Son of the Mob

Son of the Mob #1

by Gordon Korman

Vince Luca is just like any other high school guy. His best friend, Alex, is trying to score vicariously through him; his brother is a giant pain; and his father keeps bugging him to get motivated.

There is just one thing that really sets him apart for other kids—his father happens to be the head of a powerful crime organization.

Needless to say, while Vince''s family''s connections can be handy for certain things (like when teachers are afraid to give him a bad grade), they can put a serious crimp in his dating life. How is he supposed to explain to a girl what his father does for a living?

But when Vince meets a girl who finally seems to be worth the trouble, her family turns out to be the biggest problem of all. Because her father is an FBI agent — the one who wants to put his father away for good.

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Humor, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Teen, Contemporary

262 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Gordon Korman is a Canadian author of children's and young adult fiction books. Korman's books have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide over a career spanning four decades and have appeared at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list.

Reviews

[karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

what if the son of the mob boss fell for the daughter of the FBI agent investigating his father and bugging his house??

it is a cute conceit - a romeo and juliet tale with fewer suicides. i thought the opening scene, where our young hero is at the beach, at night, with a (different) girl, and finds a severely beaten man trapped in the trunk of his car as he is reaching for his romance-blanket was the best scene in the book. tip: if you have a capital-f family, don't let them borrow your car.

i have nothing useful to tell you about this book, and i am only reviewing it because of my mental housekeeping; once it is "reviewed", i feel like i can put it behind me - i feel a sense of restoration. right now, there is so much jumble as i plow through these teen fiction books like one of those death race 2000 cars: teen paranormal romance: 50 points!!! teen survival story: 70 points!! blammo!!! i am carradine!!! but i don't really have much time for reflection, not for books i was only just "eh" about. so i fall behind and my anxiety grows.

this book was cute and amusing, but if i were machine gun joe viterbo, i would probably give it a pass to get to run over peak or shackleton's stowaway, which are more to my taste...

maybe that is my problem: whenever someone asks me for "just something funny" at work, i get the panic-sweats. for some reason, that is my fucking blind spot. and part of it is that humor is so subjective, more so than any other human reaction. want a sad book?? someone dies in this one - most people find that sad. want something romantic?? these characters "fall in love" - done deal. funny?? ummm garrison keillor funny?? david sedaris funny?? martin amis funny?? douglas adams funny?? it is a nightmare question, especially when they preface it with: i need a book for a friend who is very depressed/in the hospital/just lost someone close to them. no pressure, right?? hence, the panic sweats.

none of this is very useful to someone considering reading this book, and i apologize. but it makes me feel better to have released my own shortcomings into the wild.

500 points.

come to my blog!

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vince Luca wants nothing to do with his Family's business...



This isn't my usual sort of book, but it was my 8th grader's Required Reading over the summer vacation, and I was low on stuff to read, so...



Honestly, I wasn't expecting to like it, but this turned out to be a pretty fun (and funny) story about the high school aged son of a mob boss, who falls in love like with an FBI agent's daughter.
The same FBI agent assigned to watch his father.



I hate to call a story about the mob cute, but in this case, I'm having a hard time thinking of a way to describe it. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the subject matter lends itself toward being a bit dark, but, overall, this is a very lighthearted book.



Vince has been trying to separate himself from what his father does for a living for quite a while. In fact, ever since he found out what the Vending Machine business was actually all about, he's been determined to live a clean life. That means not taking advantage of the stolen cars, credit cards, and high-priced hookers. <--That last one was a gift from his brother for ruining Vince's date...because he used his little brother's trunk for body storage.
At the same time, he still loves his family, which makes it hard to disconnect entirely from that life.



I was kind of surprised that Vince acted like a real boy when it came to sex and things of that nature. No, he wasn't a horny douchebag, but he also wasn't saving himself for true love or some such nonsense. While there aren't any sex scenes in this...it isn't because Vince wouldn't have liked it. He seemed like an average teenager who was desperately trying to figure out how to be a nice guy, and lose his V card.
You know, get his Happily Ever After...



Shockingly, it was good enough that I might pick up the next book.

[AleJandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Romeo y Julieta entre policias y ladrones STARS

"Moral of the story: if you're considering breaking a law, break all of them."

Empecé a leer este libro con la errónea idea de que era una parodia. Sorpresivamente creo que es una de las novelas de mafia mas realistas que hay.

Es una historia divertida, con una trama ligera y poco drama. Que engancha y se le muy rápido. Completamente diferente al resto de novelas de mafia que he leído.

La historia trata sobre Vincent un adolescente príncipe de la mafia, que odia serlo. Odia todo al respecto, no le interesa tener nada que ver con el mundo criminal en el que esta metido su papá​ y hermano.

El no es el típico italiano guapísimo y hot, de echo la historia comienza con el tratando de tener una cita normal. Tampoco es muy listo o popular, es un chico común y corriente que tiene que vivir con la carga de ser parte de la mafia.



Mis partes favorita:

-Que su hermano utilizara su pagina de internet para realizar apuestas, el código de las apuestas era demasiado divertido.

-Cuando la chava que le gusta le pega los piojos.

En conclusión: Para mi esta es una de esas novelas juveniles que aun valen la pena.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even better as an audiobook, read by Max Casella (Doogie Hauser's BFF, Racetrack in Newsies)! This just ascended to the heights where I hold Schooled and my beloved Born To Rock.

[Karin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vince, an honest, law abiding teen, is the son of the head of a mob. He ends up with a new girlfriend who is the daughter of the FBI agent who has been bugging Vince's parents' house for the past five years, so he tries to keep who he is a secret so she won't reject him. Problems arise when he unwittingly gets drawn into family business by trying to be nice. Someone at school is trying to get him and Kendra voted homecoming king and queen (he keeps tearing down the signs) and something odd is happening on part of the web site he has set up as part of a class assignment.

This is a fun young adult read.

[Kent R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great and it's a good time waster. Vince Luca is the son of a leader of a gang and he meets this girl named Kendra that he really likes. After later Vince finds out about Kendra's Dad. The Dad is an FBI that wants to put Anthony Luca Vince' s dad away so now Vince is trying to keep away his family life from Kendra so the Dad doesn't put away Vince's dad.

[Allyson Jamison · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have been really enjoying reading through Gordon Korman's books but was very disappointed in this one. What I've found in his books have been good, clean stories that are fun to read and humorous. This one was all those except the clean.

I was very disappointed by the language and content in this book and probably should have dnfed it. Especially for the age group this book is for, it was not clean. I would not recommend it.

[Lady Tea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 4.6 / 5

Considering that I finished this in record time--aka, all of a morning--I think it's pretty obvious that I loved it!

As an earlier work of Gordon Korman's compared to some of the other things that I've read by him, I think maybe I was expecting to find a writer at the beginning of his craft. HOWEVER, that definitely was NOT the case, as already his style was pretty well determined! In fact, I think the only real big difference here was that while most of Korman's works are middle grade, this was definitely more of a novel for teens, and yet still had the same tone and overall feel to it that all of Korman's other works have!

The plot centres around young Vince Luca, son of a mob boss. Except, Luca wants nothing to do with his family's business, and spends his time just trying to live the life of a normal teenager. The complication to this is his overly-horny best friend, Alex, who wants to "live vicariously" through Vince, as Alex himself can't get a date, but Vince can. It's just that...well, Vince doesn't care about relationship-related stuff, and kind of has a hard time caring about much of ANYTHING.

Until he meets Kendra Bightly, that is.

She is, simply put, Vince's dream come true, and the two of them are drawn to each other as passionately as ever Romeo and Juliet were--a fitting comparison, seeing as Kendra's dad is the very FBI agent who has it out for Vince's dad. So...yeah, there's that, ahem.

The story more or less follows Vince as he tries to juggle everything in his life and try NOT to get involved with his family's business, which at times is much harder than it should be. Vince is just all around a good guy who tries to do the right thing, and one thing I have to give Korman credit for is convincingly portraying a teen boy's perspective, same as he does for middle grade boys in some of his other works as well.

So, yeah, all in all, I loved this, it was a quick read for me, and I enjoyed going through it! Would love to see more mafia/FBI romances out there, as while it may be cheesily Romeo-and-Juliet-ish, I think it's a plot that I could read again and again without getting bored.

[Lurva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook
That was such a fun ride. The narrator is hilarious, and I love his well-expressed exasperation and sarcasm. The book is fine, maybe a bit anticlimactic in the end, but still enjoyable.

[(Katie) Paperbacks · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5⭐

[Minda Gomez · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the few books by Gordon Korman that I couldn't bother to finish. It was not in his normal style, and definitely not as kid-friendly as most of his books.

[Mauricceo]

The novel, Son of the Mob, by Gordon Kormen is about a seventeen year old boy in high school named Vince Luca. Vince’s dad, Anthony Luca, is the king of the mob in New York. Alex, Vince’s best friend, is also with him throughout the novel. The family business is restricting him from being normal and fulfilling a normal life. Vince’s brother, Tommy, is already participating in the family business. Tommy is crude, rude, and rough and does not let anyone think that the business is spineless. Vince wants no part in the family business but it always ends up playing a factor in his life. Vince’s teachers are even afraid to give him a bad grade and Vince must quit the football team because everyone is afraid that if they tackle him, Anthony Luca will come after them. Vince begins dating a girl named Kendra but he finds out that her dad is an FBI agent who is determined to put Anthony Luca, Vince’s dad, in prison. Alex warns Vince and says, “Can you imagine a Mob prince going out with an FBI agent’s daughter” (101). From the beginning, Vince suspects that something was different about his family; his dad had worked odd hours and his mom told him that his dad is working in a vending machine business. Throughout the novel Vince is searching for his place in the world and tries to make his relationship work. One thing this novel is portraying is that people are not who they appear to be. The book also shows Vince’s struggle in his social life, as he is trying to overcome many obstacles.

My favorite character in Son of the Mob is Vince Luca. He knows his family’s business is wrong and against the law, he wants no part in it. Vince is the main character of the book and Gordon Korman does a great job of illustrating Vince’s life and his struggles. Vince is searching, trying to answer many questions about his future throughout the novel. Vince asks himself if he will ever be offered a job or if he will have to take on the family business when he finishes high school. My conjecture is that Gorden Korman wanted the reader to have a positive reaction toward Vince. The story is depicting Vince’s life, his thoughts, and his feeling. If I were to relate myself to Vince I think the only thing we have in common is that we enjoy helping others. Vince says, “I may be a washout as a boyfriend and a web master. I may be under federal investigation for loan sharking. But surely there’s no more worthwhile achievement than helping people in trouble” (208). Vince is a good hearted person who, throughout the novel, tries to help two men, Jimmy Rat and Ed Mishkin, get back on their feet as well as deal with the struggles in his own life. Anthony Luca was ripping off Jimmy and Ed so they would never get money to pay him back. Vince realizes this and almost cries of how bad his father is. I believe that Vince is a character that stays the same throughout the novel. Vince is a pronounced character who deals with many struggles, but still tries to help others.

I think that the storyline is exciting, making it an overall good book. I would recommend this fiction novel to young adults. I really think that people who like mystery, romance, and action would enjoy reading this book. I think that the author is very clear in his writing and it is comprehensible. I also like how this book is very relatable to Romeo and Juliet. One could call Vince and Kendra “star-crossed lovers.” They come from families that are against each other completely. The father of Kendra is an FBI agent and Vince’s father is the king of the mob in New York. Even though it seems as though it would never work out they still try anyway. I like how the author brings up Romeo and Juliet when Kendra and Vince are talking at the end of the story. Kendra says they could be like Romeo and Juliet, but instead they could live-she sees an alternative, happy ending to their relationship. Although, I don’t like how the book ends by Vince saying, “Never bring the folks together for a meet- and- greet” (262). I think there should have been a stronger ending. Although, there were many plot twists and so I enjoyed reading the book.

[Christopher Gibby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome and amazing! The seqeual is great too!

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an audio read for me; since I'll be looking at a longer commute after our move, I wanted to get back into audiobooks, and this seemed to be a light, easy listen. It didn't disappoint, but it didn't wow me, either.

Vince Luca is the 17 year-old son of Anthony Luca, head of the "vending machine" business in and around New York City. The Luca family has its hands in many criminal activities, but Vince has never wanted any part of the business. That doesn't mean he isn't aware of what goes on, and eventually, the business finds him. When Vince begins dating the daughter of the FBI agent who is in charge of monitoring his father's activities, things get complicated. And when Vince begins to take an interest in one of his father's underlings, he gets roped into family affairs in ways he never pictured. While this is a fast-paced, funny story, it also deals with issues of family, such as when Vince has to stand up to his father in a pivotal scene.

The reading of the book was enjoyable as well. Max Casella, who depending upon your generation and tv-watching habits, you either know from Doogie Howser or The Sopranos, does a nice job of infusing a "mob tone" to the text, although his attempt at different voices leaves something to be desired.

[bjneary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vince Luca's dad runs the mob and this puts a major crimp in Vince's love life when he falls for Kendra, whose dad is FBI and constatnly wiretapping the Luca family. Vince tries to dodge having Kendra meet his family while wondering who in cyberspace is constantly visiting his webpage and pushing it into 2nd place with all of the hits, even though the cat names, sales and ads are really odd----who is doing all this work and giving Vince a great grade in school? As his romance heats up with Kendra, Vince vows to stay out of the family business but gets sucked into helping some of his father's employees by lending them money. This does not sit well with his father, but he decides to let Vince handle things. Vince's relations begin to get very muddled, but Ray, a close friend of his father's always listens and dispenses good advice. It is only when Kendra confronts Vince in tears and doesn't want to see him anymore because she has seen pictures of him being a loan shark that Vince loses it. Who knew about Vince and Kendra, anyway? Lots of laughs but good suspense and plots, reluctant readers will love this book too!

[derek r (Homie LOve™)]

If your looking for a humorous read that reaches out and grabs you, then son of the mob is for you.

Vince Luca is just an average teenager, not counting the fact that his dad is one of the biggest mobsters in New York City. Unlike most, Vince wanted nothing to do with the "vending machine business", that is until he finds himself in a quarrel with two of his father nitwitted clients. Now he has to juggle his fathers business, which he didn’t want in the first place, a school website invested in “toga parties”, and to make things worse, Vince starts dating a girl who just so happens to be the daughter of the F.B.I. agent who’s been trying to take his father down for years. Now all Vince wants to do is make it all right without sending his entire family to jail.
Korman takes you to Vince’s front door in this fast paced novel as you unfold secrets of deceit, betrayal, and the hit of century that not even his own father knows about. If you liked water world, then this book is for you.

[Jeff Lindsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really didn't care for this one. Shallow, surface level drek, populated by paper thin characters that rely on thick coats stereotypical paint to give them any semblance of life.

The characters are only part of the problem. The story has less depth than a drained kiddy pool, though to be fair it isn't written to challenge, but to entertain. It reads easy and quick, which is a mercy, and will appeal to young readers. Which is the intended audience, I think. Korman writes this as "My First Little Mob Story", but peppers in innuendos that seem forced and out of place in the rest of the almost saccharine story. The love story is awkward and unrealistic. Not that these two individuals, the daughter of an FBI agent and the son of a crime kingpin, couldn't get together. It's more that the choices made are absurd, belie what little characterization that was set up, and just smack of "this is what I want to happen, therefore character A needs to make this choice" no matter how poorly that choice fits character A.

It just didn't work for me, but as always your mileage may vary.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman is a pretty good book. The main character of the book is a boy named Vince Luca. Vice is 17 years old so I thought it was pretty cool that he was about my age. The story is suspenseful and it’s a fun read and I recommend reading it.

[Imani · Rating 2 out of 5]

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[Jks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy the story. It is however very dated. The stereotypes of Italian Americans and “Leave It To Beaver “ references would not be appropriate for middle school students today.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

A cute teen read with romance, some drama and light-hearted coming of age. Funny and relatable at times and I was happy to be reading it (which is more than I can say for some teen fiction).

[January · Rating 3 out of 5]

Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman (2002)
Son of the Mob #1
4h 37m narrated by Max Casella, 262 pages

Genre: Young Adult > Teen, Suspense, Comedy, Romance

Featuring: 17-Year-Old MC, Mafia, Organized Crime, Sexual Innuendos, Violence, Alcohol Use, Long Island, New York; High School, Cats, FBI, School Journalist, Illegal Activities - Assault, Gambling, Prostitution - All Off-Camera, Sex-Crazed Sidekick, Homecoming, Forbidden Love Trope

Rating as a movie: PG-15

Songs for the soundtrack: "Wind Beneath My Wings" by Bette Midler, "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred, "Baby It's You" by The Shirelles, "What A Girl Wants" by Christina Aguilera, "Stairway To Heaven" by Led Zeppelin, "Low Down Blues" by Hank Williams, "The Dance" by Garth Brooks, "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion, "Yesterday" by The Beatles, "Hit The Road Jack" by Ray Charles, "The Star-Spangled Banner" by Francis Scott Key, "If I Had a Hammer" by Peter, Paul and Mary

Books and Authors mentioned: Tom Clancy, The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️🥷🤵🏻‍♂️👨🏻‍💻🐈🐈‍⬛️🏫🚗🚓🌹

My thoughts: 📱43% 1:58:15 Chapter 10 - This is too teen for me but my son is enjoying it so I'm just along for the ride.
📱88% 4:04:38 Chapter 18 - My kid was right.

This story wasn't my cup of tea. Too much sex and money talk for me. It was okay.

Recommend to others: My son liked it but didn't love it. I wasn't a fan. Just make sure your middle grader doesn't read it by accident there are some racier scenes but nothing beyond insinuating.

Son of the Mob
1. Son of the Mob (2002)
2. Hollywood Hustle (2004)

[Cobe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Son of The Mob is a great book to read. It is about a boy named Tommy and his family who are in the mob. Tommy is different from the rest of the family, he wants no part of being in the mob. He doesn't like violence and killing people. Anthony Luca, the father, tries in every way to make his son be part of the mob because he wants him to take over when he dies. Tommy tries to live a normal life by joining the football team and being in clubs, but everybody is afraid of him. The football teams won't even tackle him because they don't want to die. Then Tommy meets Kendra, a news reporter for the school, they become good friends. Later on in the book they go out, and as it turns out the father of Kendra is the FBI agent that is watching Luca's house. Now he has to avoid the truth to his new girl friend. Tommy goes through all of these problems and has to do stuff that he really doesn't want to do. He even has to become part of the mob and get his hands dirty to help his friends.

I like this book because it is full of action and romance. It is a funny book that will keep you from putting it down. Every chapter keeps you on the edge of your seat wanting to know what is going to happen next. I would recommend this book to anybody that likes mystery, action, romance, and/or funny books. This is a great book. I would give it a 10 out of 10. There is only one question I have. Will there be a sequel!?!

[Deven Bonfiglio]

“Son of the Mob” is a pretty good book. I would rate it 4 stars. Son of the mob is a book about how this teenage boy Vince tries to live his life like any other high school boy, but there is a twist. His dad is the head of a criminal organization, he is a mob boss. This brings contemplations to his life. He likes this girl, Kendra whos dad is an FBI agent which could bring down his entire organization.

My favorite part about this book is the beginning because it's humorous. On page 8, Vince’s dad puts a knocked-out body in his trunk for the mob and Vince’s girlfriend finds out and Vince starts to stress, but the author uses funny quotes like “I thought Harvest of Death was bad, this is in a whole different league. I guess being mauled by a vampire-hay baler is nothing compared to finding a dead body in the back of your car.”

I would suggest this book to young adults, there’s no cursing although it does mention drug use, guns, and weapons.

[Raquel Morales Macias · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd like to admit; I tapped out a bunch while reading this, but I finished. It's sort of cliche, and predictable to me, but I'm not going to be a Karen and deny my enjoyment of it after reading it in full within the span of a day. It's not great, but above average as it kept me going back, which is better than not. And even if I thought of it as trash, a bad reaction is better than none at all; better to stir emotion than say "It's boring", or "I forgot". I'm sure my friend would like this, so it's safe to say it's a "recommend".

[Chris Aldrich · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is definitely in my top three Korman books so far. Maybe it's the top, but we'll have to see if it lives up to multiple reads the way No Coins, Please has.

An entertaining plot with some excellent writing and characters. I did see the cat website mystery from a mile away, but it was still well done. The rest of the plotting was excellent all the way through with just enough drama and humor at every turn. I'd worry a bit about the niche audience, but I totally want to option this and turn it into a movie.

[Maggie Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was introduced to this book at the Teaching Fellows Junior Conference and I love it! A very quick paced read about a teenager struggling to juggle his own life and his father’s secret life as a mobster. Son of the Mob contains many twists and turns that required the protagonist to think quickly on his feet and decide what the best move for his own life was, not his family’s lives.

[Rebekah · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was kind of fun and it read pretty fast so I appreciated that. I read this because my brother made me, and I can see the appeal for a 13 year old boy, but as a 17 year old girl, it just wasn't giving. Plus the romance wasn't really super good, which was my dear brother's selling point for this book to me.

[Alisha Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading this novel wasn’t at all what I expected and really dragged on in places where it wasn’t necessary. I think it would be better aimed at someone of a school grade level and a great starting point for that hesitant reader.

[Tatiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had three choices to choose from for summer reading and I chose this one. I have no regrets at all. This book was really well written and was probably the first summer book that I enjoyed. This book was really cool and had lots of different genres such as criminal, romance, drama, suspense, etc.