Lit for guys, fun, fast read. About a boy who has been on the run with his dad for years, but now has a chance at a "normal" life, living in CT with his aunt. ( )

A very readable action book with the drama of fitting into middle school . Some funny scenes and good characters. ( )

Alibi Junior High is a fast-paced action/suspense novel best suited to young teen readers. This title was Greg Logsteds’ second solo work, but he has collaborated with his family to produce a fun children’s series.
Alibi Junior High is the story of a young teen boy, Cody, who has spent his whole life working with his father, a CIA agent. After the two are nearly caught in a car-bomb explosion, Cody is sent by his father to live with his late mothers’ sister and go to a normal junior high in a remote town in New York. At the same time, a neighbours son is returning from the hospital after being wounded in military action. The two sense a kindred spirit in each other and become friends despite their age difference. Cody also adapts to the pressure of being just another teenage student despite his advanced education and life experiences, and he also gets to enjoy the new opportunity to meet kids his own age and develop relationships.

Short version:

One of the best “selling” points of this book is the pacing. Things move quickly and there is a fairly high level of intrigue and suspense right from the beginning and sustained throughout the rest of the book, something which is absolutely essential for attracting and keeping the attention of reluctant readers.

Alibi Junior High is definitely a book that I would recommend to pre-teen and lower-reading-level teenage boys, with its fast pace, high-interest-low-vocab content, and the way that it relates to real-life teenagers in a creative way that extends past their own stories.

Full version:

http://readingthroughlife.ca/alibi-junior-high-review/

Cody is not just an ordinary boy. His father is a secret agent who works all over the world quietly and discretely putting wrongs to right, and he takes his son along with him wherever he goes. Cody is a black belt, speaks many languages fluently, knows how to handle firearms, to track and avoid being tracked, and all the other skills of a first class secret agent.

What he has no knowledge of is how to be an ordinary middle schooler in a normal American junior high. So when things get nasty one day for Cody and his father, and he is sent to his aunt for safety, he is plunged into a world that he is ill equipped to deal with. Turning up on the first day in uncool clothes, and labelled as a boy with an attitude problem, things go from bad to worse.

This book was very enjoyable. Like in the Alex Rider books or CHERUB books, Cody is one of those protaganists that boys in particular will enjoy very much - because who didn't want to be a secret agent with the ability to kick the local school bullies into next week?

The story is rather cliched though. There are not really any surprises in this book, nor are there any meaty themes - although the friendships that are formed are suitably warming. This is a good pass time read, which children and young adults will very likely enjoy, but not a book that crosses over into the adult market. ( )