Review: A good read
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 5, 2012
This is book 1 in The Go-Kids series. The author is currently working on book 6.The book is primarily for young teenagers, I think, given that the story revolves around the main character's 13th birthday, his anticipation of it and the disaster it becomes.More a first instalment than a book because it ends on a cliff-hanger, it plots the course of Parker Perkins whose mother dies in chapter 1 in an attack on New York by an undisclosed enemy on his 10th birthday and abruptly ends three years later on the day of his 13th. The intervening years are ones of war; the enemy is never named and the only remaining superpower is France. Parker's father enlists, leaving his son alone and waiting for his return.Set in 2047 it's the story of a boy and his friends trying to live their lives juxtaposed against seemingly distant but constantly-menacing conflict.The story develops well as do the characters although there's much that's just hinted at that will no doubt be expanded upon, revealed and explained further within the series. A contributing factor could be that teenage boys want action, not character analyses in the books they read. It could also be that---as with Harry Potter---the story and characters will grow in complexity as the series progresses. Perhaps the author sees his audience growing with his characters.I say the book is probably primarily for young teenagers but any book, if well written, will be enjoyed by a wider audience. It's a book I can see myself reading to my pre-teen grandsons and enjoying almost as much as they would.