for help from MI6, but is afraid help will not come in time for him. He races down the mountain on a makeshift snowboard while a special forces team is sent in to help.

If you have a boy around age 11-15 who does not like to read, this could be just the thing to turn him on to books.  The reading level is not too high and the plots are easy to follow.  The action sequences are really gripping, but the tension runs through the whole story.  As far as violence, there is little graphic description, but see above details.  They are just like a James Bond story for teens.  The bad guys trying to take over the world are sinister and mad, their henchmen are quirky and deformed, there is lots of tension which builds to big chases, fights, explosions, etc.  Alex is given spy gadgets from the MI6 scientists, although this book was light on gadgets.  Danger is lurking, then building, then chasing Alex.  My 11-year-old son is crazy to read the rest of these books!