I like this book because it was fun to read and every chapter just got more and more interesting ( )

I was shelving books at the library when I ran across this one in the children's section. The name "Grk" caught my attention, so I pulled it out and began to read... several minutes later, I figured I'd better get back to work, but I was already hooked, so I checked it out to finish at home.

The adventure begins when twelve-year-old Timothy Malt finds a small black and white dog on his way home from school. Determined to return Grk to his owners, Tim sneaks off with the dog to Stanislavia, where he must rescue Grk's owners from the evil Colonel Zinfandel, who has just taken over the country in a military coup.

The story is a fast-paced political thriller, which doesn't shy away from the inevitable violence, but neither does it dwell on it. Possibly too intense for younger children, it was a breath of fresh air to this adult who loves thrillers, but occasionally finds them unnecessarily murky and unpleasant. The characters are nicely drawn, and Tim is an admirable reluctant hero, an ordinary schoolboy who does what he thinks is right, even when it's scary and dangerous.

I enjoyed this book a lot. ( )