Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham

Theodore Boone knows exactly what he wants to do when he grows up. He loves the thrill of entering a court house. He knows how important the law is. He wants to use the law to help people. Sure, right now he's only thirteen, but he can still use what he knows to help those around him. It's that willingness to help people that gets him involved in the middle of the biggest murder trial his town's ever seen. Can Theo figure out how to solve this mystery in time - or will the wrong man go free?

There was a fair bit about this book that just rang false for me. There's a passage fairly early on about how 13 year old Theo doesn't really care about girls, but that's okay, because no one else really does in his class, either. Oh, okay. And I get that his parents are committed to the law (both of his parents are lawyers), but is anyone worried that Theodore is a bit obsessed? I mean, his favourite TV show is reruns of black-and-white Perry Mason episodes. And he's kind of holding himself out as a legal authority, even though he's only 13 and has no legal training. Which I don't think would bother me if only kids were coming to him (in the vein of Encyclopedia Brown), but when adults are coming to him for help, I think I've officially suspended too much disbelief. Also, the plot of the book really isn't about Theodore, and it's not really that dramatic.

Bookshelves of Doom says a lot of this better than I can - don't miss her post.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
The Rainmaker by John Grisham
Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective by Donald J. Sobel
The Lemonade Crime by Jaqcueline Davies