This month, I picked up ‘The Scandal’ for my monthly review. Although I read few other books too this month, I chose this one for review because it belongs to a different genre. The Theodore Boone series by John Grisham is targeted at the middle grade kids (8-13 year olds). I am doing a reading challenge with my sister (more about it later) and one of the challenges is to read a book released this year. I like crime-based law and who better than John Grisham to write about this. Only after checking out this book on Goodreads did I realize that this is a novel for children. I grew up reading The Famous Five, The Secret Seven and Nancy Drew. So I was curious to know what the new generation was being presented with.
It is a small book spanning across 138 pages. Just right for 8-13 year olds. Theo, short for Theodore, is born to lawyer parents. It is only natural that he has a keen interest in law. He is precocious and is the only kid lawyer in town. ‘The Scandal’ is the sixth book in the Theodore Boone series and deals with cheating in standardized tests. The district of Strattenburg has to go through a state wide standardized testing format for the eighth graders based on which the students will be grouped into three categories. The top ten percent are taken into honors, the second batch will be intermediate and the bottom most are deemed slow learners and put into remedial schools. Things get murky when one of the low performing schools shows a shocking improvement in scores. An anonymous tip off about cheating makes the district head appoint investigators to look into the matter. Theo gets involved in the case unwillingly and finds out that he has a larger part to play.
A huge challenge for me was to constantly remind myself that this book is not even for young adults but for pre-teens. Bearing this in mind, I was surprised to see that John Grisham has sensed the pulse of the kids so well. The language is simple and at times legal words are explained for better understanding. The whole angle of law itself is a good concept because it familiarizes kids with how the judiciary works. The animal court is something which does not exist in India. Apparently, one can represent himself in animal court which provides Theo ample opportunity to be the acting lawyer and exercise his skills. One of the unsettling things in the book is Theo’s indifference to seeking justice. Being the protagonist of the book, I wish he had showed much more interest in dealing with a scandal that affected the futures of a lot of people. I stand by his belief that test scores cannot determine a person’s skill and talent. But being an honors student opens up access to the best courses and teaching. Seeing how this could work wonders for his friend should have been reason enough for him to sit up and take notice. Yet, I cannot bring myself to be too harsh on him. After all he is just a 13-year old.
Theo has his own redeeming qualities. He is a good friend and sticks up for his mates. His passion for law is inspiring. Also, I like how Theo’s parents get him involved whenever there is something concerning him. Treating a kid like an adult makes him responsible. The book itself has some interesting side plots on the harmful effects of drinking, how it can affect the person as well as his family. A useless camping trip is also included to fill in the pages. Even though I would not put this book in the same category as Enid Blyton’s or Carolyne Keene’s, it is a commendable effort towards good reading for pre-teens. One which deals with real life problems rather than fantasies and romance.
It is a small book spanning across 138 pages. Just right for 8-13 year olds. Theo, short for Theodore, is born to lawyer parents. It is only natural that he has a keen interest in law. He is precocious and is the only kid lawyer in town. ‘The Scandal’ is the sixth book in the Theodore Boone series and deals with cheating in standardized tests. The district of Strattenburg has to go through a state wide standardized testing format for the eighth graders based on which the students will be grouped into three categories. The top ten percent are taken into honors, the second batch will be intermediate and the bottom most are deemed slow learners and put into remedial schools. Things get murky when one of the low performing schools shows a shocking improvement in scores. An anonymous tip off about cheating makes the district head appoint investigators to look into the matter. Theo gets involved in the case unwillingly and finds out that he has a larger part to play.
A huge challenge for me was to constantly remind myself that this book is not even for young adults but for pre-teens. Bearing this in mind, I was surprised to see that John Grisham has sensed the pulse of the kids so well. The language is simple and at times legal words are explained for better understanding. The whole angle of law itself is a good concept because it familiarizes kids with how the judiciary works. The animal court is something which does not exist in India. Apparently, one can represent himself in animal court which provides Theo ample opportunity to be the acting lawyer and exercise his skills. One of the unsettling things in the book is Theo’s indifference to seeking justice. Being the protagonist of the book, I wish he had showed much more interest in dealing with a scandal that affected the futures of a lot of people. I stand by his belief that test scores cannot determine a person’s skill and talent. But being an honors student opens up access to the best courses and teaching. Seeing how this could work wonders for his friend should have been reason enough for him to sit up and take notice. Yet, I cannot bring myself to be too harsh on him. After all he is just a 13-year old.
Theo has his own redeeming qualities. He is a good friend and sticks up for his mates. His passion for law is inspiring. Also, I like how Theo’s parents get him involved whenever there is something concerning him. Treating a kid like an adult makes him responsible. The book itself has some interesting side plots on the harmful effects of drinking, how it can affect the person as well as his family. A useless camping trip is also included to fill in the pages. Even though I would not put this book in the same category as Enid Blyton’s or Carolyne Keene’s, it is a commendable effort towards good reading for pre-teens. One which deals with real life problems rather than fantasies and romance.
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