Here Comes the Judge

Back in February I wrote about how John Grisham was entering the world of children's literature. I said at the time I would withhold my final reviews until I actually read the book. Well, I read the book and wrote a review for the column I publish in family magazines. Now I'm offering the review here. Enjoy.

“Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer”

By John Grisham
For 8 – 12
Think Encyclopedia Brown on steroids. John Grisham puts his well-honed writing skills to work in this tale about a 13-year-old boy obsessed with the legal system, who finds himself embroiled in a murder trial. This well-structured story is fast-paced with interesting characters. Rated 4 (peril, topical issues, anti-climactic ending, murder)
Nancy Drew doesn’t stand a chance against the legal mind of Theodore Boone. John Grisham puts his considerable writing talents to work in this tale about a 13-year-old boy obsessed with the legal system. Theodore comes from a legal family. Both of his parents are lawyers and his uncle was a layer as well.

Theodore is not athletic, but he has a great legal mind and often helps his classmates with legal advice – at no charge of course. When one of his classmates comes to him with a problem Theodore soon finds himself embroiled in a murder trial. The story is well-structured with interesting and well-developed characters. The action is fast paced and the legal insight is entertaining. Although this installment ends in a seriously anticlimactic manner, future stories have been primed to include scary twists, turns and plenty of action.

Move over Hardy Boys, there’s a new mystery solving teen in town and I am looking forward to the next installment in the series.