Theodore Boone: Young Lawyer

John Grisham enters the lucrative Young Adult (YA) market with Theodore Boone: Young Lawyer (also published as Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer in some markets). How does he fare? Well, read on to find out.


Theodore Boone: Young Lawyer

Synopsis

In the small city of Strattenburg, there are many lawyers, and though he’s only thirteen years old, Theo Boone thinks he’s one of them. Theo knows every judge, police officer, court clerk — and a lot about the law. He dreams of being a great trial lawyer, of a life in the courtroom.

But Theo finds himself in court much sooner than expected. Because he knows so much — maybe too much — he is suddenly dragged into the middle of a sensational murder trial. A cold-blooded killer is about to go free, and only Theo knows the truth.

The stakes are high, but Theo won’t stop until justice is served.

~ Synopsis From the Back of the Book


My Review

John Grisham is a good writer, and his books almost always work for me. And this is no exception. I enjoyed this book, albeit in a relatively gentle way.

However, there are two big problems with this book:

  1. This is a book that parents would recommend to children to read. But I am not very sure that kids by itself will find it interesting. Kids younger than 10 will not be able to fully understand the legal aspects of the book. Kids older than 10 who grew up on Harry Potteresque style of exciting YA fiction might find this book rather tame in comparison.

    So, yes, I have a feeling that Grisham has not correctly identified the consumers who are going to be reading this book. In all probability, adults like me who yearn for a more innocent time in our lives will end up reading this book.

  2. The other major problem is the crappy ending. Seriously, this was one book where I did not even realize that the story had ended. At the end, I turned the page expecting the next chapter only to be confronted by a blank page. That is literally when I realized that the book was over. The ending was that abrupt. I understand the need for cliff-hanger endings in series books, but by any standards this was ridiculous.

Last Words

Don’t go into this book with high expectations. It’s not a bad book; I have to confess I quite liked the small-town atmosphere, the innocence and fundamental decency of the characters, and Grisham’s writing style. However, it comes nowhere close to some of the outstanding YA fiction that is available these days.

11 comments

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  1. jotiraqeg

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  2. Veens

    I actually liked this book, because I loved Theo – but to me he looked just too perfect… 🙁
    And I thought this was going to be a series of books, so I am kind of hoping the follow-p will be coming soon.

    Another observation, kids who love Harry Potter and stuff also love other mysteries/ YA- romance and stuff- and I think just because HP is popular, kids would definitely give these kind of stuff a try.

  3. Shaleen

    Isn’t this book “very similar” in story and nature to The Client. I mean, both stories have a kid who knows more than he should. And Thoedore Boone as well as Mark Sway have been potrayed as precocious child prodigy types…I havent read Young Lawyer for this reason. Can any1 tell me if this takes one back to The Client yes??

    • Nish

      @Shaleen: No, I wouldn’t really compare this book to “The Client”. This is very much a YA kind of book, and though the protagonists are a bit similar, the story is not. Theodore Boone is a much simpler kind of book specifically meant for young adults.

      Hope this helps!

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  5. Smita

    Had read a glowing review and picked it! Grisham in his lawyer shoes has always appealed to me. Lemme see if I enjoy this one or not 🙂

    Which is ur fav Grisham book? Mine is Partner 🙂

  6. Josette

    There was a feature story on John Grisham in the local newspaper last Sunday! It’s also the first time I’ve got to know about this book. I think the ones sold here have the title ‘kid lawyer’. Well, I also think it sounds more catchy than ‘young lawyer’.

    Actually, I don’t think I’ve read any Grisham before though I see his books (and movies based on them) almost everywhere! Guess it’s time for me to pick up one of his legal thrillers. 🙂

    • Nish

      @Josette: You haven’t read anything by Grisham? Wow!

      He is a typical Americana kind of writer focussing on legal thrillers. He is pretty easy to read although a bit stereotypical…but still I like his books 🙂

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