|
Titles in Order of Publication:
 #1: STORMBREAKER
by Anthony Horowitz
Puffin
ISBN: 014240165X
Ages 8-12
256 pages
Fourteen-year-old Alex Rider's life changes forever when he receives the shocking news that his uncle, Ian Rider, has been killed in a car crash. Alex is devastated but believes that the cops aren't being completely honest with him. His suspicions are confirmed when he discovers the windshield of Ian's car riddled with bullet holes. He later learns that his uncle was a spy for MI6, Britain's top-secret intelligence agency and he was murdered during one of his missions.
Unfortunately, Alex is not given much time to fully absorb these revelations or grieve for the loss of his uncle. Alan Blunt from the Special Operations Division of MI6 has chosen Alex to investigate Herod Sayle, inventor of a supercomputer called the Stormbreaker. Sayle plans to distribute tens of thousands of these computers to schoolchildren throughout England. Blunt and his colleague, Mrs. Jones, believe that Sayle's motives are much more sinister than they appear. After much persuasion (and some blackmail), Alex agrees to meet with Sayle and experience the Stormbreaker firsthand.
Who exactly is Herod Sayle? Is the Stormbreaker the real deal, or simply too good to be true? And what is the connection between Sayle and Yassen Gregorovich, the man who silenced Ian Rider? Discover along with Alex the answers to these and many other disturbing questions in Anthony Horowitz's chilling suspense novel.
Back to top.
 #2: POINT BLANK
by Anthony Horowitz
Puffin
ISBN: 0142401641
Ages 8-12
304 pages
For Alex Rider's second mission, the teen spy is sent to the Academy at Point Blanc to investigate Dr. Hugo Grief, its principal. The fathers of two boys who were enrolled in the school were killed just one week apart from each other under suspicious circumstances. It could be merely a coincidence, but Alan Blunt and Mrs. Jones believe that the two incidents are related and that Dr. Grief is somehow responsible for both.
In order to gain access to the school, Alex's attitude and physical appearance must be transformed. The boys who attend the academy are all members of super-rich families who have caused a great deal of trouble in the past and were expelled from their previous schools. As a result, Alex assumes the role of Alex Friend, the fictitious son of Sir David Friend who has a criminal record and has just been kicked out of Eton. To ensure that he can successfully fool Dr. Grief and the school administration, he spends a few days with Sir David and his family. His visit is anything but fun; unfortunately, his time at the academy isn't much better.
Alex discovers that Dr. Grief is the head of the Gemini Project. What are the details of this top-secret project? Is there a connection between it and the odd manner in which the boys at the academy are acting? Alex is determined to uncover the secrets of this "finishing school" before it's too late.
Back to top.
 #3: SKELETON KEY
by Anthony Horowitz
Puffin
ISBN: 0142401021
Ages 8-12
288 pages
Alex Rider finally has a reason to smile: he is a ball boy at Wimbledon, tennis's most prestigious tournament, and is able to witness all the action from just a few feet away. Boys and girls throughout England should be insanely jealous of Alex and his new summer job --- well, perhaps not. That's because the British teen is investigating a break-in at the Millennium Building, where the players' changing rooms and lounges are located. He eventually discovers that a Chinese gang whose members are involved in a number of criminal activities has infiltrated the tournament and is drugging players competing in the event. After Alex knocks out one of its members and places his body in a refrigerator, the Chinese gang is out for revenge and will do whatever it takes to terminate Alex's life.
It just so happens (coincidentally or not) that Alan Blunt and Mrs. Jones have another case for Alex that will force him to leave the country and escape the wrath of the Chinese gang. This time Alex must travel to Cayo Esqueleto, an island just a few miles south of Cuba, and investigate General Alexei Sarov, a hero of the old Russia who has a serious grudge against the free world. He left his country in disgust when the Soviets withdrew and communism came to an end. Now, in two weeks, the Russian president is scheduled to meet with Sarov on Skeleton Key.
Why on earth would these two men agree to see each other? How far will Sarov go to see his beloved Russia once again be a dominant power? It is up to Alex to save the world from the twisted mind and evil intentions of a madman.
Back to top.
 #4: EAGLE STRIKE
by Anthony Horowitz
Philomel
ISBN: 0399239790
Ages 8-12
272 pages
• About the Book
• Read an Excerpt
Alex Rider is vacationing in the South of France with his friend, Sabina Pleasure, and her parents when he spots Yassen Gregorovich, his old nemesis. This effectively puts an end to Alex's relaxing summer because he believes that Yassen is arranging a murder. Soon after, the house that the Pleasures have rented blows up, and Sabina's journalist father Edward is injured. Alex is positive that Yassen is responsible, but all the police do is brush him off.
Furious, Alex decides to take matters into his own hands. He ultimately has a near deadly encounter with Yassen and an even more terrifying experience with a bull. He then makes a startling discovery: one of the phone numbers in Yassen's cell phone belongs to Sir Damian Cray, one of the most admired and respected entertainers in England. Cray is a multimillionaire whose Amsterdam-based company is about to launch a new game system that promises to destroy the competition. Alex also learns that Edward Pleasure was working on an article about Cray before the explosion. Furthermore, Alex spots a subtle but intriguing connection between Cray's company and the terrorist group that now claims responsibility for the blast.
Alex must overcome a multitude of obstacles, including a high-speed bicycle chase through Amsterdam and a video game experience that seems all too real, in order to discover precisely what Damian Cray is up to and why he is associated with such a vile man as Yassen Gregorovich.
 #5: SCORPIA
by Anthony Horowitz
Philomel
ISBN: 0399241515
Ages 8-12
312 pages
Scorpia is one of the most ruthless and successful criminal organizations in the world. It was formed in the early 1980s by spies and assassins from all over the globe who wanted to get rich. Now responsible for 1/10 of the world's terrorism, Scorpia's resume is truly appalling: it has overthrown two governments and arranged for a third to be elected unfairly, destroyed dozens of businesses, corrupted politicians and civil servants, and contributed to several major ecological disasters.
In the opening pages of SCORPIA, Anthony Horowitz's fifth Alex Rider adventure, readers are introduced to Mrs. Julia Rothman, who is in charge of Scorpia's latest project --- Invisible Sword. Their client, a multibillionaire in the Middle East, believes that the friendship between Great Britain and the United States has made the West too powerful, and he wants Scorpia to terminate this alliance once and for all.
In order to accomplish this, Mrs. Rothman reveals that thousands of schoolchildren in London will be killed if the United States can't meet certain demands that Scorpia has laid out. To say that these demands are unreasonable would be a huge understatement. There is no way that any American official would agree to such an arrangement --- and Mrs. Rothman is fully aware of this. Their refusal to cooperate would lead to the mass murder of innocent children, thus destroying the Anglo-American alliance forever.
While all this is transpiring, fourteen-year-old Alex Rider is leading a fairly normal life since his final confrontation with Damian Cray on Air Force One. Before the new school term begins, Alex decides to travel to Naples with his best friend Tom Harris, who will be visiting his brother. But he persuades Tom to spend a few days in Venice first. Why? Because Alex hasn't forgotten what contract killer Yassen Gregorovich told him right before his death: "Go to Venice. Find Scorpia. And you will find your destiny..."
After much investigation and a lot of snooping around, a determined Alex comes face to face with Mrs. Rothman, who informs him that his father was an assassin for Scorpia. He spent four months in the field and then worked as an instructor in their training school. Yassen Gregorovich was one of the assassins he helped train and even saved his life while on an assignment. Alex already knows that MI6, the British intelligence agency he's worked for in the past, ended his father's life, but all this time he's been unaware of the details surrounding his death. When he finally learns the awful truth from Mrs. Rothman, Alex agrees to abandon MI6 and join Scorpia.
At the time Alex has no idea of the death and destruction that Scorpia is planning. Eventually he finds out everything, but will it be too late to save thousands of children from the Invisible Sword?
SCORPIA is the most heartstopping adventure yet in this action-filled series, with an ending that will surprise you and a cliffhanger that will astound you!
 #6: ARK ANGEL
by Anthony Horowitz
Philomel
ISBN-10: 0142407380
ISBN-13: 9780142407387
Ages 8-12
324 pages
• Read a Review
• Read an Excerpt
Fans of Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider series know that MI6 arms the 14-year-old spy with various gadgets in order to increase his chances of succeeding on his death-defying undercover missions. Now, thanks to ALEX RIDER: THE GADGETS, readers can see for themselves every single piece of special equipment Alex has used in his first five thrilling adventures. Among the devices found in this fascinating dossier: exploding key rings, motorized yo-yos, multifunction cell phones, and radio mouth braces. Featuring technical specifications, classified blueprints, and confidential reports from the secret service, this is the ultimate high-tech guide to the dangerous world of espionage.
 #7: SNAKEHEAD
Anthony Horowitz
Philomel
ISBN: 9780399241611
Ages 8-12
400 pages
• Read a Review
• Read an Excerpt
• Buy from Amazon.com
What goes up must come down, and when we last saw Alex Rider, he was as up as can be --- in outer space. When he crash lands off the coast of Australia, the Australian Secret Service recruits him to infiltrate one of the ruthless gangs operating across South East Asia. Known as snakeheads, the gangs smuggle drugs, weapons and, worst of all, people. Alex accepts the assignment, in part for the chance to work with his godfather and learn more about his parents. What he uncovers, however, is a secret that will make this his darkest and most dangerous mission yet…and that his old nemesis, Scorpia, is still very much a part of his life.
 #8: CROCODILE TEARS
Anthony Horowitz
Philomel Books
ISBN: 9780399250569
Ages 10-14
388 pages
• Read a Review
• Buy from Amazon.com
It’s just another day in the life of an average kid. If you’re Alex Rider, that is. A con artist has realized there is big money in charity --- the bigger the disaster, the greater the money flow! So that is what he will produce: the biggest disaster known to man, all thanks to genetically modified wheat that can release a virus so potent it can knock out an entire country in one windy day. But Alex Rider will face whatever it takes --- gunfire, explosions, hand-to-hand combat with mercenaries --- to bring down his most dangerous adversary yet.
--- Compiled and written by Tom Donadio
Back to top.
|
