Michael Simmons (2)Reseñas

At the beginning of Finding Lubchenko we find out that the main character, Evan, is a wise-cracking teenager who is generally in trouble for doing something he shouldn't have. His father, who is usually his biggest critic, has been arrested for murder and accused of bioterrorism. Evan seeks to clear his father because his illegal business venture of stealing equipment from his father's business and selling it online has led him to taking a laptop that contains evidence that would probably clear his father's name. Evan can't just turn over the laptop because it would expose him to his father's anger and possibly get him arrested for theft. Evan talks his friends Ruben and Erika to taking a trip with him to Paris to find Lubchenko, who is the only clue that Evan has.

Evan is an interesting character who seems to have a some sense of right and wrong, but rarely follows the most logical course of action to achieve his goal. The mystery was pretty easy to figure out, but the obvious attraction to the story is the character of Evan with his quirks, flaws, and sarcastic nature.

In the sequel to Finding Lubchenko, Evan Macalister is once again saving the world; this time from an Smallpox infestation that would kill millions. His stained relationship with his father has not improved, and he continues to be happily oblivious to the feelings of others. He and his friends, Rueben and Erika are off to Paris to stop his father's business partner from selling a strain of Smallpox that their company uses to research vaccinations and cures for the disease.

It is hard to like Evan. The author shows him thinking a lot about his feelings for family and friends, but it's really nothing more than self-serving emotions designed to make him more likeable to the audience. The book was well written, but there were no real revelations or twists to make it more than just an okay story about an unlikeable teen and the messes he creates for himself.

Read this on the recommendation of my 11-year-old, who told me, "Brett and I are a lot alike." without, I believe, understanding the implications of that statement. Brett is self-involved and spoiled, a one-time rich kid who's lost all his money, and the story involves the adult who comes along to teach him about life.

It's a bit of a story about redemption, a Secret Garden updated to the modern age, or a Thief Lord without the magic. I like that Brett doesn't actually have a complete, Scrooge-like change of heart - "From that time forward I became a better person" - but the changes in him are realistic.

The characters and scenario are quite realistic overall. A thoughtful, understated story of growing up in modern-day, upper-class California.

Evan stole a laptop from his father's company, thinking it would never be noticed, but later, it turns out to be the one piece of evidence which could clear his father when the father is accused of murder. Since Evan is afraid to turn in the laptop because he'd have to confess his dishonesty, he and two friends follow a lead to Paris where they try to find Lubchenko. Funny in a few places.. good book for boys.½

I found that I enjoyed parts of it and reading the book as a whole. From a writer's point of view, I would have not written some chapters, e.g. Chapter 26, their first night in Paris when absolutely nothing happens. My guess is that it's to indicate passage of time. But unlike in other books, their adventure outside of the espionage was entertaining, not annoying. I would also have ended each chapter with much more suspense, but whatever criticism I throw at this book, the truth is that I couldn't put it down.

Interesting side note: I got this used book for 10 pesos (roughly 20 cents in the US, I think) in a hurry. I was going to spend the weekend at my sister's place and realized when I had left home that I had not brought any book with me. I had no expectations but I find that I will recommend this to anyone who's looking for something fun to read. No expectations, no snobbery.

Scene: You walk up to your house dragging a red wagon filled with milk, bread, water, batteries, and other disaster relief essentials from the Temporary Emergency Services store. You are nervous. There are human-eating aliens roaming the city and you are worried that you might become a snack for a slimy being in robotic leggings. It is not particularly comforting to know that if the aliens do eat you they will leave your feet behind for your loved ones to bury. You are, in fact, braving the alien ridden streets because your step-parents are too afraid to.

Now, imagine that when you unlock the front door you discover a pile of feet on the living room carpet. The aliens have been by and eaten your step-parents. Now, is that a relief or what?

This is the scene with which “Alien Feast” by Michael Simmons opens. William Aitkin, now doubly orphaned is alone in the world. Well, except for his uncle Maynard; world famous composer and all-round odd guy. And except for Sophie Astronovitch, a thoroughly confusing girl from William’s class whose parents have recently been kidnapped by a few aliens and a politician. But he has a great deal more time to practice his violin so that’s not all bad. There are frozen lasagnas to cook and eat and Sophie’s parents to rescue. This will lead to rather more adventure than William was planning on, but maybe he will make breakthroughs in his music and his understanding of the mysterious girl-type person that is Sophie. Or maybe he’ll end up as a pile of glistening feet. You never know.

Not too shabby. It definitely was a welcome diversion from all of the supernatural/romance/football books that currently glut the young adult genre. Evan Maccalister is rich, but not spoiled--at least from his point of view--and this is his main complaint. As a way of retaliating against his father's strict discipline and aversion to giving Evan everything he wants, Evan begins to swipe high tech gadgetry from his dad's office and sells it online to earn an income worthy of a respectable rich kid. However, when his dad is framed for murder and the laptop Evan recently stole contains evidence that may free him, the choice to Evan seems clear--crack the security codes, retrieve the information, and go after the murderer himself. After all, he doesn't want to risk getting caught, then there's the fact that his dad once made him spend the night in jail for a relatively minor offense.

Evan is a character much like Ferris Bueller: entitled, yet entertaining so we're willing to forgive him his faults. The book is amusing and despite the fact that Evan and his friends don't really exert much influence over the events in the story as they unfold, it's an entertaining enough way to kill an afternoon.

Enjoyable, but very uneven in tone. Sometimes silly, sometimes sad, sometimes very unrealistic.½

Evan Macalister is the 17 year-old son of an incredibly wealthy drug-company founder. Evan discovers that his dad's business partner is planning to sell smallpox to terrorists, then kill Evan, two of his friends (his girlfriend Erika, and Ruben), and Evan's dad. This is a sequal to The Rise of Lubchenko. Loosely plotted (Evan has to get out of summer school, hock a bunch of antiques to raise the money to go to Europe to try and foil the plot), this book has a lot less action than anticipated. Evan discovers he is a pawn in a much bigger game, but any larger lessons are lost on Evan and his flip, carefree attitude. It's a sequel, but the first book is recounted in such thorough detail that you don't need to have read the first to understand the sequel. I do not recommend this book unless someone read and thoroughly enjoyed the first book. My library has a lot of copies for our book club, and unfortunately none of the high school students like it much.

Didn't finish this - was just TOO boring.½

Sequel to Finding Lubchenko. It is a quick read that once again has Evan and his friends flying to Europe to try to save the world and their lives without getting into trouble from their parents.

Evan's multimillionaire father is accused of murder and implicated in an international bioterrorist plot, and Evan realizes that he holds the key piece of evidence: a laptop he stole from his father's company. Rather than turn in the laptop to clear his father, which would mean facing the consequences of his thievery, Evan and his two best friends take off to Paris to follow the one lead they have: a person named Lubchenko. While the premise is strong, and Evan's relationship with his father is potentially interesting, the first-person narration by Evan, who isn't too smart, too nice, too interesting, or too good, detracts from the excitement of the plot and the emotional content. Since he is shallow, the characters we see through his eyes are never fully developed--a few insightful passages aside. I love antiheroes, but rich kids feeling sorry for themselves ... not so much.