Alan Blunt and Ms. Jones are part of MI6. Alan is the head of it and Ms Jones is his assistant. They act like they are the owners of a bank as a disguise.
Jack Starbright - Ian Rider's old housekeeper. Now lives with Alex as his guardian and goes to college at the same time.
Herod Sayle - Herod Sayle is the villain in this story. He plans to infect every student with smallpox and kill them all just because the prime minister was a bully to him in school.
Setting: This novel takes place in London.
When: This book takes place around the year 2000 when the Nintendo Game Boy Color was used and considered new.
Major points: Alex Rider is a fourteen year-old orphan, who lives with his uncle Ian Rider and their housekeeper Jack Starbright. Ian is supposedly a bank manager and is often away from home. One day, Alex is told that his uncle has died in a car crash. Alex discovers that Ian Rider was really a spy working for MI6 and that he was killed by an assassin called Yassen Gregorovich.
He is then recruited by his uncle's former boss, Alan Blunt, who explains to Alex that his uncle has been training him as a spy. Alex first refuses to join MI6, but agrees when they threaten to send Jack back to America. Alex is then sent to a SAS training camp where the other members look down on him because of his young age. Later on however, he gains respect for his skills, brains, and reflexes.
He goes on his first mission without a gun, but with gadgets provided by an agent called Smithers . The problem is billionaire Herod Sayle. He is donating a free high-powered computer system called Stormbreaker to every school in the United Kingdom. MI6 don't buy his generous plans and send Alex to investigate. He meets Herod Sayle and his two assistants, Mr. Grin and Nadia Vole at his home and is shown the Stormbreaker computer in action. Later, while Alex is having dinner with Sayle, Nadia starts to investigate Alex's true identity. Alex's cover is soon blown and is caught. Sayle tells him about his full plan and after he leaves, Nadia claims that she is a fellow spy, releases him, and leads him out. She falls behind and traps Alex in a tank with a jellyfish. He quickly destroys the tank and the jellyfish attaches and kills Nadia.
After, Alex used a jeep stolen from a guard, catches a ride on a plane, and jumps from a parachute to reach Sayle before he activates the virus. He uses a gun stolen from the same guard to hit him in the arm and destroy the computer. His plan is foiled and Alex reports back to the so-called bank. After meeting with Alan Blunt again, he takes a cab back home but doesn't realize that it is Sayle driving the cab. Sayle takes him to the roof of a building at gunpoint but gets gunned by Yassen Gregorovich. Yassen tells Alex to quit being a spy and return to being a schoolboy when Alex said that he will avenge his uncle. Yassen leaves using a helicopter and the story ends there.
Refection: This book reminds me of Harry Potter. It is based on a teenager like Harry Potter saving the day. Also, Hogwarts and MI6 can't be told to everyone like you would take about types of books or music (referring to muggles and normal citizens of the U.K.). As for the theme of this book, it is that anyone can be a hero if you put your mind to it.
Opinion: I believe this book is a great book and Alex Rider himself made it even better. Alex Rider's personality is realistic and is something that readers can relate to. Many people also visualize Alex Rider as a kid who set a goal and worked toward it. Alex Rider is inspiring many kids to do that and showing kids if you put your mind to it, you can do almost anything.
