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Son of the Mob
Scholastic Cananda Ltd.
ISBN 0-7791-1395-0 HC
272 pages
Ages 12+


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Son of the Mob

My father. They call him Honest Abe Luca instead of Anthony because he's so straight in his business dealings, no matter how illegal they may happen to be. Never rip anybody off. Never break a promise. Except one: Honest Abe just can't seem to make good on his word to keep his line of work completely separate from my life.

Vince Luca is just like any other high-school guy. His best friend Alex, is vicariously trying to score through him; his brother is a giant pain; and his father keeps bugging him to get motivated. There is just one thing that sets him apart from other kids — his father happens to be head of a powerful crime organization.

While Vince's family connections can be handy for certain things — like when teachers are afraid to give him a bad grade — they put a serious crimp in his dating life. How is he supposed to explain to a girl what his father does for a living? But when Vince finally meets one who seems worth the trouble, her family turns out to be the biggest problem of them all. Because her father is an FBI agent — the one who wants to put Vince's father away for good.


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Fiction!




Excerpt from SON OF THE MOB
by Gordon Korman

The time with Kendra is great — almost too great. I've never been addicted to anything, thank God. So I couldn't imagine how you fall into a trap like that until I started dating Kendra. When I have to see her, I just have to, and I'm willing to jump through any number of hoops to get to her. I'd feel like a complete idiot except for the fact that she's the same way about me.

And it doesn't help that she's so busy. Kendra is one of those people whose schedule always has to be jam-packed. She works at the day-care center; she writes for the Journal; she takes advanced life-saving at the Y; and she gives piano lessons to little kids on the side. There are CEOs with more leisure time!

Not wanting to seem like a loser, I pretend to have just as hectic a calendar. I invent a bunch of part-time jobs to explain why I always have money, in case Kendra's reporter's instincts or inherited FBI-agent DNA starts to question that. It sure beats telling her the truth, that underworld kingpins pay good allowance.

It's not a very good sham, but it works for now. In reality, you need motivation to be as busy as Kendra, and it's already been established by just about everybody that I don't have any. The one thing I'm motivated to do is hang out with Kendra. Sometimes the only way to do that is to drive her places. We use the transit time wisely, making out during red lights and while stuck in traffic. I take only the most congested routes. Soon I've memorized every construction zone in Nassau County.

When the Mazda's in motion, and I have to watch the road, we speculate on the secret lives of pedestrians and our fellow drivers. I'm not that creative, but Kendra's awesome at it. Maybe that's why she struggles to write for the school paper. The truth is never quite as interesting as something made up.

"See that guy in the Jeep Cherokee? He's got the spare tire stuffed with his ex-wives' heads."

I point to an innocent young woman pushing a newborn in a carriage. "And she's with the KGB."

"No, the baby's KGB," she corrects me. "The mother's a sophisticated robot. See? Her eyeballs are rotating camera lenses."

How am I supposed to keep up with that?

One time we pass a mild-mannered guy carrying a violin case, and she says, "Oh, please. There's no violin in there. That's a machine gun. I can spot a gangster a mile away."

God, I hope not.

From Son of the Mob. Copyright © by Gordon Korman.




Your Reviews

"I read the book in English class. It was interesting the way Vince handled situations. For example, the way he handled the situation with him and Kendra and having to deal with both of their fathers. I thought the book was in general funny. I thought by using the tape to read the story helped me understand the book a lot better. I can't wait to read the sequel."
Chris B., Age 17, U.S.A., Rating: 8

"I liked the book Son of the Mob because some of the funny lines and word choices in this story made me laugh hysterically. The names of the uncles, like Pampers, Bite-me, and
No-nose, are characters I will remember. Second, I liked the way that Jimmy the Rat appeared in the trunk of Vince's car and scared the heck out of Vince.

Another character that I liked in this book was Kendra Bightly because she was attractive, independent, sweet, and kind to Vincent Lucas.

I would recommend the book Son of the Mob to everyone who likes humour, romance, and stories about mob activities and their way of life."
Louis J., Age 18, U.S.A., Rating: 9

"I like the book. It was good. It had good vocabulary. It was interesting. It had me thinking about what would happen next. I hope they make this into a movie. I especially liked when the father was yelling at Vince for getting into his business — that was the best part of the book. This was a good book."
Giacomo I., Age 15, U.S.A., Rating: 4

"I like the book. It had a lot of good, funny lines. The book was like a real life Italian mob story. I enjoyed the characters. I listened to the story on tape and the narrator had an Italian accent which really kept my interest. I can't wait to read the sequel of the Son of the Mob. I hope there is more action and suspense."
Rocco C., Age 19, U.S.A., Rating: 6

"I rate this book a 10 out of 10 because this book caught my interest, and Gordon should make Son of the Mob 3 and 4."
Davide C., Age 11, Quebec, Rating: 10

"Son of the Mob is an amazing book. It contains drama, suspense, comedy and action all packed in one paperback. This book keeps you reading from page one to the last sentence!"
D D., Age 16, U.S.A, Rating: 10

"I thought it was really interesting because there weren’t a lot of clues given out — it was more of a mystery you solve yourself."
Dilraj M., Age 12, British Columbia, Rating: 10

"I absolutely loved the book! It was a mix of romance, with a twist of mystery/action in it. There are some books that you predict what's going to happen once they introduce a problem. In this book, I had no idea what was going to happen. Awesome!"
Kelsey R., Age 13, U.S.A., Rating: 10

"It was funny in places and interesting in others. There is never a boring part of this book. It leaves you wanting for more!"
Hattie W., Age 12, NWT, Rating: 10

"It was funny. I liked it a lot, and it had action to boot."
Sisami O., Age 15, U.S.A., Rating: 7

"I think it was a very well-written book. It had great detail and a good storyline. The story keeps you interested, and it’s not too long. "
Josh S., Age 14, U.S.A., Rating: 10

"Good book!"
James 10, Age 14, U.S.A., Rating: 10

"This book was amazing. I couldn't take my eyes off it from the second I started reading it. They should make a sequel. Anyway, I suggest you get this book from your local library."
Gabriel B., Age 14, U.S.A., Rating: 10

"It was awesome!"
Eliar M., Age 14, British Columbia, Rating: 10

"This book was great! A real page-turner! "
Olivia C., Age 14, U.S.A., Rating: 8

"This is, like, one of the best books I ever read. It had romance, a good story line and a mob. It was great! "
Jordaun B., Age 14, U.S.A., Rating: 10

"I rate this book a ten out of ten because I liked it a lot, and most books that are assigned as schoolwork are boring. Instead, I had to keep myself from reading the whole book in one day! Son of the Mob is a great book; no matter what kind of things you like to read, you will like this book."
Holly N., Age 12, U.S.A., Rating: 10

"Coolest Book Ever! Ready to read any sequels! Awesome story line in the book! Pretty funny and romantic parts in the story!"
George G., Age 12, British Columbia, Rating: 10

"I found that this book was the best book I have ever read. It was suspenseful, exciting, funny, and an all-around great book. Gordan Korman did an amazing job at writing this novel. This story had me reading 24/7. If you’re someone who likes excitement and suspense, then I recommend this story to anybody and everybody. Now they just need to make the movie!"
Gary M., Age 16, U.S.A, Rating: 10

"This book is awesome. It shows the feeling of the character!!!! I love it so MUCH!! "
Anon



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