Theodore Boone: The Abduction
In the second installment of the series, Theodore’s best friend April is kidnapped from her home in Stratford. As the police go through her room, they are led to believe her lost cousin, recently escaped criminal Jack Leeper, abducted her. Theodore, being very distraught, goes to his Uncle Ike for support and advice. After a few days, Theo starts to be unsatisfied with the lack of investigation the police are doing since they found Jack Leeper as a suspect. Theo and Ike then use circumstantial evidence and Facebook to find April’s real kidnapper, her father. Against his mother’s wishes, Theo and Ike travel to North Carolina to the bar April’s dad is performing at. When April is taken back to Stratford, she is forced into foster care while her parents are fighting for custody, as her mom’s unstableness is brought to light during the predicament. In the end, April’s parents agree to counseling so that April will have a happy childhood.
The major themes throughout the book were friendship and disobeying. Disobeying was evident because Theodore didn’t listen to his mother and went to North Carolina to find April. Friendship was probably the overall theme because Theo said, “I would never tell anything April confided in me, I was her best friend.” (Grisham 24). Mrs. Finnermore, April’s mother, is a very round character because she is described as a ”Woman with gray hair spun into a tight bun at the nape of her neck. Even Theo didn’t want to, he couldn’t help but see her beauty: her freckles and her artistic flair.”(13). Marcella Boone, Theodore’s mother, is dynamic because at the beginning of the story, she doesn’t want Theo to get involved in the investigation of April’s abduction. At the end, Marcella is proud of Theo and starts to encourage him to solve local mysteries. Probably the most flat character was Jack Leeper because throughout the story, he does not change and he remains “April’s long lost cousin.”(17).
Overall I think the book was a great success. It appeals to many 12 and 13 year olds because of John Grisham’s ability to make law understandable and his ability to make characters relatable. I also believe John’s experience as an attorney has helped him make many legal novels that end up being very successful. I would definitely recommend this to a friend mostly because of the mysterious storyline and the interesting characters.