Review by Jill Williamson
Everything changes for surfer boy, Colt McAlister when his parents are killed in an auto accident. He has to move from California to Arizona, to live with his grandfather. He settles into school, makes some new friends, but some strange occurrences draw him into a mystery. What if someone killed his parents? With his new friends, Colt sets off to learn the truth, but what he discovers will change the way he sees the world forever.
This was a fun new teen novel with a spy kid thread. Kind of an Alex Rider meets Men in Black. I enjoyed the storyworld that Jon S. Lewis created for us. I liked Cole, Grandpa, and the other teen characters. The mystery was interesting, and there is lots of lose threads for future volumes. I didn’t like the fact that Cole and disobey Grandpa, the police—whoever he wants—without any consequences. There’s a lot of that going on in teen novels today, and it bugs me. Yeah, this is a fun book with a real comic book-like feel to it, but I’d still like to see some character’s take responsibility every once in a while and grow a bit. Maybe in one of the next books.
Age Range: 12 and up
Genre: fantasy
Part of a Series: C.H.A.O.S, book 1
Pages: 336 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Released: 2011
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Jill Williamson is the author of the medieval fantasy novel By Darkness Hid. An avid reader, she started Novel Teen Book Reviews to help teens find clean and entertaining books to read and is excited with the new direction the site has taken. Jill also runs an online website for teen writers at www.teenageauthor.com where she enjoys helping new writers develop their skill. She and her husband have worked with teens in the youth pastor role for the past eleven years. You can learn more about Jill on her website at www.jillwilliamson.com.
