Son of the Mob: Hollywood Hustle

Author: Gordon Korman

ISBN:978-0786815937

Publication Information: Hyperion Press CH

Plot Summary:In this sequel to Son of the Mob, Vince Luca has graduated from high school and is en route to one of the best film schools in the country. It is located in Santa Monica, about as far away from Vince's mobster family as possible, which suits Vince just fine. He is ready to start over where no one knows who his Dad is, and to reconnect with his girlfriend Kendra, who happens to be the daughter of an FBI agent. Yes, college seems like it is going to be awesome, until Vince's brother and "uncles" begin to show up. On top of that, Vince and Kendra's relationship doesn't seem to be going so well (they hardly ever see each other and she is spending way too much time with Vince's rival classmate), and Vince's roommate Trey has a kleptomania problem that he just can't seem to shake. Looks like Vince's freshman year isn't going to be as smooth sailing as he thought.

Critical Evaluation: Gordon Korman has created a quick, snappy novel with an interesting plot and likable characters. Mob stories have long been prevalent in books and movies, but Korman manages to put an interesting twist on the classic story by setting the story at a college in Santa Monica, a Los Angeles beach town. Vince and Santa Monica is pretty much as far away from New York and the Corleone family that you can get. Despite Vince's faults, he is a likable character, as is Trey (Vince's roommate) who is the other main character in the novel. Additionally the plot is fast paced and the writing is witty. Character development and the plot are the two main reasons that many teens should like this book, but the novel will especially appeal to teens (and to be more specific, boys) that enjoy action movies, books, and comics.

Reader's Annotation:Vince is getting as far away as humanly possible from his family without leaving the country, he is going to college in Los Angeles. Unfortunately for Vince, the cross country college isn't far enough.

Author Information: Gordon Korman originally hails from Quebec, Canada, and now resides in Long Island, New York with his wife and three daughters. He has published over 55 young adult titles, and is currently contracted to write a six book series in the Bruno and Boots series. He wrote his first book at twelve years old, entitled This Can't Be Happening at MacDonald Hall, which was eventually published when Korman was 14. (Information taken from the author's website http://www.gordonkorman.com/)

Curricular Ties:Film studies

Genre:Action

Book talking ideas:

• Should Vince be ashamed of his family? Why or why not?
• Why did Tommy take advantage of the foreign exchange students?
• Why did Trey like to steal things?
  

Challenge issues:Mild violence

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• Find positive reviews from reputable websites.
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Interest Age: Grades 9 and up

Why I selected this piece: Korman is a great contemporary writer that consistently produces a great story. I liked Son of the Mob: Hollywood Hustle because even though it is a sequel, the story stands up on its own, and it isn't necessary to read the first Son of the Mob to understand and enjoy the story.