Grisham does not disappoint. Pages were turned; interest was captured. This will make him accessible to an even younger audience. What he does differently here is explain the legal system more fully, not assuming that kids already know about this stuff. Also, he very much tones down any possible menace of the type that make his other legal thrillers so good. There's only one goon-type character, and he doesn't really do anything except stand around in a threatening way. I think a little peril would have been okay.

Also, it's nice to read about a functional family in realistic situations. The Boones are kind of do-gooders, but that's not a bad thing.

One thing I missed, however, is that Grisham seems deliberately to have left out a sense of place. Maybe because I'm from Memphis, I love reading the books of his that are deeply grounded in the South -- A Painted House, A Time to Kill, and the Last Juror. Theodore Boone's small town is generic. It could be New England or New Mexico. I don't think it would hurt if he threw in a little atmosphere along the way.