Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer

Well this was a fun read for a quiet rainy afternoon. It's a young reader's novel, and Grisham handles that level very well indeed. Theo Boone (whose mother insists on calling him "Teddy", to his chagrin) is 13 years old, very bright, and well versed in the law, as he spends after school hours running errands and soaking up knowledge at his parents' lawfirm. He is well known in the courthouse by attorneys, clerks, judges and secretaries; all his friends seek him out when their families have legal trouble, and he explains the options and intricacies of the system. When a local man is on trial for murdering his wife, Theo finds himself drawn into a moral dilemma that is much too complicated for a 13-year-old. I found this kid totally show more believable, exactly smart enough, and much less annoying than other child prodigies in literature. He knows when he's in over his head, and trusts the adults in his life. I can't forgive him for feeding his dog spaghetti and Chinese food, but other than that I love him. This book should be absolutely irresistible to young readers interested in the law, as it niftily explains how things really work without being dry or tedious for a second. And Grisham left a couple of very itchy loose ends which I assume he has yanked into the next book in the series (there are six of them so far). I'm hooked. show less

I wasn't sure if I would like these books because they are geared towards kids, but many of my students seem to have been reading the series. I decided to pick it up because of them. I ended up loving it! I cannot wait to read about another adventure with Theodore Boone. It was cute, but it still talked a lot about what happens in a courtroom and what kids go through in school. His school experience is not the same as many kids because of his parents, but there are still some "regular kid" moments.

As far as I know, “Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer” is John Grisham’s first attempt at a book for younger readers. Obviously, he is well known for his mainstream legal thrillers, several of which have been made into movies. This book follows eighth grader Theodore Boone, an only child parented by attorneys, who is already handing out legal advice to his classmates and even to adults. (As almost all of Theo's advice consists of telling his "clients" to go talk to real lawyers, I presume this is not illegal but I did wonder.)

In some ways, I worry that I am not capable of being entirely fair to this book, because so much of it rubbed me the wrong way that I am probably overlooking some good qualities that would actually appeal to kids. My show more biggest issue was with Theo's inconsistent voice. He's an eighth-grader who hacks into his parents' legal databases, who follows trials the way other kids follow baseball, and who explains legal terms such as "double jeopardy" and "mistrial" to his classmates. However, he also tells the reader that "the smart people in charge of educating all the children in the town" decided to gender-segregate their classes, and he blurts out that he doesn't understand what the judge means when he says that he could hold Theo in contempt for not revealing information important to an ongoing trial. Hmmm. First, I would have thought that Theo would know the term "school board". Second, Theo knows every legal phrase out there except contempt of court?

(And hey! Assuming my memory is correct -- I've already gotten rid of the book so I can't easily check -- and Theo goes to a public school, wouldn't his lawyer parents have screamed bloody murder about gender segregation? I sure would, especially considering that Theo gets permission for his class to go watch the opening day of a trial, which means all boys and no girls get to go on this little field trip. That really ticked me off. And is it realistic that most of Theo's eighth-grade classmates are not allowed to have cell phones at all?)

In any case, the book opens with Theo attending the first day of what passes for a high-profile murder trial in his small-ish town. The defendant has been accused of murdering his wife, and everyone believes he is guilty but the prosecution has a weak case. In the meantime, Theo becomes involved when a boy from the local shelter where Theo volunteers tells him that his cousin, an illegal immigrant, witnessed something that would prove the defendant’s guilt. Theo wrestles with the problem, and ultimately all that happens is that he talks to his uncle (a former lawyer), and then his parents, and then a judge. Unlike in The Firm or even The Client, Theo doesn't use his ingenuity to think up a solution to the problem. That may be realistic considering his age, but it's just boring. At the very least, I would have expected a Grisham-like scene in which a bad guy chases Theo to tell him to stop snooping, but the most we get is a scary-looking guy who glares at Theo from across the courtroom once or twice. A mistrial is declared and that’s the end of the book. It’s very anticlimactic. If any of the characters were particularly interesting it would mitigate this somewhat, but the whole book feels antiseptic.

I have to admit, I tend to think this is yet another case of an author, agent, and/or publisher thinking it would be a good idea to dip into the lucrative YA market without actually considering whether the material would hold any particular appeal. I also think that better editing would have resulted in a better book, at least in terms of keeping Theo’s voice on track.

(A slightly different version of the following review was first posted in a "Writing Children's Literature" online course I recently took from Western New Mexico University. This review also appears on my review blog at http://amysreviews.blogspot.com/2010/08/theodore-boone-kid-lawyer.html) show less

Narrated by Richard Thomas (John-Boy Walton!). This put me in mind of the Encyclopedia Brown series, where a detective whiz-kid solves mysteries involving his friends. Through Theodore, author Grisham introduces legal concepts and procedures, which budding young lawyers will soak up.

*SPOILER* Theodore doesn't exactly take on legal cases so much as advise his troubled friends on what might happen and who they should talk to. Theodore is steeped in the law. His parents are real estate and divorce lawyers, and he hangs out at the courthouse where he's friendly with lawyers, judges, and legal staff. The town's first murder case in a long time captures Theodore's attention as well as the whole town's, and he follows the testimony avidly, in show more the courtroom and online. It looks like the suspect just may walk, but Theodore learns that a friend's cousin was a key witness to events, and the lawyers don't know he exists. Complicating the matter, the cousin is an illegal immigrant and he doesn't want to talk for fear of deportation. Theodore must decide how to protect the cousin and not let the murderer walk. No dramatic courtroom showdown with the surprise witness...that wouldn't ring true in real life. Instead the judge surprises the lawyers by declaring a mistrial. We don't find out what eventually happens to the murderer, but the real meat of the story describes legal procedure and how it works. show less

Theodore Boone has got to be the most knowledgeable 13 year old on law around. He's spend his life around judges, lawyers, police officers and court rooms and prides himself on knowing everyone in the courthouse. His mother is a divorce court lawyer who always sides with the woman while his dad is a lawyer who spends his time in the office not going near the courts which he can't possibly understand because his dream is to become a great trial lawyer. He's so into this life that he even has kids coming to him for legal advice ranging from a dog committing a second offense of walking around without a leash to the murder of the century in his small town. There hasn't been a murder for years and he's fascinated by this one but then he show more suddenly finds himself in the middle of it. Theo is determined to help his client in the best way possible but what if that contradicts with all he believes is right and just?

I've never read anything by John Grisham before so let me first say WOW. I love his writing style. I can even compare it to the great Rick Riordan. It doesn't have someone as funny as Percy or anything like that. It's just brilliant writing. I wonder how can he have missed my radar for so long. I was wary to read this because some people have considered it an adult read and I don't want to read a book about a kid lawyer and it be considered an adult read. It loses all values. Those people are crazy because this is definitely a middle school read and boy what a read!

Theo was this professional and very analytic type of person and you wouldn't think you'd be able to connect with a character like that especially if he's supposed to be a kid but you'd be dead wrong. Grisham creates this great character with all the qualities of an adult but also he creates a vulnerable side which you especially see when he gets in the thick of it. I would so love being his friend. I'd feel confident that he always has my back because he always does with the kids he helps again even when he is in the thick of it.

I expect great things with the next book... Theodore Boone: The Abduction. One this book was amazing and Two it just ended not as a cliffhanger but there's obviously so much more to add to the story. I expect it to be more dramatic too. You know in the first book how they are introducing the characters and giving you a feel on how they are, their personality, etc. It didn't drag on which I'm not saying. That aspect was perfect. I'm just saying there is so much more drama yet to come and I can't wait for it. And last but not least I expect more from his friend April well at least I hope. She has a lot of potential of being his number 2 and hopefully since I didn't see her being quite so strong in this book she can become a strong female character. So this book scored high for me. I even gave it to my friend to borrow so if you know if that happens the book is worthy of praise.

http://shesgotbooksonhermind.blogspot.com/ show less

My mom and grandma are both fans of the John Grisham books, so I decided to try this out. It's a good story, and for most of the book, I couldn't put it down. However, the whole point of the book seems to shift and the ending leaves you hanging. There are a lot of unanswered questions and the book just doesn't end well.

Book 162 - John Grisham- Theodore Boone : Book 1 Theodore Boone

A return to my favourite author and a real change of direction with the Theodore Boone novels…this being the first. With the brilliant tagline ‘Half the man, twice the lawyer’.

When I young….there was a TV programme called ‘Petrocelli’ …all about a lawyer who also did all his own investigations and got into so many scrapes and escapades…this reminds me of that and the reason that nearly 40 years ago…instead of wanting to be a teacher, this young man was nearly…a lawyer.

Boone is a 13 year old boy…his mum is a divorce lawyer and his dad a lawyer that deals with real estate issues. Theodore ‘Teddy’ Boone looks after his friends and any niggling show more lawyerly issue that arises.

It is written for a more teenage audience but still has the unmistakable Grisham prose…oozing brilliance from each page.

A murder has been committed but all evidence is circumstantial…suddenly Theodore finds himself the centre of attention as he had stumbled across the only witness…

Leading to another breathtaking finale…Grisham…as always leaves us gasping for more…which is great as there are Vol. 2 to 7 to come.

Brilliant…and simply wonderful show less