A John Grisham court room drama novel for teens.

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Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer written by John Grisham (c) 2011 and published by Penguin Young Readers Group.

 

The influence of both of his parents being lawyers puts our young protagonist into a position of knowing judges, policemen, and other officials. He finds himself smack dab in the middle of the Duffy murder trial. Theodore knows too much, because of a surprise witness, and because this witness doesn’t want to come forward perhaps a killer will go free. Why won’t this surprise witness come forward. He has his own secrets that if they get out, he himself could be in trouble. There are areas in the book that support the idea of Theo (as he is affectionately called) being a kid lawyer. There is a moment in the middle of the book where it seems that Theo lets his guard down and we find him playing video games at a sleepover. He helps classmates with certain problems that arise in their lives. The main focus of the book is the murder trial.

 

This is a fast paced young lawyer novel directed at young adults. What John Grisham does in his adult novels, he brings to the world of the young teen. Grisham doesn’t disappoint. I have read almost everyone of Grisham’s novels and the ending of this little book was a surprise to me.

 

The Professor’s Commentary

The main theme running through this book is honesty is the best policy and that it is not good to keep secrets from your parents. The book does not have any profanity. There is mention of a boy liking a girl and vice versa. There is a little danger involved. I still enjoyed the book for what it was.