Skip to main content

Furious Jones and the Assassin's Secret


Furious Jones and the Assassin's Secret
by Tim Kehoe
Simon and Schuster, 2014.  325 pgs.  Mystery

     Furious Jones has good reason to be furious. His mother has recently been killed in what was supposed to have been a "wrong time, wrong place" drive by shooting in Galena, Ohio, and when he goes to see his father give a lecture, his dad is gunned down in front of him. Furious actually got his name as a baby when he was born swinging and punched the doctor in the face, but now he is both frightened and angry because everyone he loves has been taken from him, and he is on the run from everyone because he doesn't know whom to trust.  Furious Jones and the Assassin's Secret not only strains credibility, it rips it to shreds and stomps on it: could a great group of people in the witness protection program really all be safely relocated to the same small town?  and if those people started dying, one after the other, in gruesome "accidents," wouldn't everyone else want to get out of town? and could a twelve-year-old boy really outwit and outrun the full resources of the FBI?  Still, Furious is a fine young man in a bad spot and no matter how often you think "huh?!" while you are reading, you keep on going to find out what happens, which itself is pretty strange.  An excellent book for young people (6th grade and up) who enjoyed Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider series.  

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Faker

Faker By Gordon Korman New York: Scholastic Press, 2024. Fiction. 214 pages. 12-year-old Trey is used to starting over at a new school -- he has the routine perfectly memorized: make new friends, introduce his dad to the wealthy parents of his new friends, and "Houdini" themselves out of there before they get caught running their latest scam. Trey's dad is a master con artist, and Trey has just been promoted to full-partner. Their new scheme for the next big score brings them to the affluent suburb of Boxelder, TN where Trey's dad has cooked up a fake electric car company for investors to buy into. The only problem is that Trey is starting to grow tired of moving around and never putting down roots, especially after forming a fast friendship with Logan and developing a crush on Kaylee, a socially conscious girl in his class. As Trey longs for a normal life, is there any way he can convince his dad to get out of the family business? Gordon Korman is a perennial favorit...

If You Like...Ladybugs

Spring is almost upon us! We'll have more rain instead of snow, flowers will start blooming, and more bugs will be out. Ladybugs are some of the prettiest insects--and the least intimidating for those more wary of bugs. If you like ladybugs, check out these books! Ladybugs Do Not Go to Preschool Written by Ali Rutstein Illustrated by NinĢ‹a Nill Richmond, VA: Bright Light, 2024. Picture Book. Ravi loves ladybugs--he eats aphids instead of cornflakes for breakfast, brushes his mandibles instead of teeth, and has a ladybug costume complete with wings and antennae. He is certain that ladybugs don't have to go to preschool, and when Mom says that Ravi still has to go to school, he is nervous. However, thanks to Mom's patience and gentle encouragement, Ravi makes some new friends and realizes that preschool might be a good place for ladybugs after all. A Perfect Spot By Isabelle Simler Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2022. Picture Book. A ladybug is ready to ...

You Need to Read: Percy Jackson

I was a kid myself when  The Lightning Thief  by Rick Riordan was published, and it didn't take long for the Percy Jackson series to take the world by storm. Being the son of a Poseidon, Percy Jackson has some unique challenges as a half-blood. Here's some books that I think could've helped Percy when he was on his adventures trying to save the world: Greeking Out: Heroes and Olympians Written by Kenny Curtis and Jillian Hughes Illustrated by Javier Espila Washington D.C.: National Geographic, 2024. Informational. 191 pages. Percy, I know Chiron did a good job teaching you about mythology in Latin class, but this book is sure to be good to have on hand while you're traveling across the United States. Greeking Out  is written in a kid-friendly voice with vivid illustrations and a sometimes-snarky tone (much like Percy himself). It also presents real-life creatures and places along with the information about Greek mythology. The Homework Squad's ADHD Guide to School S...