Theodore Boone: The Activist by John Grisham (Epub)

Description

Book 4 in the thrilling young mystery series from intrenationally bestselling author John Grisham

Theodore Boone is back in action! As all of Strattenburg sits divided over a hot political and environmental issue, Theo finds himself right in the thick of it. The county commission is fighting hard to change the landscape of the town, and Theo is strongly opposed to the plans. But when he uncovers corruption beneath the surface, no one—not even Theo—is prepared for the risks—and potential harm—at stake. Torn between his conscience and the law, Theo will do whatever it takes to stand up for what is right.

User’s Reviews

From School Library Journal Gr 6–8–Theodore Boone isn’t your typical 13-year-old—he’s a kid lawyer extraordinaire. The only son of two lawyers, Theo has a knack for getting to the bottom of things, which consequently leads to some sticky situations. There’s courtroom drama and legalities, all explained in detail that is not only educational, but also downright entertaining. In typical Grisham style, this novel about eminent domain will keep middle graders hooked. As Theo finds himself in the center of a hot political battle over a proposed highway bypass through his town, he discovers corruption that has him questioning the ethics and motivations of everyone involved, including his father. When his beloved canine sidekick, Judge, is badly injured in a confrontation with surveyors, Theo discovers that a dog is not only a boy’s best friend, but also his star witness. Richard Thomas is the perfect narrator, giving Theo’s voice the same earnestness and innocence that he brought to his character of John-Boy on the iconic TV series, The Waltons. A great choice for libraries where the series is popular and also a strong stand-alone that can be enjoyed on its own.–Meg B. Allison, The Moretown School, VTα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. –This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. Review Raves for the Theodore Boone series- “Smartly written.” –USA Today- “Edge-of-your-seat drama, sophisticated plotting, and plenty of spunk.” –Chicago Sun-Times- “Classic Grisham.” –The Los Angeles Times- “Not since Nancy Drew has a nosy, crime-obsessed kid been so hard to resist.” –The New York Times- “Gripping . . . I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery. I think everyone will be enthralled by Theodore Boone.” –Scholastic News –This text refers to the hardcover edition. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Chapter 1 The opponent was the team from Central, the “other” school in town and the great rival of Strattenburg Middle School. Whenever there was a game or a match or contest of any sort against Central, the tensions were higher, the crowds were bigger, and things just seemed more important. This was true even for a debate. One month earlier, the SMS Eighth-Grade Debate Team had won at Central in a packed auditorium, and when the decision was announced by the judges the crowd was not happy. There were a few boos, though these were quickly hushed. Good behavior and sportsmanship were expected, regardless of the contest.Strattenburg’s captain was Theodore Boone, who was also the anchor, the closer, the go-to guy when the pressure was on. Theo and his team had never lost, though they were not quite undefeated. Two months earlier, they had tied with the SMS girls’ team after a rowdy debate on the issue of raising the driving age from sixteen to eighteen.But Theo wasn’t thinking about other debates at the moment. He was onstage, seated at a folding table. Aaron on one side and Joey on the other, all three young men in coats and ties and looking quite snappy, and all three staring across the stage at the team from Central. Mr. Mount, Theo’s adviser, friend, and debate coach, was speaking into a microphone and saying, “And now, the final statement by Strattenburg, from Theodore Boone.”Theo glanced at the crowd. His father was sitting in the front row. His mother, a busy divorce lawyer, was tied up in court and upset that she was missing her only child in action. Behind Mr. Boone was a row of girls, including April Finnemore, one of Theo’s closest friends, and Hallie Kershaw, the most popular girl in the entire eighth grade. Grouped behind the girls were a bunch of teachers: Madame Monique, from Cameroon, who taught Spanish and was Theo’s second favorite, after Mr. Mount, of course; and Mrs. Garman, who taught Geometry; and Mrs. Everly, who taught English. Even Mrs. Gladwell, the principal, was there. All in all a nice crowd, for a debate anyway. For a basketball or football game, there would have been twice as many spectators, but then those teams had more than three contestants per side, and, frankly, were more exciting to watch.Theo tried not to consider these things, though it was difficult. An asthma condition prohibited him from participating in organized sports, so this was his chance to compete before spectators. He loved the fact that most of his classmates were terrified of speaking in public, while he enjoyed the challenge. Justin could dribble a basketball between his legs and hit three-pointers all day long, but when called on in class he was as timid as a four-year-old. Brian was the fastest thirteen-year-old swimmer in Strattenburg, and he enjoyed the confident swagger of a great athlete, but put him in front of a crowd and he wilted.Not Theo. Theo spent little time in the bleachers cheering for the other kids; instead, he hung around courtrooms and watched lawyers battle before juries and judges. He would be a great lawyer one day, and though he was only thirteen, he had already learned the valuable lesson that speaking in public was important to success. It wasn’t easy. In fact, as Theo stood and walked business-like to the podium, he felt his stomach flip and his heart race. He had read stories of great athletes and their pregame routines, and how many of them were so tense and edgy they would actually vomit. Theo did not feel sick to his stomach, but he felt the fear, the unease. A veteran trial lawyer had once told him: “If you’re not nervous, son, then something is wrong.”Theo was certainly nervous, but he knew from experience it was only temporary. Once the game started, the butterflies disappeared. He touched the microphone, looked at the moderator, and said, “Thank you, Mr. Mount.” He turned to the Central team, cleared his throat, reminded himself once again to speak clearly and slowly, and began, “Now, Mr. Bledsoe makes some valid points, especially when he argues that someone who breaks the law should not benefit from it. And that many American students who were born here and whose parents were born here cannot afford college. These arguments cannot be ignored.”Theo took a breath, then turned his attention to the spectators, though he avoided eye contact. He had learned a few tricks during his career in debate, and one of the most important was to ignore the faces in the crowd. They could be distracting. They could make you lose your train of thought. Instead, Theo looked at objects when he spoke—an empty seat on the right side, a clock in the back of the room, a window on the left side—and as he spoke he continually shifted his gaze from one to the other. This gave the clear impression that Theo was tuned in to the crowd, looking earnestly, communicating. It made him seem comfortable at the podium, something the judges always liked.He continued: “However, children of undocumented workers—we used to call them illegal immigrants—have no choice where they are born, nor can they choose where they live. Their parents made the decision to enter, illegally, the United States, and they did so primarily because they were hungry and looking for a job. It’s not fair to punish the children for what their parents did. We have students in this school, and at Central, and at every school in this district, who are not supposed to be here because their parents broke the law. But, we admit them, accept them, and our system educates them. In many cases, they are our friends.”The issue was red-hot. There was a noisy movement sweeping across the state to prohibit the children of undocumented workers from enrolling in public colleges. Those who supported the ban argued that the large number of “illegals” would (1) swamp the university system; and (2) squeeze out American students who might otherwise barely qualify for college; and (3) consume millions in tax dollars paid in by real US citizens. The Central team had done a good job making these points so far in the debate.Theo went on, “The law requires this school system, and every school system in this state, to accept and educate all students, regardless of where they come from. If the state has to pay for the first twelve years, why then should the state be allowed to slam the doors when these students are ready for college?”Theo had some notes scribbled on a sheet of paper in front of him on the podium, but he refused to look down. Judges loved debaters who spoke without looking down, and Theo knew he was earning points. All three of the boys from Central had relied on their notes.He raised a finger and said, “First, it’s a question of fairness. All of us have been told by our parents that they expect us to go to college. It’s part of the American dream. It seems unfair, then, to pass a law that will prohibit many of our students, and many of our friends, from being admitted to college.” He raised another finger. “Second, competition is always good. Mr. Bledsoe takes the position that US citizens should be given priority in college admissions because their parents were here first, even though some of these students are not as qualified as the children of undocumented workers. Shouldn’t our colleges admit the best students, period? Across this state, each year there are about thirty thousand openings for incoming freshmen. Why should anyone get special consideration? If our colleges admit the best students, doesn’t that make our colleges stronger? Of course it does. No one should be admitted unless he or she deserves it, just as no one should be denied based on where his or her parents were born.”Mr. Mount worked hard to suppress a grin. Theo was on a roll and he knew it. He managed to add just a trace of anger to his voice, nothing too dramatic, but the right touch that conveyed the message—This is so obvious, how can anyone argue with me? Mr. Mount had seen this before. Theo was moving in for the kill. –This text refers to the hardcover edition.

Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ Even grandmothers are curious when it comes to a book who’s main character is around the same age as one of her grandchildren. As an avid reader I wanted to check out this series by John Grisham to see if it was something my grandson would like. I was hooked from the moment I read the first book. I’ve now read them all and can’t wait for my grandson to get back from Atlanta. Like me, he loves to read and is going to get lost in what all this 13 year old lawyer knows and does.

⭐ I chose the 5 stars cause John Grisham is one HECK of a writer and I have read alot of books he has written and there Isn’t a bad one in the many books he has written that I know of any way.I loved the first Theodore the kid lawyer is great so I had to read the series and I am glad I did. The characters in this book I felt I was in the neighborhood and community fighting the fight with them. Boy at one point I was so angry at grown men picking on kids because they thought there would be any consequences for their actions and they were fooled.The adults were something else in this book. I stayed up alot of nights to find out what would happen next. I always lose sleep when I read John’s book that why I start in a Friday night.YOU WON’T be sorry. The young adults would love this series ( no foul language or violence) I actually think this is for young adults. They would like Theodore and Judge, his dog.

⭐ I like John Grisham’s book, for the most part I like them a lot. This is the third Theodore Boone book I’ve read and I took away one star for the simple fact that an approximately thirteen year old boy would not use the vocabulary that Hardie uses. Theodore is the son of two lawyers, well-read, and akid lawyer” by hobby. He would be expected to excel in his language skills but what 13 y/o knows craftsman house or would describe the farm using the terms used in this book.The basic story is relatively interesting but the violence (will not spoil) is excessive, especially regarding animals. If I had read this book as a teenager I would have been a sobby mess!I will continue to read the rest of the book in the series.

⭐ I have read all of the books in this series, and most of the other Grisham books. I have seen several reviews that said this and the others in the series were unbelievable and kids don’t talk and act like the kids in this book. Let me say, from not only having kids that were this age, to having been a middle school teacher, to having been involved in Scouting for many years, to having my children come to my office at times – I can say that kids are absolutely like the kids in the book. I will also say that I found myself slipping back to my own years of that age… and if nothing else, that is a good reason to read the book. All of the Grisham books don’t have to be legal thrillers. It is just another avenue, but people do the same thing in his books…. they read to escape, to get a diversion, to see someone else’s problems, etc. This book and the series will do that for you. In the end, How many can honestly say that at some point they haven’t told one of those “back when I was in High School stories” or told their kids: ” You don’t know what it is really like to have to….” For that alone, read and enjoy and go back to your own childhood, and be reminded that it wasn’t always as good as you remember now. Become a kid again for a bit, let things go and feel better.

⭐ This book is the fourth book of the Theodore Boone Series. The series is all about Theo who is the only child of two lawyers. His father is an estate lawyer and his mother is a divorce lawyer. Theo loves the law and plans to be a famous trial lawyer some day. He loves the law so much that he has his own small “law office” within his parents’ offices. He gives advice and helps out friends as much as he can.In this fourth book of the series, Theo is faced with a problem that has something to do with budgets. He is very sad to learn that budget cuts are forcing his school to make certain changes. But, as there are cutbacks on one hand, the town council is considering voting on a project that will cost $200 million dollars. To make things much more worrisome, Theo’s friend Hardie asks him whether the government can simply take the land that has been in his family for almost a century just to build something.As he and his friends are spending some time fishing on the property that Hardie’s family calls their own, his dog Judge gets brutally attacked by men who claim to be surveyors. They even shoved one of the boys and was rough with Theo himself. Judge is lucky to be alive and Theo’s parents take the men to Animal Court for cruelty.Theo has to explain about eminent domain and I have to admit that the explanation is clear and easy to understand especially for young children. The concept of acting on something that kids passionately care about is well presented.However, the story starts out rather slowly. It only picks-up after an incident at the Quinn property which is pretty far into the book.

⭐ This series is fantastically written for kids and adults to read together. Creative, you like the characters, the interactions between kids and adults, as well as middle school age kids with one another are positive without being boring. They are suspenseful enough to entertain adults without being overly-scary or inappropriate for upper-elementary or middle school-aged children… get this series on audible for your family’s summer road trip!

⭐ John has done it again with his Theodore Boone series, four books so far. You will love Theo as he helps his classmates solve problems. His parents are lawyers and too busy for Theo so he goes to his disbarred uncle when he needs advice. He helps his classmates with problems like a dog that bites a personn but didn’t mean too’ a lost girl; a land grab; and several other items in the four books. He’s a Kid Lawyer and very good at it, he knows his way around the law and the court house, too well at times, he also knows all the judges and just where to go when he needs information. Young readers age 8 to 16 or more will love Theo and so will adults who like John’s writing. I’ve read most of John Grisham’s books for adults and I won’t miss one about Theodoore Boon either

⭐ Theodore Boone showed how a group of middle school students can stop a highway from ruining their town. Today we are faced with active shooters killing our children. I hope this book will become part of the middle school curriculum and our children will become activists and challenge our lawmakers to change gun ownership rules and “donations” to lawmakers by the NRA.

⭐ I’ve loved John Grisham’s work from the beginning although I haven’t adored every single book, some are absolute treasures and I’ve read them multiple times. I love this whole set-up with the kid lawyer character. It allows him to educate without being so “preachy” and wow, he gets to show over and over again that life is not fair all the time, but if you just throw up your hands and give in, then the battle is lost before it begins. What an awesome message to convey, and how meaningful to be able to say it. I feel like he takes this series very seriously, actually enjoys writing them, and it is what he is meant to be doing.

⭐ The Theodore Boone series is John Grisham for a younger crowd but with all the finesse, interesting plot twists and layered characters he is famous for. Plus, lots of gems about the law. I’m an older adult and I love these books. This one is about Theo getting involved, unwittingly and not necessarily deliberately at first, in community organizing, soft demonstrations and fighting for what is right and good. It’s a great book for young teens to read. It’s about making a difference without breaking the law and standing up for what is right, even if it seems overwhelming or scary at times. Something we all need to keep in mind.

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