Booktalking Colorado - Full Booktalk Record

Booktalking Colorado Full Record:

	Title:	Point Blank
	Author:	Horowitz, Anthony
	Date Published:	2002
	Genre:	Adventure
	Grade Level:	5 - 7
	Booktalker:	Susan Bartel

Booktalk:
Any 007 fans? This series of books features Alex Rider, a 14-year-old Special Operations officer for MI6 of the British government — you know, a spy? Some of the older officers training at the same time as Alex called him 00-Nothing. I’ll leave it to you to read the book and figure out how Alex got himself hooked up as a British spy. In this first book, Stormbreaker, Alex has to save England from Herod Sayle who has a nasty plan up his sleeve for destroying school kids nationwide using the computers he manufactures. In this book the 007-type gadgets he uses are things a teenager might carry, though none that are lethal: a yo-yo with a string that can hold up to 200 pounds and clips on to your belt; a tube of Zit-Clean – you squeeze the cream onto metal and it eats right through it; and a Game Boy with 4 special cartridges: Nemisis becomes a fax/photocopier linked to MI6; Exocet becomes an x-ray device to see through walls and has audio capabilities as well; Speed Wars detects bugs, you know, listening devices; and finally Bomber Boy – a smoke bomb. Of course, each of these games can be played the way you normally would as well, but…they’re also there for times of trouble. And Alex is headed for plenty! First there are the bad guys: Fraulein Vole looks like a female Gestapo soldier. And Mr. Grin (yes, he looks like his name), whose face is scarred into a permanent grin by a knife throwing accident which also just happened to cut out his tongue. The action involves a chase across sand dunes with Kawasaki 4X4’s, a flamethrower and grass fire, volleys of bullets, some well-placed karate chops, underground tunnels which fill with water, more gunfire, a face-to-face encounter with a poisonous man-of-war jellyfish, and, can you guess how the yo-yo plays into the action? In this next book, Point Blank, Alex is placed in an isolated mountain-top Swiss school dedicated to “reforming” delinquent sons of wealthy industrialists and important government officials. Alex this time must save not only England, but the world, because these “reformed” sons are too perfect, well-behaved and studious, and are just about ready to go back to their respective homes. This time the high-tech gadgets were limited by what the school would allow boys to bring with them. They include a highly insulated and bullet proof ski suit and some infrared goggles. Then there’s the Sony Discman with classical CD’s that convert to a saw. The Discman also has a built-in panic button. Next, there’s a gold ear stud that is activated when the stud is pushed into the earring back. When the two halves are separated again, the earring becomes an explosive device. And finally there’s a Harry Potter book with a stun gun built into the spine. Just aim the book and press on the author’s name. It’ll knock out an adult in 5 seconds. The bad guys in this book are Dr. Grief, the mad principal of Point Blanc with his red eyes and the massive cigar-smoking Mrs. Stellenbosch who can bend a metal fire poker in half. The action centers on a wild ride down the snow covered mountain with an ironing board for a snowboard. Picture snowmobilers chasing Alex with orders to stop him in whatever way they can. There’s a chase in and out of trees. There’s Alex airborne, landing on top of a passing train. There’s an airborne snowmobile that brings down a helicopter. And there’s a fire which ends in a chemical explosion. The action’s non-stop. Just when you think things are resolved, another crisis looms. It’s unbelievable 007 fun.