Skeleton Key (Alex Rider Adventure)

Gr. 9 Student Review:

“Skeleton Key” is the third book in the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz. It is a spy novel that follows British teenager Alex going on yet another mission. It is obviously meant for a younger audience since the main character is a 14 year old boy. Surprisingly, for a young adult novel, there were some moments where I didn’t think Alex was going to make it out alive. Overall, I give it 4 out of 5 stars. Unlike other kids’ films and novels where a happy ending is inevitable, Alex is caught up in trouble within the last 50 pages of the book and seems as if the resolution is further away than you think. I personally like this because suspense makes a topic more interesting than it already is. The action scenes got my eyes glued to the pages because it created these amazing images in my head.
One of the small things I didn’t like is how it was told in third person perspective, as I would rather have Alex directly voicing what he is doing. “What will Alex do?”, maybe we would know if it was him documenting the story. Besides that, I didn’t have any other problems with this.
It’s a unique concept having the MI6 taking in a child on a secret mission. It’s something we would never see in the real world, so it’s very fascinating to see Horowitz’s interpretation of what it would be like. After acting as a ball boy at Wimbledon and being attacked by a man part of a Chinese triad, MI6 says that Alex isn’t safe in England and is sent over to the U.S. to work with acting parents who are actually CIA agents and has to act like an American as much as he can. He has to resist the urge of referring to cookies as “biscuits” and math as “maths”, all while maintaining an American accent. Alex has to act like a regular son in a regular family in order to keep his cover and not get compromised. By doing this, Alex’s character that he is acting as has a lot of background information in case anybody asks him any questions about his “home or school life”. These questions would include what high school he goes to or how his dog is back at home, for example. In reality, all of this is just a story and absolutely none of it is true. This shows how prepared the CIA and MI6 are when putting Alex in this mission. Alex was told that he would just have to sit back and not do anything and to “think of it as a vacation” but we later found out that this wasn’t the case. From there, they are sent to Cayo Esqueleto, or Skeleton Key, a fictional key off the coast of Florida, where they are to break into the mansion of General Sarov, who used to be a Russian general, to steal a nuclear bomb he allegedly has. It’s definitely something that a middle or high school student would enjoy reading because it’s not quite at the level as Tom Clancy’s books, but is a good start if they want to continue reading spy novels into their adulthood.
Alex definitely isn’t your average 14 year old boy. Some of the things he does in this book are insane and the reader would be stunned when reading this for the first time. I’ll admit, there were some moments that I didn’t expect, even if I read the first two books and experienced the cliché “hardcore” action moments Alex had when facing off master villains. His age makes up for him doing incredible things multiple times because like I’ve said, your average 14 year old boy doesn’t usually fight off evil leaders that claim they are going to “take over the world”.
This is definitely a must-read if you’re a fan of action, spies, and even mystery. There are no age limits to this book either. It’s for everybody, despite the age of the main character. Dive into the life of a spy.

This review has been crossposted from my blog at The Cosy Dragon.com. Please head there for more in-depth reviews by me, which appear on a timely schedule.

'Skeleton Key' is the third book in this series about Alex Rider, a teenage spy. Alex is sent on an expensive holiday to Skeleton Key in Cuba. Well, it's supposed to be a holiday, but really he's there to do his job - nuclear war is coming. Hit the jump for more...

Alex is given the opportunity to see tennis live at Wimbledon. However, instead of the interesting time he expected to have, he uncovers a sinister plot by the Triad. He heads off on a surfing holiday with his budding girlfriend Serena, but is followed there by the Triad. MI6 says that they will put him out of harm's way by sending him on a tropical vacation. What could go wrong? Everything in fact.

I think the most enjoyable thing of this novel was the ending, seeing Alex push through the terrors he had been through to become a better person on the other side. In this novel you can really see him grow up, and start taking an interest in girls. Horowitz has managed to take a series that could become quite stale with the same character and same spy elements and make it continue to develop.

This novel is more bloody than the first two novels (in the same way that the Harry Potter series became more adult as it progressed). I'd still say that children could read it, but not those with impressionable minds or those who were likely to be scared. If they enjoyed the first two novels, this is certainly not too much of a step forward.

Gr. 9 Student Review:

“Skeleton Key” is the third book in the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz. It is a spy novel that follows British teenager Alex going on yet another mission. It is obviously meant for a younger audience since the main character is a 14 year old boy. Surprisingly, for a young adult novel, there were some moments where I didn’t think Alex was going to make it out alive. Overall, I give it 4 out of 5 stars. Unlike other kids’ films and novels where a happy ending is inevitable, Alex is caught up in trouble within the last 50 pages of the book and seems as if the resolution is further away than you think. I personally like this because suspense makes a topic more interesting than it already is. The action scenes got my eyes glued to the pages because it created these amazing images in my head.
One of the small things I didn’t like is how it was told in third person perspective, as I would rather have Alex directly voicing what he is doing. “What will Alex do?”, maybe we would know if it was him documenting the story. Besides that, I didn’t have any other problems with this.
It’s a unique concept having the MI6 taking in a child on a secret mission. It’s something we would never see in the real world, so it’s very fascinating to see Horowitz’s interpretation of what it would be like. After acting as a ball boy at Wimbledon and being attacked by a man part of a Chinese triad, MI6 says that Alex isn’t safe in England and is sent over to the U.S. to work with acting parents who are actually CIA agents and has to act like an American as much as he can. He has to resist the urge of referring to cookies as “biscuits” and math as “maths”, all while maintaining an American accent. Alex has to act like a regular son in a regular family in order to keep his cover and not get compromised. By doing this, Alex’s character that he is acting as has a lot of background information in case anybody asks him any questions about his “home or school life”. These questions would include what high school he goes to or how his dog is back at home, for example. In reality, all of this is just a story and absolutely none of it is true. This shows how prepared the CIA and MI6 are when putting Alex in this mission. Alex was told that he would just have to sit back and not do anything and to “think of it as a vacation” but we later found out that this wasn’t the case. From there, they are sent to Cayo Esqueleto, or Skeleton Key, a fictional key off the coast of Florida, where they are to break into the mansion of General Sarov, who used to be a Russian general, to steal a nuclear bomb he allegedly has. It’s definitely something that a middle or high school student would enjoy reading because it’s not quite at the level as Tom Clancy’s books, but is a good start if they want to continue reading spy novels into their adulthood.
Alex definitely isn’t your average 14 year old boy. Some of the things he does in this book are insane and the reader would be stunned when reading this for the first time. I’ll admit, there were some moments that I didn’t expect, even if I read the first two books and experienced the cliché “hardcore” action moments Alex had when facing off master villains. His age makes up for him doing incredible things multiple times because like I’ve said, your average 14 year old boy doesn’t usually fight off evil leaders that claim they are going to “take over the world”.
This is definitely a must-read if you’re a fan of action, spies, and even mystery. There are no age limits to this book either. It’s for everybody, despite the age of the main character. Dive into the life of a spy.

This review has been crossposted from my blog at The Cosy Dragon.com. Please head there for more in-depth reviews by me, which appear on a timely schedule.

'Skeleton Key' is the third book in this series about Alex Rider, a teenage spy. Alex is sent on an expensive holiday to Skeleton Key in Cuba. Well, it's supposed to be a holiday, but really he's there to do his job - nuclear war is coming. Hit the jump for more...

Alex is given the opportunity to see tennis live at Wimbledon. However, instead of the interesting time he expected to have, he uncovers a sinister plot by the Triad. He heads off on a surfing holiday with his budding girlfriend Serena, but is followed there by the Triad. MI6 says that they will put him out of harm's way by sending him on a tropical vacation. What could go wrong? Everything in fact.

I think the most enjoyable thing of this novel was the ending, seeing Alex push through the terrors he had been through to become a better person on the other side. In this novel you can really see him grow up, and start taking an interest in girls. Horowitz has managed to take a series that could become quite stale with the same character and same spy elements and make it continue to develop.

This novel is more bloody than the first two novels (in the same way that the Harry Potter series became more adult as it progressed). I'd still say that children could read it, but not those with impressionable minds or those who were likely to be scared. If they enjoyed the first two novels, this is certainly not too much of a step forward.

I'm really enjoying these Alex Rider Graphic Novels. The manga style artwork is very suited to the over the top aspects of the story and the translation to the graphic novel format is solid. I have no problem following the story and the action is well done.

Alex Rider finds himself pulled back into Mi6 duty, this time on a 'holiday' in Cuba to investigate a rogue KGB agent. He's playing the son of two American CIA agents to gain access to the island on the pretense of a family vacation. What he finds on the quay ("Skeleton Key") forces him to race against the clock to stop a madman from detonating a nuclear bomb that will annihilate most of Europe.

As with all of Horowitz' stories, other cultures (especially American) are completely derided and skewed, almost in a stereotypical manner (the petty wealthy megalomaniac with a small mind was American, the emotionless, determined, soldier general a Russian, etc. etc.). Cultures fare no better in this book but that's all the fun, sending up anyone against the British empire. Making the villains 007 cartoony keeps the read light and fun and within the realm of obvious fiction.

The illustrations are consistent and strong, with full color panels well assembled to keep the story moving. At no time do I lost the story or am unable to follow what is going on (as happens so easily with graphic novel translations). Of course, the fun is to see how Alex will use the gadgets he's given to get out of bad situations.

In all, a really fun serious for boys and girls alike.

The book starts out when Alex, the main character, is at a soccer match. They just finished when the CEO of the MI6, Alan Blunt, assigns Alex with a new mission. This time, playing the role of an ordinary boy from California, he'll be going to Skeleton Key. However, before doing that, he needs to investigate the tennis tournament at Wimbledon. While he is there, he meets a girl named Sabrina Pleasure that he really likes and they become friends. While on the mission to Skeleton Key, Alex is not supposed to really do anything while two CIA agents (joined by Alex) do all the work, as to not raise the Sarov's (enemy) suspicions. However, after the two CIA agents disappeared while searching for an entry way into Sarov's base, Alex decided to go in to see if he could find them. After gearing up Alex goes in, is almost eaten by a shark, and is eventually captured by Sarov.

Sarov, formerly a general in the Russian Army, describes himself as "friends" with Boris Kiriyenko, president of Russia. Sarov's assistant, Conrad wants to kill Alex, but Sarov doesn't allow it for two reasons. First, Alex reminds Sarov of his own son who died in war, and second, he wants to adopt Alex. In the first book, Alex Rider, Stormbreaker, you find out that Alex's parents died in a plane crash, and in the beginning of the story his uncle, Ian Rider, dies in a shooting. So from Sarov's perspective the opportunity to adopt him is wide open.

Sarov, very angry and upset that communism has ended, believes that Russia is no longer a world power. In order to restore what was the USSR, Sarov thinks he needs to set off a nuclear bomb. His plan includes setting the bomb off on some other nuclear explosives. The blast will cause many countries of the world to perish, including Alex's home country, England. Alex knows he has to save his country and he tries to escape twice, but is always re-captured by Sarov.

In order to prevent President Kiriyenko from stopping him, Sarov drugs his drink, and then sets off to Murmansk, Russia. When Sarov and Alex land in Murmansk, Alex knows he has one more chance to stop Sarov and save the world. Alex used expanding gum, given to him by Mr. Smithers the weapons specialist, to break the handcuffs that a guard put on him. He makes his move. Alex needs to disarm the bomb but he doesn't know how much longer he has.

Sarov's assistant Conrad sees that Alex has escaped and attacks. Conrad shut off the magnetic crane he was using to deposit the bomb on an old submarine, but the arm was still moving. Conrad was a "terrorist" if you will, and one day a bomb he was carrying exploded in his arms. Since then Conrad has had metal plates inserted into his body to sort off help him. It just so happens that those plates are magnetic and the big plate on the crane is magnetic. So when the plate swooped over them, Conrad stuck to it. It was just in time too because Conrad was about to choke Alex to death. Alex is badly wounded but he makes his way to the crane and climbs up. After accidentally dropping Conrad into the ocean, Alex picks up the nuclear bomb and moves it over the the dock. He then leaves the crane to disarm it. Alex eventually finds the card Sarov used to arm the bomb, and disarms it. Shortly after the bomb was disarmed Alex hears someone say, "Why?!". Alex turns around to see only that he is face to face with Sarov. Alex throws the card into the ocean. Sarov pulls out a gun and lifts it up and fires, but not at Alex. Sarov shot himself.

After returning to England Alex goes to the hospital. When he returns home, Alex is still bewildered by what he saw Sarov do. So in order to clear his head he goes for a walk. They sky is cloudy and grey. But eventually he hears a car roll up and out of the car comes Sabrina. She invites him to a dinner with her and her family. They begin to walk down the road, and as they were walking a little patch of blue sky appeared.

I thought the book was very exiting, action packed and will leave you on the edge of your seat. I would not however recommend this book to a younger person due to quite a bit of gore and gun threats. But other than that I thought the book was written in great detail. I have read a couple other Alex Rider books from the series, and I thought they were very entertaining.

This thrilling novel by Anthony Horowitz blew my mind! He took action and excitement to a whole other level.His imagination is endless as obstacles in the story face our protagonist, Alex Rider.He is a 14 year old boy who is a spy for M16,British Intelligence.In this story however, he is traveling to America to avoid a gang with their eyes on him. while he is there he is asked to aid the CIA in a huge mission.He meets his new co-workers,Glen Carver and Belinda Troy. They then fly to to Cayo Esqueleto, also known as "Skeleton Key" located in Cuba.They are sent to spy on Russian general,Alexei Sarov.It has recently become known that he has purchased enough Uranium for a nuclear bomb big enough to wipe out whole city or a small country.When Carver and Troy go missing, Alex is all alone. With no idea what what happened to them or what is truly going on, he must finish the job, facing many antagonist such as a Chinese Triad, a Great White Shark, machine guns, nuclear weapons, a man named Conrad, a sugar mill crusher, and much more!

This book is an action packed bundle of Suspense! People never leave the edge of their seats, as they try to predict what will happen. Horowitz's book is so unpredictable, that it just adds on to the quality of the book. Skeleton Key is one of the best books I have ever read and I am looking forward to the rest of his works.
Written By: Walker P.

"Skeleton Key" is an action and adeventureous book set in many locations. In this book Alex is teamed up with with two C.I.A. agents named Belinda Troy and Glen Carver. They set off for Cuba to search for a bomb trying to kill the Russian president.
Boring, is not a word I would use to descride this book, it has nonstop action from beginning to end! It has action from Alex getting in a fight with a great white shark to when he saves Glenn's life by blowing up a yacht. I fyou have a love for action pakced books I would highly recommend this novel!
Three characters that dominate the story are Alex Ride the main character,Sarov, who is the bad guy in the story, and Sarov's assiant Conrad who is obssessed with killing Alex. The book has many other interesting chaacters as well. This is a great book is my opinon. I believe it is one Anthony Horowitz best books! I highly recommned it to read of all ages!

Written by: Collin F.

Rating 3.5
Alex Rider kid spy / part time student gets pulled out of school again. Being a kid spy has its perks like up close seats for Wimbledon well not exactly seats but a position as a ball boy to figure out why someone broke into the facilities. Once that math is complete he gets loaned to the CIA to help figure out why an ex Russian general needs nuclear weapons. When the via agents are killed it left solely up to him to save the day.

I keep reading these books because I like that the characters are sneaky and mysterious. My first impression about the character was that Alex was a courageous and strong kid. He completed 3 dangerous missions in the past and survived. I think that is incredible. There was a lot of description and conversations in the book. He even talked to professional spies or killers. The author describes very well by using many figurative languages like similes and metaphors. One day I read for 80 minutes. I'm going to tell you a brief summary of the book. Alex Rider go sent on a mission to find a nuclear weapon that can destroy Russia in 1 blow. When Alex was snooping around for some clues, he saw a killer that he had faced in the past. He got caught but he found the mastermind behind the evil plot. After this brief summary I hope you would read this book. I thought this was one of the best Alex Rider book I have ever read. I don't really like mystery books, but this book changed my mind. This book is a thrilling adventure and I would definently read other books by this author.

Skeleton Key

Alex Rider is a fourteen year old boy who has been asked to work for the MI6, again. The MI6 have used Alex twice before and this time would be the last mission the MI6 would use him for. They told Alex that this time would only be a surveillance operation (that's what they said).

Alex was going to be sent to Cuba with fake I.d.and fake parents. His parents disappeared in the book but the question is where...

If you want to know what happens in the book check it out at a library near you.

I loved this book because it kept me guessing on what would happen next in the book. I have read the other books in the series but this book still kept me guessing at what would happen next.

If you like books that deal with things like James Bond or the CIA this is a book that you would want to check out. If you like books that deal with people taking over the world this book is for you. If you want to read the series the first book is Stormbreaker.

Skeleton Key, the sequel to Stormbreaker and Point Blanc, is surely the best book in this gripping teen spy series. Before you read it, however, make sure you read the others first so as to understand the story.
Just a month after his previous adventure at an exclusive school in the French Alps, sixteen-year-old Alex Rider is attempting to return to a normal life in London. But this is a wish quickly forgotten as an M16 agent recruits him for a mission during a school soccer game.
He is soon over in the USA, and taking on the role of the son of two up-tight and by-the-book CIA officers.
Together, they must infiltrate the home of an ex-Russian army commander. Trouble is, his house is an island in Cuba and Americans aren't exactly welcome in that part of the world.
Armed with some outrageous and extremely useful gadgets disguised as toys, Rider must soon try to win the trust of the Russian on his own, but finds himself in a seemingly losing battle against the rich and powerful man.
Alex discovers the Russian's deadly plot to take over the world, but will a young boy be able to stop him?
A terrific book that will having you struggle to put it down as you dive into the world of international spies, crazy military men and truly gripping suspense.
I gave this book 5 stars, and it deserves 6, so read it now and find out why!

I thought this book was fascinating because I love
read books that are full of action and adventure. The
hooks at the end of each chapter was well written
because it made me want to move right onto the
next chapter. For example, the book states, “Then
he was lifted up and carried away, and he began to
wonder if it would have made any difference if the
shark had reached him after all.” This shows that the hooks are a great addition
to the book because you don’t know who
carried him away. You don’t know if Alex will be
killed! Hooks makes you want to keep reading.
This books is awesome and filled with action
and adventure on every corner. You never know
what is going to happen to Alex next.

Skeleton Key is perhaps the first book where the similarities to James Bond movies began to work against it. The villains and some of the situations Alex gets into can become more silly than exciting at times. But that isn't to say the book isn't exciting. Horowitz continues to deliver on horrifying, semi-plausible plots, gripping action, and cool gadgets. This series is well worth continuing.

I read the first two Alex Rider books and enjoyed them very much. However, in my opinion, the quality of these books has decreased as the series progresses. I have not read the fourth or fifth book, but after my disappointing experience with the third I'm not sure I will.
The first book is, by far, in my opinion, the best in the series. It was creative, induvidual, and engaging. The second book was a good enough book, but it lacked some of the creativity of the first- for example, 'Dr. Grief' is not the most imaginative name.
The third book was most disappointing. It was not particularly engaging, and the plot was typical of other adventure stories. I hope Mr. Horowitz does Alex Rider his alloted justice in the further books of the series.

Thomas writes:
This is an amazing book with lots of action. Skeleton Key, written by Anthony Horowitz, is about a teenager named Alex Rider who is really a spy. He goes to Cuba to pretend to be a tourist's child but really he is just there to get his fake parents who are also spies into Cuba. A Russian General from a long time ago is planning to plant a nuclear bomb in Russia and kill millions of people. He has a twisted idea of how the world should be. Read this book to find out if Alex can stop the bomb from going off. I think this book is good for late fourth graders and up because of violence including guns and a nuclear bomb and because some things might be hard to understand for younger kids. I loved reading this book and it is one of my favorite books. I rate this book four out of five stars.

I'm surprised that the Kindle store has these and not Artemis Fowl. I am one of the few child Kindle owners, and surprised at the somewhat limited selection. But it's good that they have theese books, at any rate.
I am looking at the actual paper-and-ink version sitting in my bookcase.
Alex is a very logical, mature charachter. He knows how to get things done in the spy world, a world where everyone is suspect and no one is ever your partner for long. The situations he gets himself into are suspenseful, to say the least.
I like how the author seems to demonstrate all the knowledge that he wants his charachter to have. For instance, when Alex was diving, he observed all of the correct diving protocall. If Alex would have headed straight for the surface from his depth, he would have gotten the bends. However, I believe that Alex was diving partnerless? I'm not sure, but I think you are supposed to always dive with a partner. Maybe Alex was going against the rules (again). Not that his going against the rules is bad in most cases. Obviously.
"Ryan" has probably already written a review on one of these books, expressing his hatred of them, and I wouldn't blame him. Some parts of the Alex Rider books seemed slightly childish to me, and to him they must seem downright ridiculous.
Perfect for the gifted fifth grader or the average sixth or seventh grader. Maybe not so much for the gifted seventh graders (or the average tenth graders as it were).

Skeleton Key, the sequel to Point Blank (2002) and Stormbreaker (2001), it is even better than both of its predecessors. A perfect combination of suspense, surprise, and humor, this book is likley to entertain all who read it. Alex Rider, a seemingly normal, fourteen-year-old boy (Except that he is a spy working for M16.), goes on a journey to Cayo Esqueleto. Skeleton Key. It is on the coast of Cuba. He is told by M16's Alan Blunt that he is just going on a vacation there because he got into trouble with a gang in China after beating up two of their members at Wimbledon. He highly doubts this, and for good reason. His partners, his disguise mom and dad, give him a Gameboy Advance to play on the plane. When he finds a geiger counter (a nuclear weapon finding tool) in the gameboy, he gets suspicious. When he knows what is going on he goes with them to an underwater cave called Devil's Chimney that is a secret passage to the "Golden House" (Casa De Oro)where the villan, General Alexei Sarov lives. His "parents" soon find out that it's not so "secret" when they find a great white shark and fake staglamites and stalacimites that shred people to nothing and leads to a bone-crunching garbage disposal. Alex follows but narrowly escapes. He is then taken captive by General Sarov and figures out that he is like Vladmir, Sarov's son who died in war at the age of 16, from what Sarov describes. Sarov then wants to adopt Alex. While stuck in a mansion full of guards and a bodyguard named Conrad just waiting to shred him to pieces, not to mention a dangerous, yet caring, madman with a nuclear bomb and a plan to blow up a whole region of the world. An adventure that spreads all over the world, from the streets of England, to the hot beaches of Miami, all the way to the frozen tundra of the northernmost parts of Russia. Read the book to find out the ending to this story, because I don't like to spoil endings.

SETTING
Skeleton Key, Cuba, Wimbelton, and Russia. In the present day.
Characters
Alex Rider- a teenager secret agent.
Carver and Troy- two agents on the mission with Alex.
The General-a crazy man with a plan to blow up the world.
Conrade-the general's partener.
Opinion
This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. It was a great book that kept me guessing the entire time. It is recommended for you to read.
Conflicts
External
Alex vs. Shark
Alex vs. Conrade
Alex vs. the Genreal
Troy vs. Conrade
Carver vs. Conrade
The two men vs. the alligators
Internal
Alex vs. self about going after Troy and Carver
General vs. self about killing Alex
Plot
Alex is a regular boy... until he finds out that the U.S. govornment needs him to save the world. Alex then goes through a sieries of adventures. Once in Cuba, Alex is almost killed by a shark, until the shark is caught in a trap. Conrade then captures Alex, and is within seconds of killing him, when the General saves Alex. After this, the Geneal wants Alex to take the place of his son, who died in the years past. Alex refuses and makes an attempt to call the police, but is stopped by a security guard. He explains the whole thing to the security guard. The security guard tells the Russian govornment, who responds by sending troops. Eventually it comes down to a showdown between Alex, and the crazy general over the nuclear bomb switch. Who won...you will have to read the book.
About Anthony Horowitz
-born in London, England in 1955
-went to a boarding school
-started writing at the age of 22 and was published at 23

As usual, great action and suspense. Better plot that makes more sense. And it makes more sense for them using Alex Rider this time. The ending is somewhat unsatisfying, but I'll tell you this much. Alex might have found romance. Alex kind of seems like he's corrupted in the end, in a way...a mild mild way. And you also learn to hate Alan Blunt if you haven't already. What lesson does it contain? NEVER JOIN CIA OR ANY OTHER SECRET SERVICE! Lolzers. Jk jk. But this book is probably the best of them all!

Skeleton Key
By:Anthony Horowitz
Reviewed by: S. Kim
Period:P.3
This adventure series is about a fourteen year-old boy, who happens to be a spy for the british government agency, M16. In this book he prevents a Russian military leader from activating a nuclear bomb, strong enough to infect all of Europe. This military leader is named Sarov, and he wants revenge or so, because he had lost his only son, and wants to make Russia #1 again.
I have enjoyed all of the Alex Rider adventures, because I feel suspense and other books don't satisfy me as well as this one.The one thing that I wonder about is that there wasn't a preview of the next book!I still like it, but is this the end? I hope not, because I want to find out what happens to Alex Rider.
The one thing I dislike about the book is that I have to wait so long just to read the next book.By the time I read this book I have waited for about two months!That is probably the only thing that I dislike about this book.
My favorite part of the book is when Alex fights against Sarov's henchman Conrad, who isn't at all handsome, but can make a deadly nuclear bomb.The suspense I get from reading this book is intense, and it makes me read more and more even I have to go to bed. The part I dislike about this book is when Sarov recaptures Alex, who almost escaped and tried to call for help.That made me dumbfound.Overall, I believe that this is a good action book and whoever enjoys actio should read it.

A truly great series written by another of the `British Rat pack crowd' Anthony Horowitz, (Alex Rider) Mark A. Cooper (Jason Steed) Robert Muchamore (CHERUB) Charlie Higson (Young James Bond) I'll hand it to the Brits they certainly know how to write an adventure boys novel. Robert Muchamore does a great job here with the CHERUB series.

This is another classic, and my favorite Alex Rider adventure, closely themed to Young James Bond adventure `Hurricane Gold' by Charlie Higson, this story is well written and action packed. Alex Riders true feelings are expressed. At least he is getting some emotion in the novels.

5 stars all the way to the bank.

Yet another great Alex Rider book. I read this book in seriously one day. I think that it took me about four hours because this book has such a strong flow that you will not want to stop. In this story Alex Rider discovers that not all dreams come out the way that you expect them. This book is yet another great book from Anthony Horowitz, and he is definitely become one of the best young adult writers out there. I just picked up Eagle Strike the next book in the series so I will come out with another review for that book soon.

READ THIS SERIES!

Skeleton Key

By: Anthony Horowitz

Reviewed by: S. Wan

Period: 6

Alex Rider just a normal boy living in England becomes a spy. This time he is sent off into the remote island Skeleton Key to do something with 2 CIA agents. He is then set of to explore noticing they were looking for nuclear weapons. He went with them to scuba dive and the 2 agents got killed and he was captured by a man named Sarov a Russian war hero. He was trying to escape and Sarov revealed to him that he had a nuclear weapon. Sarov longed for his son, but was dead and thought Alex reminded his of his son. It was time to go drop the bomb in Russia to regain its rightful power. He thought Russia was not once powerful as before. Doing this he would frame his "friend" and elect Sarov so he could take control. The M16 which Alex was working for gave him gadgets to escape. They were on the plane, but had to refuel. They stopped in a town in England and thought he could escape. He threw his stun grenade at Sarov and took off in search of a phone. He found 1, but a security guard caught him but didn't believe his story. Sarov woke up and caught him and shot the guard thankfully the he made his call and didn't hang up and the police heard everything. They arrived at the city and took the bomb and it was timed. Sarov took off and Alex stuck to the bomb. His assistant took care of Alex and the police arrived. Alex said you'll never be my dad and Sarov took shot, but at himself. He was safe now back in London and the bomb disarmed.

I like this book because it's a thriller and it takes so many twists and turns to make you read more. I really enjoyed it for many reasons. "Pain Synthesis" This pain synthesis was an important part of the story. This was one of the best books I have read.

I really enjoyed this book because it keeps you guessing and makes you read. This book is an action adventure story and should deserve to win a prize. "He didn't stop nor did he look back." This is when Alex's girlfriend was going to California to start a new life, but Alex would never see her again.

My favorite part is when he gets to play the game Feathered Serpent which a game created to surpass Xbox and PS2. It was in amazing detail and I could see it when Alex played. It was amazing I hope you all could read it!

This is a great story, again Anthony Horowitz has us on the egde of our seats.
The story has a very similair theme to the Young James bond book Hurricane Gold. In Skeleton Key Alex Rider and Hurricane Gold Young James Bond, both teen hereos are on a hot tropical island owned by a villian, both villians want to adopt the young teen heros, despite the youngsters trying to spoil there plans. Both villians let the boys go. However both are fast paced and good reading. Its a shame they have followed the same pathm but if you are into Alex Rider, Jason Steed, Cherub and Young James Bond this is still a great book.