Emma Young (1)

Will’s parents are gone – following his father’s death, his mother sent Will to a friend in London while she goes to her mother’s in Russia to grieve and recover. The only thing that comforts Will as he grieves is working on his inventions and gadgets; gadgets like Rapid Ascent which combines a spear gun, a rope, a harness, and precise engineering to lift a human up the side of a building in mere moments. Soon Will’s caught the attention of three other overachieving teens: Gaia, Andrew and Caspian. Gaia’s a chemical genius who likes to blow things up and Caspian’s specialty is astrophysics. Andrew has money, brains, and ambition, but most of all he has the idea: He wants them to be a team – a force for good in the world – kids who can make a difference on a global level. At first all Will wants is to be left alone, but then Caspian disappears and it becomes clear that something major is afoot, something along the lines of an epically deadly weapon. The trail leads to Russia which Will thinks is a fortunate coincidence that will allow him to reunite with his mother, but Will’s about to learn that there’s no such thing as coincidence.
The STORM series is perfect for fans of Alex Rider and other high tech spy novels, but has the added bonus that every gadget used in the books has a basis in today’s science. Don’t forget to check out the Author’s Note at the back and the “excerpt” from Will’s notebook.

I enjoyed this, but as seems to be usual for me, I'd like to read the second book to see if it's a little smoother now that all the world setup has been done and all the characters have been introduced.… (plus d'informations)

Reviewed by Lynn Crow for TeensReadToo.com

Will Knight never intended to get mixed up in international crime and political intrigue.

When he first met Gaia, gifted chemistry student, and Andrew, child millionaire and software genius, and heard about their idea to start an organization named STORM which would help in desperate situations around the world, he declared them crazy and walked away. But he can't ignore Gaia when she tells him about a magnetic storm that's about to hit Earth. The group's efforts allow a plane that would otherwise have crashed to safely land, and Will discovers that saving lives makes him feel more alive than anything has since his father's death a few months ago.

Before long, STORM faces a new, far greater challenge. A brilliant scientist has been kidnapped, and his son, Andrew's friend, Caspian, has created an incredible weapon to fulfill the kidnappers' demands. When Will finds out, he knows they must act or risk global tragedy. He and his friends embark on a journey across the continent to stop Caspian and find out who is behind the scheme. Along the way, Will must face truths he'd rather not have known, and all three must learn to work together if they--and the planet--are going to survive.

STORM: THE INFINITY CODE is an exciting, fast-paced adventure that's sure to appeal to fans of spy stories and mysteries. The three main characters are enjoyable companions along the way, heroic but still human, doing as much as three fourteen-year-old teens can. There are many surprises along the way, and while the ending is satisfying, it's far from pat.

From the detailed explanations of Will's inventions to the stark descriptions of the dangers the group encounters, the book is more realism than fantasy, and is all the stronger for it. Highly recommended for readers who like their adventures grounded in the real world.… (plus d'informations)