School Library Journal Review
Gr 6-9-Meet Bond-James Bond-at 14, before he became the suave, lady-killing international spy. An orphan, he attends Eton and lives with his Aunt Charmian during school breaks. While the premise for this prequel sounds intriguing, it fails to deliver. Action, adventure, and mystery are not a part of the plot until the end. While visiting his dying Uncle Max in Scotland, James discovers that his enemy at Eton, George Hellebore, is visiting his father, Lord Randolph, who owns the castle in the same town. On the train to Scotland, James met Red Kelly and learned that Red's cousin Alphie is missing. Rumor has it he disappeared near Loch Silverfin, which is part of the Hellebore estate. It doesn't take long for James and Red to determine that Alphie's disappearance is connected to the castle. Red Kelly, Meatpacker, Wilder Lawless, and her horse, Martini, are interesting and quirky characters while James is positively dull. He is merely a part of the plot instead of a driving force. The book may appeal to serious Bond fans, but for students who are looking for mystery and adventure, Anthony Horowitz's "Alex Rider" books (Philomel) are a better choice.-Angela M. Boccuzzi-Reichert, Merton Williams Middle School, Hilton, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Unlike its grown-up hero, this first installment in the Young Bond series commissioned by Ian Fleming's estate, is not quite sure what it wants to be. The opener feels just like one for the adult 007, with a spine-tingling scene of a boy grappling with eels and a human (or is it?) eel-like entity. But then the book shifts into a standard English boarding school tale, set in Great Britain between the world wars. Readers follow 13-year-old James through his initiation at Eton and observe him at running and swimming practice where he develops skills that come in handy 200 pages later. The teen bests a bully George Hellebore in a cross-country race, making a mortal enemy of him. Then James is off to Scotland to visit his aunt and Uncle Max, an ex-spy himself. Who should turn up but George, whose father has inherited a nearby castle. Lord Hellebore is an arms merchant with tight security around his property, situated on Loch SilverFin, named for a vicious creature from Scottish lore. When a local boy goes fishing there and never returns (the one from the opening scene), James sneaks in to investigate. Higson's (Getting Rid of Mister Kitchen) pace quickens as the hero wriggles out of one brush with death after another. Many not-for-the-squeamish moments will likely appeal to middle-grade boys. Sadly, there's no hint of the bon vivant James later becomes, but there is a blond, green-eyed beauty named Wilder Lawless who comes to his rescue on horseback. The steed's name? Martini. Ages 10-up. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Expanding the franchise to James Bond's boyhood, Higson describes the thirteen-year-old's first semester at Eton and a summer adventure stopping a mad scientist from engineering superhumans. The first and second halves of the book don't really match, some preachy passages distract, and several plot points strain credibility, but fans will enjoy hints of the future Bond and the boy-friendly action. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Higson sets his story in the 1930s as a young James Bond (only 14) embarks on a quest to solve the mystery of the missing Alphie Kelly. While at a boarding school in Eton, Bond first encounters George Hellebore and eventually his evil, overbearing, father. During a holiday trip to his aunt's home in northern Scotland, Bond's and Hellebore's lives become intertwined when Bond begins to suspect that something very suspicious is going on behind the gates of the Hellebore compound. Many coincidences and fortunate encounters (and some unfortunate ones) lead Bond inside the compound and to heart-pounding scenes that will keep readers turning the pages. At times, the episodes, with key characters being spotted just by chance, seem contrived, but those pass by quickly as the action moves beyond the ordinary into the action. A great read for fans of detective tales. (Fiction. 10-15) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Gr. 5-8. The name's the same--Bond, James Bond. But the face is different. And no wonder: the late Ian Fleming's fabled superspy is only 14 years old in this newly launched, lavishly promoted, high-concept series. Higson struggles heroically to incorporate all Fleming's trademark ingredients. There's a ravishing heroine (who rides a horse named Martini); a larger-than-life villain (a wealthy American with large, flashing white teeth who is mad, I tell you, mad ); and lots of melodramatic nonsense about eels and eugenics. The problem is that young Bond is a bit of a cipher, and the story takes forever to get going. Then once things heat up, they go on too long and, worse, too predictably. Part of the problem is endemic to all new series: the need to establish characters, background, etc. But one hopes that Higson will give more attention, in future volumes, to fresher plotting and fleshing out the character of his hero. --Michael Cart Copyright 2005 Booklist
