Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer

(Theodore Boone #1)

John Grisham (Goodreads Author)

3.76 · Rating details · 32,328 ratings · 3,646 reviews

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, policeman, 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 muc ...more

Get A Copy

Kindle Edition, 273 pages

Published (first published 2010)

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Theodore Boone, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Fantastic Books That No One is Talking About

69 books — 23 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 3.76 ·

Rating details

· 32,328 ratings · 3,646 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer

May 30, 2010 Monica Edinger rated it it was ok · review of another edition

While there may be kids who will enjoy reading this trial story I expected more from the reviews I'd read. I debated giving this a three because I do think Grisham did a reasonably good job helping kids better understand how trials work. But in the end I felt there wasn't enough action for this sort of book and an awful lot of telling versus showing. Teddy is a likable hero and maybe Grisham will do better by him in future books.

So, on to my problems.

First of all, Grisham needs to do a bit mor ...more

flag 86 likes · Like · see review

Jul 06, 2016 Pang ((♥ Book Paradise ♥)) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: YA Legal fiction.. wanna try?

Shelves: f-a-v-o-r-i-t-e-storyline, more-than-4-less-than-5, court-lawyer-politician-politics, luve-you-to-die-my-son

4.7 stars. Omg, Theodore is rock! at first, I haven't think I gonna enjoy this since the writing style kinda too much 'tell, not show' for my taste. But when it reach to the Court scene and OMG I cannot stop! all the legal cases that came to our main lead 'Theo' are interesting and exciting. and oh this Theo boy is so smart, his parents are lawyers so Theo know the Laws very well, even the court, the judge, and blah blah blah... He help his friends for being law adviser and... he has to face a b ...more

flag 29 likes · Like · see review

Jun 28, 2010 Kim rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: penguin-review

(Copied from my blog)

Hey, when you were a kid, did you ever feel compelled to seek legal advice? Or play golf?

Yeah, I didn’t think so.

So you can imagine my confusion over why international bestselling author of legal thrillers John Grisham‘s new foray into kid lit has so far scored 3.35 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. Half his book, aimed at eight- to twelve-year-olds, is about things like how to avoid foreclosure, which lawyer in town to phone when your brother-in-law is picked up on a DUI, and wh ...more

flag 26 likes · Like · see review

Mar 06, 2011 Monique rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, thrillers, 2011, fiction, young-adult

This is John Grisham's first foray into the Young Adult (YA) genre, and, true to form, he was able to deliver another engaging legal thriller - this time with a 13-year-old boy as protagonist.

Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer is the story of Theo, only child of lawyer-parents, who himself dreams of becoming one day a trial lawyer, just like his parents. He may only be in middle school, but he knows practically more law than any other seasoned lawyer, and this is demonstrated by several of his peers com This is John Grisham's first foray into the Young Adult (YA) genre, and, true to form, he was able to deliver another engaging legal thriller - this time with a 13-year-old boy as protagonist.

Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer is the story of Theo, only child of lawyer-parents, who himself dreams of becoming one day a trial lawyer, just like his parents. He may only be in middle school, but he knows practically more law than any other seasoned lawyer, and this is demonstrated by several of his peers coming to him for "legal advice" for their (or their family's) various problems. In the novel, Theo becomes inadvertently involved in a sensational murder trial - the biggest yet in their small town of Strattenberg - and his participation becomes key in the conviction or acquittal of the accused.

Having read most of John Grisham's previous legal thriller books, I was easily able to recognize his handiwork - parts of the novel that are trademark Grisham, if you will. Although the book was tailored to suit the juvenile market, Grisham's wit, sarcasm, dry humor, and yes, even weird character names, are all present in this work. There was still the suspicious goon that always shadows and works for the bad guy/s, discreet evidence-gathering, less hardcore surveillance, and a trustworthy ally. Maybe, over the years, a certain formula has been adopted for all of Grisham's books, but for me, they work every time. This novel is no exception.

What I appreciated about this book was the fact that it could easily serve as an idiot's guide to the law - or at least, the basics. Through Theo and the other characters, certain legal procedures and doctrines were explained, in the very simplest of terms: the how and why of mortgages and foreclosures, the order of trial (at least in the United States, which utilize the jury system in criminal cases), even a little of immigration laws and drug possession cases. If you are not familiar with anything legal, and you read this book, I think you'll be able to pick up a thing or two about the law.

Thank you to ACE for my hardbound copy (from the April 10, 2011 Anniversary Meet-up)! ;) ...more

flag 18 likes · Like · see review

Feb 23, 2018 Natalie Vellacott rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens, john-grisham

Grisham for teens!

Theodore Boone is thirteen. His parents are both lawyers so he spends a lot of time hanging around the court rooms and is known by all the legal staff. His school friends begin asking him for legal advice and having access to supposedly secure legal files, he carefully dispenses it. Fascinated by big trials, he can't wait for the latest one to begin. What will happen, though, when one of his clients seeks his advice about a matter that could derail the entire proceedings? Will ...more

flag 15 likes · Like · see review

Jan 22, 2014 Kathryn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, 4-stars, reading-list-2016

You know, sometimes I write reviews explaining why things haven’t worked for me in particular books. Often I find myself citing implausibility as a major reason, sometimes lack of resolution and not enough strings being pulled together at the end. (Sometimes it’s too many strings being tied up and leaving a feeling of the ending being contrived.)

In this book, it really was fairly unbelievable that a 13 year old would be looking into other students’ legal troubles, jumping onto city websites to c ...more

flag 13 likes · Like · see review

Jul 15, 2020 Javier rated it it was ok · review of another edition

When I was young (look at me, talking like I'm 200 yo), well, younger, I was such a huge fan of John Grisham's legal thrillers for adults, so when a couple of weeks ago I found the first three books in the Theodore Boone series in the thrift bookstore I grabbed them even though I usually don't like books with kids as the main character as I tend to find them insufferable. Thankfully that was not the case here, but after reading the first one I can say that this series is not one for kids that ad ...more

flag 10 likes · Like · see review

Jul 28, 2011 Matt rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook

A cute book that puts all James Patterson teen series (es?) to shame. Grisham deals with the intricacies of the law in such a way that a 12-15 year old not yet ready for THE FIRM or THE CHAMBER can understand. The story was quite good and the language did not leave me wishing I had bubble gum to chew like cud.

Theo Boone loves the law and goes with his class to watch the opening day of the town's most recent (and rare) murder trial. He gets hooked and becomes involved in the trial, indirectly, w ...more

flag 11 likes · Like · see review

Jun 15, 2010 Brian Regan rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Grisham has jumped on the "Best-selling adult author writes YA book" bandwagon, and the result is pretty lame. It is clunky, slow-paced, and at no point did I forget the fact that this was Grisham pretending to be a YA author. Don't waste your time. As a middle school librarian, and fan of (most of) Grisham's other books, I was seriously disappointed. ...more

flag 11 likes · Like · see review

May 06, 2010 Lana Krumwiede added it · review of another edition

Shelves: mg-realistic-fiction

I was interested to see what John Grisham would do with a kids' book. I like the "legal world" setting--that's something new for kids. I like the dilemma that Grisham creates for his character.
...more

flag 11 likes · Like · see review

Jul 28, 2019 Jim rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 3series, ya-and-kids, 1audio, 2fiction, mystery-thriller

Grisham did a great job on a YA novel. Theodore isn't the average kid, but he's not all that far out save for his fascination with being a lawyer or a judge. He loves the legal system & is known at school for helping everyone out with good advice while keeping his mouth shut.

Of course he's thrilled when the biggest murder trial in recent history takes place & he even gets dragged into it in a very convincing way. A very good legal & ethical question stumps him & eventually the adults around him ...more

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Jun 06, 2010 Steph rated it liked it · review of another edition

I’m not sure what to say about this book except that it reads like a prologue. Nothing huge or earth-shattering really happened. We didn’t really get much of a conclusion. We got a whole lot of info about all of the characters, and a lot of plotlines were established that were not developed. It really is just an introduction to a series.

Something that’s surprising about this is that Theodore is thirteen, which is an odd age for what I believe is meant to be a YA novel (it seems more like the age ...more

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Jul 09, 2011 Michelle rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult-books

I know it's horrible to not love this book written by an adult author I occasionally enjoy. I expected this book, written by John Grisham, to be a young adult book that had an interesting story, but no sex and violence. Instead I got a book better suited to those written in the fifties and sixties, only with updated technology. It was so much like the Three Investigators, Nancy Drew, and Hardy Boys that I really kept looking to make sure it was written by John Grisham. I'd more fully believe his ...more

flag 8 likes · Like · see review

Aug 21, 2015 mollusskka rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: karakter-utama-keren, penokohan-kuat, informatif

I always like John Grisham's books and this one's not an exception. Theo's knowledge about law really amazed me. Well, no wonder, because his parents are both lawyer. But still, for a thirteen years old boy, that's kinda awesome. He knows what he wants to be, which is not my prerogative when I was his age, lol. It was still so dark in my world.

This is my second time reading this book, by the way, but I still enjoyed it. And even though the case is pretty light to me, it's still a great read. I ...more

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Feb 02, 2016 Kirsty rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own, audiobook, audible, read-in-2016

Video review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MYz0...

This book seems to have such extreme reactions in people, with some loving it and some absolutely hating it. I'd say that it's important to not let either opinion put you off reading this novel and to just try it for yourself as you never know.

This is the first time I have ever read anything by John Grisham and it definitely won't be the last. I certainly plan to pickup the next book in this series, which is a YA crime and mystery series. Som Video review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MYz0...

This book seems to have such extreme reactions in people, with some loving it and some absolutely hating it. I'd say that it's important to not let either opinion put you off reading this novel and to just try it for yourself as you never know.

This is the first time I have ever read anything by John Grisham and it definitely won't be the last. I certainly plan to pickup the next book in this series, which is a YA crime and mystery series. Some people have issues with this book because it doesn't seem realistic to the age of the character, and I can definitely see where people are coming from with this complaint, but I don't feel like this problem detracted too much from the overall experience for me.

So this series is about a boy named Theodore, or Teddy as he becomes known, and he has a very strong interest in law and the criminal justice system. His parents work in this industry and his uncle used to, so it makes sense that he would be so interested in this area from a young age. The extent to which he is interested does become a little unbelievable at times, for example he seems to enjoy spending a lot of spare time at the court, which I didn't find to be realistic. Other unrealistic aspects of this novel include how everyone seems to go to Teddy for advice at school. You could understand a little advice needing to be gained from him occasionally, but for the most part, how much do young boys need lawyer type advice?

I found this series so easy to get into, I was hooked from the first few pages. The mystery and pace of the story felt fine for the age it is aimed towards and I don't feel like the writing had too many information dumps in it. I would have read and enjoyed this story as a teenager, but I also enjoyed it as an adult, so don't feel like you can't read this if you are an adult. I found it easy to get swept away into the story and I'm sure this would have been the case if I had been reading it from a physical copy. I personally listened to the audio version of this novel and I thought the narrator did a fantastic job and helped make the experience even more gripping for me.

All in all, I thought this was a great introduction to a YA series, that I will definitely be continuing on with. I also found it a great entrance to Grisham's work and I can't wait to try out some of his adult fiction too. ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Aug 04, 2019 Noriko rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens, mystery

John Grisham writes juvenile books. I remember being quite surprised when I first heard about it an year ago.

First and foremost, I must admit that I had been underestimating this book. It’s a John Grisham book, yes, but still there was a part of me thinking it could be lacking in delivery and juvenile.

In a way, it IS juvenile. The writing, the diction is easy to understand and certainly reads fast. All the legal words are well-explained in an easily digestive manner helping readers to process t John Grisham writes juvenile books. I remember being quite surprised when I first heard about it an year ago.

First and foremost, I must admit that I had been underestimating this book. It’s a John Grisham book, yes, but still there was a part of me thinking it could be lacking in delivery and juvenile.

In a way, it IS juvenile. The writing, the diction is easy to understand and certainly reads fast. All the legal words are well-explained in an easily digestive manner helping readers to process the information and the story.

The parts where Theo, only an 13-year old, provides legal advice to their classmates and the lost ones elicited smiles and giggles from me often, and I was mildly surprised by how well-established the character dynamics were and decently complex the story was. The court house being a spot he always stops by on his way home is also delightful.

Although this book is targeted for teens, it presents a fair share of legal conundrums and Theo finds himself between a rock and a hard place. He is generally smart well beyond his age, but his moral sense and integrity instilled by their lawyer parents pushes him further into a legal dilemma. Should he pursue justice at the sacrifice of the trust and faith his friend has in him?
Then his family including his disbarred lawyer, Ike come to his rescue. I really enjoyed the family dynamics here, it was the apex of the story.

Then, sadly to say, the story stars to go downhill and becomes stilted in my opinion. I put it down to there being so many things to establish and piece together and I reckon it, as a result, slowed down the flow of the story.

In addition to that, the ending felt a bit hastily wrapped up and underwhelming. I have to say I was expecting a bit more from this book.
At the end of the day, it is a John Grisham book!

Despite what I said, I still enjoyed reading this book and I will certainly continue this series. There seem to be some unfinished business and I’m curious to see how Theo’s life evolves from here.
3.5 stars go to this book, and I think teens who like mystery books will enjoy this one. ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Apr 18, 2019 Keith (CHINNY) Chinn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Meh!
It was alright BUT!!
It was kinda old-fashioned style of writing. No where near as good as the Alex Rider or Jason Steed series. Okay Theo is not a spy he is a kid lawyer with a faithful dog and a uncle with a past that has not come out of why he has been banned from being a lawyer properly. Simple storyline, zero emotion but I read it on the train from London to Scotland and it helped past the time.
I might read more of the series, not sure really as it had no action.

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Jun 24, 2017 Fonch rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I have enjoyed really much reading the walking of the applicant kid lawyer. I must recognize one thing, and it is that John Grisham, (whom i discover thanks to m father) write rather well, and he told fascinaiting stories about trials. In this case he manages to give to his main character the gift that the reader gets on with this character. Theodore Boone reminds me to the Cornell Woolrich`s characters (Cornell Woolrich is in my opinion one of the best writers of Psychology detection novel) htt I have enjoyed really much reading the walking of the applicant kid lawyer. I must recognize one thing, and it is that John Grisham, (whom i discover thanks to m father) write rather well, and he told fascinaiting stories about trials. In this case he manages to give to his main character the gift that the reader gets on with this character. Theodore Boone reminds me to the Cornell Woolrich`s characters (Cornell Woolrich is in my opinion one of the best writers of Psychology detection novel) https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... Boone has the office in the blood. His parents are lawyer one of them is a Divorce lawyer, and other is a real estate lawyer and he has an uncle Ike that he is an real black swan, as the spanish writer Juan Manuel de Prada would have defined briliantly https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... . Ike (the uncle) was a lawyer, but he did something illegal, and he lost his lawyer lisence, and now he is an acountency to the owners of a Greek restaurant, however as in the american novels the black swan will have a second chance in the world of the laws. For this reason Boone a big admirer of Perry Mason, know the world of laws and for right is an authentic attorney, although he doubted to become a judge. Boone knows the mechanism of the american law system. He lives in a progressive enviroment and he has a nice doggy called Judge. He reminded to me to Jumble the William Brown`s dog (William Brown was really popular in England. He is a child P.G. Wodehouse character`s although her creator was the writer Richmal Compton https://www.goodreads.com/series/4328... . Theodore Boone has a very important disadvantages his age, with this handicap he could not be a lawyer, and he must study the 8th Course. Despite this problem he can be a link between his teacher of Goverment Mount and the Judge Gantry, because he has contacts in the sphere of laws, and not only this besides as Theodore Boone were a Charles Dicken`s character (because the lawyers who describes John Grisham reminds me to the Charles Dickens`s lawyers). Boone let to help to his classmate Coe in a case of the parent`s mortlake, Hallie with her dog (in this subframe i enjoy really much with the constrictor Herman, Where Grisham shows his talent, and sense of humor. Something that i love in a writer. It is signal of intelligence :-). I laugh with the description of the section of the Muttcourt. I broke my chest of laughing :-)), at finally we have the case of Woodrow whe brother has a problem with the drug dealer (Cannabis).
However the big frame is the trial about court a man Pete Duffy murdered to his wife, and everybody know it, but there are not evidences that Duffy comitted the crime, and everybody is innocent, until you test the opposite. Besides he hired a good lawyer Clifford Sandal (it is the advantage of having money. You hsave more advantages to become innocent). The prosecutor Hogan are right (his speech as in the case of Claude Dancer persuade me that Duffy is Guilty), but he cannot test that Duffy is guilty. He has not any evidences, which said the contrary. Besides his attack is not very good, and a criminal can be free. It is truth that Boone did not receive a menaces, in spite of the presence of Omar Cheepe a gorilla but he has a dilemma (Grisham wrote a novel, where a boy saw a crime this novel was "The Client" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...) Boone must respect the word given a friend. This thing is solved by Grisham of wonderful way, where the family who work joined, remain joined. However to discover the solution the Goodreads user will have to read until the end of this novel. Something that unfortunatelly will get soon. I conclude this novel in only one night.
I have to speak about the little defects of the novel. Firstly my skepticism in the justice, not only the american justice, all kind of justice. Perhaps this things happened in the books, but not in the real life. My view of judges, and lawyers are very negative, despite having friends, who studied the degree of laws. I also thought to study laws, but the faculty of laws, and my poor capacities avoid this option. I love the novels of Grisham, Conelly, Mark Gimenez,and the movie of Anatomy of Murder but i give only the fair credibility.
The second defect if you do not admit surprise witness you cannot have a surprise witness. Grisham cheats at least in this thing, however you can forgive for this little venial sin.
I have not anymore comment except that this children conquers my old heart, and this boy reminded me other daredevil boys as "Ender`s game" was written by Orson Scott Card https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... , the Miyuki Miyabe`s novel especialy "The Devil`s whisper" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8... and "All she was worth" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... and i could speak of Jim Hawkins "Treasure`s Island" by Robert Louis Stevenson, and Stas of "In the desert wilderness" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... and some of the spanish writer Manuel Alfonseca`s https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... teen characters i thought in Kifer in "The Water of the life" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... and the sleuths of the Transition Gonzalo, and Vicky, although this are a bit old :-). https://www.goodreads.com/series/1836... It is not strange for me that Thodore Boone has his own cycle, because he is eyecatchy, and the A team if you have some leagl problem you do not doubt to hire him ;-).
............................................................................................................................................................................
He disfrutado mucho leyendo las andanzas de este joven aspirante a abogado. Hay que reconocer una cosa, y es que John Grisham escribe realmente bien, y cuenta historias fascinantes. En este caso sabe dotar a su niño aspirante a abogado de enorme simpatía. Theodore Boone como uno de los personajes de Cornell Woolrich (uno de los mejores escritores de novela policíaca) lleva la jurisprudencia en la sangre, puesto que sus dos padres son abogados, y tiene un tío que es un auténtico Cisne Negro, como lo hubiera definido brillantemente el gran escritor español Juan Manuel de Prada (por cierto recomiendo su maravilloso artículo de hoy sobre Twin Peaks, que ha escrito en XL Semenal a los usuarios de Goodreads de habla hispana). Era un hombre, que era abogado, pero que hizo algo ilegal, y ahora vive al margen de su profesión haciendo de contable para los dueños de un restaurante griego, pero como en las novelas americanas este cisne negro llamado Ike por cierto, quizá tenga una oportunidad para redimirse y tener una segunda juventud en los juzgados. Su madre de divorcios, y su padre de derecho inmobiliario, pero Boone, que es un niño precoz igual que los deliciosos personajes de ficción de Orson Scott Card, ya es practicamente un abogado, y ya conoce por dentro como funciona la justicia en su pequeño mundo de Strattenburg. Vive en el ambiente de una familia progresista, y tiene un simpático perrito, que me recordó a Jumble (el perrito de Guillermo Brown. Personajes, que hacía las delicias en la España de los años 40-60). A parte de esto Boone, que por su edad no puede ejercer, y tiene esa limitación. Se permite el lujo de ser un enlace entre su profesor de Gobierno el señor Mount, y el juez Gantry, y no sólo eso, sino que como si fuera un personaje de Dickens (pues los abogados, que describe Grisham en sus novelas me recuerda mucho a los del brillante escritor inglés del siglo XIX), se permite asesorar a sus compañeros de escuela, cuando estos tienen algún problema legal. Pensamos en el caso de Coe, cuyos padres no pueden pagar la hipoteca, en Hallie con su perrito (en esta subtrama yo me divertí mucho con la historia de la Boa Herman, dónde John Grisham nos da una muestra de talento, y de su sentido del humor. Algo, que yo apreció cada vez más en un escritor. Ya que el humor es un síntoma de inteligencia. También me lo pase pipa con su descripción de la sección del tribunal de los animales el juzgachuchos. De hecho se me partió el pecho de tanto reír :-)), o Woodrow cuyo hermano se ha metido en problemas por el tráfico de Marihuana.
Sin embargo la gran trama es un juicio de asesinato (algo anómalo en el tranquilo pueblo de Stratenburg), dónde un hombre Pete Duffy, que ya el espectador sabe, que es culpable (pese a la presunción de inocencia) ha asesinado a su mujer, pero contrata a un gran abogado (quien tiene dinero puede permitirse esta ventaja) Clifford Sandace, y pese a los intentos del fiscal Hogan, que tiene razón, pero no lo puede demostrar está a punto de quedar libre un asesino. Es verdad, que Boone no recibe amenazas, (Ya Grisham escribió algo muy parecido en su novela y también película "El cliente"). Esto lo resuelve Grisham de forma magistral con un final convincente al final se muestra la importancia de la familia. La familia que trabaja unida permanece unida. Para descubrirlo el lector tendrá que seguir hasta el final. Algo, que no le costará mucho, porque la novela se lee de un tirón (yo la leí en una noche).
Vamos a hablar de los defectillos, que los tiene. Primero mi escepticismo en la justicia. Esto puede ocurrir en los libros, pero no en la vida real. Yo no creo en la justicia, no sólo en la americana, sino en toda. Además mi visión de la judicatura es prácticamente muy negativa, pese a tener amigos, que estudiaron derecho, y pese a que yo en su día pensé en estudiar esta carrera. Sin embargo la fama del profesorado, y el hecho de reconocer mis limitaciones me impidió aceptar. Así que las novelas de Grisham, Michael Conelly, y Robert Travers (por decir algunos) me gustan, pero les doy una credibilidad justa.
El segundo defecto que le veo es que sino admites testigo sorpresa no puedes salir con uno. Aquí Grisham hace trampas, pero escribe tan bien, que se le puede perdonar esa travesura, o pecado venial.
No me queda más que decir, que me he rendido a este simpático niño, y que me ha recordado a otros niños, como los del "Juego de Ender", los simpáticos niños de Miyuki Miyabe de "El susurro del diablo", y "La sombra del Kasha", y los que ha creado el escritor Manuel Alfonseca (hay muchos, pero yo me quedo) con Kifer de "El agua de la vida" y Gonzalo y Vicky sus sabuesos de la transición (aunque ya estén un poco creciditos). No me extraña que Boone tenga serie propia, porque engancha, y como el Equipo A si usted tiene problemas quizá pueda contratarlo.
...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Apr 05, 2018 Lady Clementina ffinch-ffarowmore rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: series, theodore-boone, american, courtroom, legal, america, john-grisham

Another of my “theme”-related reads this month. I haven’t read Grisham in a long time so it was nice to pick this one up, and while in his usual genre of legal/law-related books, this one is also different since it is YA. The eponymous Theodore Boone is a thirteen-year-old eighth grader, with a great academic record, not much into sports for health reasons, and he is also a lawyer! Well not quite, but still enough of one to be able to give out legal advice to his friends and classmates and handl Another of my “theme”-related reads this month. I haven’t read Grisham in a long time so it was nice to pick this one up, and while in his usual genre of legal/law-related books, this one is also different since it is YA. The eponymous Theodore Boone is a thirteen-year-old eighth grader, with a great academic record, not much into sports for health reasons, and he is also a lawyer! Well not quite, but still enough of one to be able to give out legal advice to his friends and classmates and handle cases at animal court. His parents are both lawyers (real estate and family law, respectively), and as a result Theo knows his way around the courts, has a judge for a friend, and aims to be either a trial lawyer or a judge (more so the former). When their small city of Strattenburg sees its first murder trial in years, Theo is obviously excited and keen to follow the proceedings, the first day of which his government class is taken to observe as part of a school field trip. But there is a twist in the tale when Theo finds out something that can turn the case on its head, but the secret is not entirely his to tell. How will he handle it, is justice served at the end―you will have to read on to find out.

One of the things that stood out to me in this book as a YA title―especially comparing it to some of the others that I’ve been reading, or have read descriptions of―was how “normal” Theo and his family were. I mean I know and am one to say that there isn’t such a thing as normal, but perhaps as close to the ideal normal as it gets, and this I found refreshing because while I agree books ought to be representative, be the kind that people can relate to, others that I’ve been reading had me wondering why there wasn’t even one “ordinary” character who didn’t seem to carrying a whole lot of baggage―this book is more balanced that way, it has a range of children, those with problems (broken homes, single parents struggling to bring them up, poverty, drugs), and those without. I also read a criticism in another review about how the kids in this book were not like kids that age, and while I can’t quite compare it with real children (since I really don’t know many), it does seem different from the more popular pictures of children that age.

To the actual book and characters now, I found this an interesting and enjoyable read with a likeable hero as well as other characters. I loved how Theo has his own “office” and advices clients of his own, with useful information, and the kind that he at his age can believably handle. The case itself was pretty interesting, and I enjoyed seeing how things would turn out at the end, I mean one knew what would happen, perhaps, but not how it would come about. The only thing I perhaps missed was an element of surprise or twist in the plot (which one does see in many Grisham books), which would have made it a little bit extra special. But this was a good read, and it will be fun to see what Theo gets upto in his next adventure. ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Apr 27, 2020 Eddie Brown rated it liked it · review of another edition

Ending could've been better but I did like how it was a quick paced book ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Oct 11, 2012 P.V. LeForge rated it liked it · review of another edition

I grew up reading juvenile series novels. Tom Swift Jr. was my favorite, although I also enjoyed many others: Rick Brandt, Vicki Barr, Peggy Allen. But the Swift Jr. books were tops: lots of adventure and real science at a time when science was really coming into its own. Then the Harry Potter series came along and turned the young adult novel topsy turvy. It revolutionized reading for young people but also spawned a ton of bad imitations.

So when I heard that the man who had virtually created th I grew up reading juvenile series novels. Tom Swift Jr. was my favorite, although I also enjoyed many others: Rick Brandt, Vicki Barr, Peggy Allen. But the Swift Jr. books were tops: lots of adventure and real science at a time when science was really coming into its own. Then the Harry Potter series came along and turned the young adult novel topsy turvy. It revolutionized reading for young people but also spawned a ton of bad imitations.

So when I heard that the man who had virtually created the modern courtroom drama was attempting a kid's novel, I was thrilled. I loved the idea of a boy who knew the law and could use it to help clear up odd mysteries that might arise in his neighborhood. And he does. But what is special about this series is that Teddy is to the world of the law as Tom Swift Jr. was to science and what Peggy Allen was to the theater. The book gives young (and, ahem, old) readers a background into the workings of our very complicated legal system, but without becoming overbearing.

Teddy's parents are both lawyers, and so he is steeped in legal conversation, but his parents are not the Johnny Cochrans or Marcia Clarks of the world, but more laid back and unassuming. His father's area is real estate law while his mother handles divorce cases, always acting for the woman. The three of them spend Sundays working at shelters, handing out meals and giving pro bono legal advice to the homeless and battered. A nice family. A much better and more modern family in fact than Tom Swift's or even Harry Potter's.

Well, Teddy is kind of a cool kid and his friends are cool, too. He solves one or two little mysteries for his friends and gets involved, although against his better judgement, with a sensational murder trial taking place in his town of Strattenburg. In addition, his best friendgirl is torn between two divorcing parents, wondering who the judge will order her to live with. Grisham's language is perfect for this type of novel, which is intelligent and exciting. But just when you think that the threads are being tied up in several mysteries--both large and small--Grisham does the unthinkable. The novel ends.

Instead of a stand-alone novel in a series, this book reads as a novel without an ending. A silent to-be-continued novel, as if Grisham--who needs no extra money--is forcing us to buy the next one in the series to find out whodunit. Grisham is not alone in doing this, but it is a trend in modern literature that distresses me.

The three stars I have assigned this book means I respect the effort and the writing, but not the novel as a whole. What might be a worthy successor or even modern replacement for Tom or Vicki or Peggy becomes an unsatisfying serial. Rowling did not make this mistake. If she had a young adult novel that ran 700 pages, she was going to release it as a 750-page novel, not as three 250-page ones. And those old Tom and Peggy and Vicki books, once hard to find, can be had now for only a few dollars on line. Some are even on Gutenberg for free. Get those. If you want to try Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer, have the next one in the series close at hand. ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Aug 01, 2018 Patrick rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Well, the title is a little misleading, wonderkid Theodore Boone is not a licensed lawyer. Both of his parents are however legit and successful attorneys-at-law. TB loves the law and will one day be a damn good lawyer, he is 13 years old and an eighth grade student in this series. He knows all the judges in town as well as many of the lawyers. Everyone in town knows TB and he is respected and well liked by most everyone around. In particular Judge Gantry who allows Theo access to his courtroom a Well, the title is a little misleading, wonderkid Theodore Boone is not a licensed lawyer. Both of his parents are however legit and successful attorneys-at-law. TB loves the law and will one day be a damn good lawyer, he is 13 years old and an eighth grade student in this series. He knows all the judges in town as well as many of the lawyers. Everyone in town knows TB and he is respected and well liked by most everyone around. In particular Judge Gantry who allows Theo access to his courtroom anytime he likes. He is superb in 'Animal Court' because a plaintiff or a defendant can be represented by anyone.

I look forward to next one in the Theodore Boone series which I've been told is geared for young adults and for those young at heart, like me! Take a chance, it's a quick read and even better listen once you get used to British narrator.

Characters

Theodore Boone : A thirteen-year old boy who dreams of being a lawyer one day. He's loves Government class at his school with Mr. Mount, and he enjoys playing golf with his father.

Marcella Boone: Theo's mother. She is a divorce lawyer working on her own firm, Boone & Boone along with Woods Boone.

Woods Boone: Theo's father. He is a real estate lawyer who had always worked in his office. He was considered a slob at the Boone & Boone firm because of his untidiness in his office.

April Finnemore: Theo's best friend. April had gone through some rough times. Both parents filed for a divorce, and she had to choose which one she was going to live with. Most likely, she was going to stay with her mother, even though she didn't want to live with anyone in her family.

Ike Boone: Theo's uncle. Ike was a former lawyer who had started the Boone & Boone Firm. He was a tax lawyer, who was disbarred after his did something wrong.

Julio Pena: Theo's friend from school. He had been living in a homeless shelter along with family, from El Salvador. Theo helped him with his English and Algebra occasionally. His cousin was a witness in the murder trial that was going on, so he asked Theo for help and advice of what to do.

Bobby Escobar: Julio's cousin. Bobby worked at the Waverly Creek golf course, where he witnessed a man go into the house of Mr. and Mrs. Duffy, and coming back out 10 minutes later. Although, he couldn't go to the police because he was an illegal immigrant, and he was worried that he would be arrested and shipped back to El Salvador.

Judge Gantry: A highly respected judge in Strattenburg, and was the judge of the Duffy murder trial. He quite frankly adored Theo, and will always do anything for him.

Peter Duffy: Wealthy man who lived in Waverly Creek. He was the husband of Myra Duffy, and suspected of killing her. Duffy was big on golfing, and he would golf everyday at the same time. ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Jun 19, 2012 Stephen Gallup rated it liked it · review of another edition

I wasn't aware that Grisham had also written YA fiction until my 12-year-old picked up this title in the library. She handed it off to me with the warning that it had "not a very satisfactory ending" (spoken in a tone of voice reminiscent of the twerp in Ice Age: The Meltdown.

I found it engaging. I wondered if the murder case would ever have gone to trial in a real court, given the lack of evidence--but I'm no lawyer. The setting is an idealized small town populated by (mostly) good people who k ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

May 30, 2010 Josh Newhouse rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Disappointing... on several levels...

When I first heard Grisham was doing a YA novel, I thought here's a chance to have a riveting crime fiction tale from one of the best in the page-turner business...

Here's what I found:

1. 100 pages to get to any riveting drama... he's lost 98% of my students by then... it does get interesting for about 80-100 pages with a lot of promise but fizzle...

2. Dated characters... Theodore reads like a Encyclopedia Brown impersonation... since when do 13 year olds not ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Jun 24, 2017 Ankit Saxena rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: drama, fiction, mine, suspense, friendship, crime, mystery-thriller, legal-law, 2017, young-adults

Stunning, Fabulous, Awesome..

This is the first novel of its kind that I read ever. I had never read the John Grisham before but I really become his fan after reading this. The thought was too good of explaining about the protagonist.
How you project a 13 year boy to be a Hero?, one should learn by reading this novel.

Theo is too good, Judge Gantry is good and in the same way every single character is well thought and put in the book at its required and necessary place.

Only one thing I miss was tha ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Nov 17, 2015 Mike French rated it really liked it

The first book of the series,which was entertaining and enjoyable to even an old fart like me! Written for YA readers and the young at heart. John Grisham shows why he is one of the authors in America.

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Mar 02, 2020 Adam rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, fiction2020, riverinalibrary, 2010published, 4stars

Cute but seems a little bit far fetched.

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Sep 01, 2020 Sandi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks-2020, middle-grade

I’ve enjoyed a fair amount of John Grisham books but recently learned he had the Theodore Boone series for kids. Theo, raised by parents who are both lawyers, has a fascination with the law and wants to become a lawyer himself. He dispenses advice to his classmates and even a few adults!

Grisham does a great job teaching kids about the justice system in narrative form. He introduces a crime and Theo gets involved with solving it. I thought it was very well done and I’m on to the second book.

I l ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Dec 10, 2020 Sandy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Probably been a decade since I last touched Grisham. This book is quite different from the Grisham I remembered. No it’s not meant in any bad way, not at all.

Wasn’t aware of the fact that this is actually meant to be for an audience I’m not fitting into. Nonetheless I enjoyed it. The ultimate super kid scenario did bring a little bit of laughter yet it’s alright. ‘Daddy lawyer, mummy lawyer, uncle lawyer and I wanna be a lawyer so My playground is the courthouse, my friends are lawyers and judge ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Dec 01, 2020 M. [storme reads a lot] rated it liked it

Shelves: mystery, ebooks, legal-thrillers, middle-grade

Maybe I should have realized from the title how ridiculous this was going to be. But this book went above that. I thought it would just be a silly little thing but this kid has a law office in a closet. He’s a lawyer without a degree. Like what the heck? I’m sure kids love the heck out of this but I was like what is happening the whole time. It was hilarious and cheesy, but I did have fun with it. I would probably read more just for the silly factor.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Book Talk	1	5	Jan 29, 2018 02:02PM

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Mystery

465 users

Fiction

300 users

Young Adult

298 users

Childrens > Middle Grade

110 users

Mystery > Crime

97 users

Thriller

86 users

Childrens

75 users

Realistic Fiction

61 users

Thriller > Legal Thriller

54 users

Audiobook

44 users

See top shelves…

About John Grisham

John Grisham

48,393 followers

"Long before his name became synonymous with the modern legal thriller, he was working 60-70 hours a week at a small Southaven, Mississippi law practice, squeezing in time before going to the office and during courtroom recesses to work on his hobby—writing his first novel.

Born on February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, to a construction worker and a homemaker, John Grisham as a child dreamed of "Long before his name became synonymous with the modern legal thriller, he was working 60-70 hours a week at a small Southaven, Mississippi law practice, squeezing in time before going to the office and during courtroom recesses to work on his hobby—writing his first novel.

Born on February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, to a construction worker and a homemaker, John Grisham as a child dreamed of being a professional baseball player. Realizing he didn't have the right stuff for a pro career, he shifted gears and majored in accounting at Mississippi State University. After graduating from law school at Ole Miss in 1981, he went on to practice law for nearly a decade in Southaven, specializing in criminal defense and personal injury litigation. In 1983, he was elected to the state House of Representatives and served until 1990.

One day at the DeSoto County courthouse, Grisham overheard the harrowing testimony of a twelve-year-old rape victim and was inspired to start a novel exploring what would have happened if the girl's father had murdered her assailants. Getting up at 5 a.m. every day to get in several hours of writing time before heading off to work, Grisham spent three years on A Time to Kill and finished it in 1987. Initially rejected by many publishers, it was eventually bought by Wynwood Press, who gave it a modest 5,000 copy printing and published it in June 1988.

That might have put an end to Grisham's hobby. However, he had already begun his next book, and it would quickly turn that hobby into a new full-time career—and spark one of publishing's greatest success stories. The day after Grisham completed A Time to Kill, he began work on another novel, the story of a hotshot young attorney lured to an apparently perfect law firm that was not what it appeared. When he sold the film rights to The Firm to Paramount Pictures for $600,000, Grisham suddenly became a hot property among publishers, and book rights were bought by Doubleday. Spending 47 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, The Firm became the bestselling novel of 1991.

The successes of The Pelican Brief, which hit number one on the New York Times bestseller list, and The Client, which debuted at number one, confirmed Grisham's reputation as the master of the legal thriller. Grisham's success even renewed interest in A Time to Kill, which was republished in hardcover by Doubleday and then in paperback by Dell. This time around, it was a bestseller.

Since first publishing A Time to Kill in 1988, Grisham has written one novel a year (his other books are The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, The Chamber, The Rainmaker, The Runaway Jury, The Partner, The Street Lawyer, The Testament, The Brethren, A Painted House, Skipping Christmas, The Summons, The King of Torts, Bleachers, The Last Juror, and The Broker) and all of them have become international bestsellers. There are currently over 225 million John Grisham books in print worldwide, which have been translated into 29 languages. Nine of his novels have been turned into films (The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, A Time to Kill, The Rainmaker, The Chamber, A Painted House, The Runaway Jury, and Skipping Christmas), as was an original screenplay, The Gingerbread Man. The Innocent Man (October 2006) marks his first foray into non-fiction.

Grisham lives with his wife Renee and their two children Ty and Shea. The family splits their time between their Victorian home on a farm in Mississippi and a plantation near Charlottesville, VA.

Grisham took time off from writing for several months in 1996 to return, after a five-year hiatus, to the courtroom. He was honoring a commitment made before he had retired from the law to become a full-time writer: representing the family of a railroad brakeman killed when he was pinned between two cars. Preparing his case with the same passion and dedication as his books' protagonists, Grisham successfully argued his clients' case, earning them a jur ...more

Other books in the series

Theodore Boone (7 books)

Books by John Grisham

More…

Bestselling Authors' Exclusive Insights on Their Biggest Books

Ever wonder what bestselling authors like Sarah J. Maas, Neil Gaiman, Paulo Coelho, or Tayari Jones were thinking as they were writing?...

Trivia About Theodore Boone: K...

4 trivia questions

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from Theodore Boone: K...

“He did smile at her, though, but she did not return the smile. Her teeth were somewhere in the house.” — 6 likes

“Theo explained, in what he thought was perfect Spanish, that Julio needed extra help with his algebra. Evidently, she did not understand perfect Spanish because she asked Julio what Theo was talking about.” — 3 likes

More quotes…