Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman Date of Publication: 2000 ISBN: 0439967554 Number of Pages: 262

REQUIRED READING ABILITY: Average
GENRES: Realism
THEMES: Family, Friendship, Humour, Coming of Age, Good versus Evil, Appearance versus Reality

SUMMARY:
Vince Luca is a regular high school student with the exception that his dad is THE big time mob boss. Vince has no interest or desire to be involved in the family “vending machine” business and his father has put out the word that everyone is to respect this decision.

Life is going along smoothly until Vince meets and falls for the daughter of the FBI agent who has been investigating his father. How is he supposed to explain to her what his dad does for a living or why he cannot meet her father?

Vince ends up tangled up in his father's business affairs due to his bleeding heart and sympathetic nature and of course this backfires on him. His girlfriend discovers his secrets and the only person who is happy about their problems is Vince's best friend, who preferred Vince single.

Can Vince forgive his friend's jealousy and can he hang on to the one girl he really cares for, all the while remaining outside of “The Family's” dealings?

WHO WOULD LOVE THIS BOOK? A kid who...

• enjoys books about family drama, friendships and teen relationships
• has an interest in the Mafia
• likes Gordon Korman
• is a reluctant reader
• likes an easy, interesting read
• likes stories with male protagonists
• likes stories about realistic time periods, situations, and teenage angst/issues

WHAT ELSE?
This is an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, and has a sequel called Son of the Mob 2, also an award-winner. The author has written a multitude of books, including a number that are popular with reluctant readers, and got his first book published when he was still a child.

RELATED LINKS:
Author's Website
Discussion Forum for Gordon’s Books
Son of the Mob @ Scholastic’s