The Truth of the Matter
Peter Robinson ·
Oct 24, 2010 at 6:16pm
Ricochet's own Andrew Klavan is the author of the "Homelanders" series of novels for young adults. The newest title? The Truth of the Matter. From the toughest reviewer I know, Andrew Robinson, 14, this just in:
The book I am reading by Andrew Klavan, The Truth of the Matter, is holding me on the edge of my seat. I can't stop turning the pages. A lot of my friends like adventure/thriller books, so I'll be recommending it.
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Jul '10
Re: The Truth of the Matter
"The book I am reading by Andrew Klavan, The Truth of the Matter, is holding me on the edge of my seat. I can't stop turning the pages. A lot of my friends like adventure/thriller books, so I'll be recommending it.
"Mr. Klavan, can I go home now?"
"Not quite yet, sprout. You forgot the part about 'Not since Herman Melville'..."
Edited on Oct 24, 2010 at 6:26pmOct '10
Re: The Truth of the Matter
It is very hard to find good books for young gentleman. Most modern books for teens rely on magic, and have little relevance to real life. A lead character like Harry Potter is not "everyman"; you cannot be him as he is special because of his birth. A good novel has a protagonist that you could be and that is what engages the imagination of an intelligent child. Even though the Narnia books have magic in them, you could still be Peter or Lucy. Even their names are commonplace. The books of my childhood have become too dated but nothing much has come along to replace them. The joys of Swallows and Amazons or The Hardy Boys are past.
Jul '10
Re: The Truth of the Matter
Ah, the Hardy Boys. I devoured them. I suspect they were seminal conservative influences. Unfortunately, they're so anachronistic, kids today would sneer.
May '10
Re: The Truth of the Matter
Kenneth
Ah, the Hardy Boys. I devoured them. I suspect they were seminal conservative influences. Unfortunately, they're so anachronistic, kids today would sneer. · Oct 24 at 8:02pm
My 12 year-old devoured the entire Hrdy Boys series about a year ago and still re-reads them. No sneering. I think he actually wishes the world were more the way it is in the books. I've been meaning to get started on the Homelander series. We'll begin at once.
Jul '10
Re: The Truth of the Matter
Trace Urdan
Kenneth
Ah, the Hardy Boys. I devoured them. I suspect they were seminal conservative influences. Unfortunately, they're so anachronistic, kids today would sneer. · Oct 24 at 8:02pm
My 12 year-old devoured the entire Hrdy Boys series about a year ago and still re-reads them. No sneering. I think he actually wishes the world were more the way it is in the books. I've been meaning to get started on the Homelander series. We'll begin at once. · Oct 24 at 8:06pm
Gee whillikers, Trace, that's a swell kid you've got there.
See if you can find "Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys". A popular history for kids that brings the Revolution to life.
Edited on Oct 24, 2010 at 8:11pmOct '10
Re: The Truth of the Matter
My daughter used to do a marvelous satire of the Hardy Boys. "Gee what a swell picnic, Biff." Their names alone put one into a Happy Days mode. We read them as bedtime stories and it was only then that I noticed how frequently they were trapped in a boat under water or somesuch at the end of every chapter. We could never stop reading because they were always in mortal peril. I read and re-read them and Nancy Drew too. But I will look into the Homelander series, trusting to the wisdom of the reviewer above.
Jul '10
Re: The Truth of the Matter
These days, the Hardy Boys would have black, latino and muslim pals. Their adventures would feature planet-saving and one of the Boys would be gay, or at least questioning....
May '10
Re: The Truth of the Matter
Kenneth See if you can find "Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys". A popular history for kids that brings the Revolution to life. · Oct 24 at 8:08pm
Edited on Oct 24 at 08:11 pm
Great tip. He loves everything related to the American Revolution -- particularly when it involves kids his age, away from their parents serving as apprentices or otherwise engaged in otherwise adult-like activities... the good-old days.
Oct '10
Re: The Truth of the Matter
Most good kids' books start with the parents absenting themselves. The Narnia series has the kids sent away from London, Dorothy gets blown away by the wind, Swallows and Amazons has the children being allowed to go sailing on their own, with one of the great lines from literature: (I paraphrase) "If not duffers will not drown." A parental view one would never hear today.
Jul '10
Re: The Truth of the Matter
Trace Urdan
Kenneth See if you can find "Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys". A popular history for kids that brings the Revolution to life. · Oct 24 at 8:08pm
Edited on Oct 24 at 08:11 pm
Great tip. He loves everything related to the American Revolution -- particularly when it involves kids his age, away from their parents serving as apprentices or otherwise engaged in otherwise adult-like activities... the good-old days. · Oct 24 at 8:21pm
There have been several revisionist books about Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys over the decades. I'm referring to one published pre-1960.
May '10
Re: The Truth of the Matter
And now a new thriller from the author of The Homelanders and The Empire of Lies... it's a tale so unbelievable and heart-pounding you won't want to put it down... In a world dominated by terrorists there's only one way to turn...
Re: The Truth of the Matter
Hey, Peter, thanks for posting that. Tell my fellow Andrew that, when it comes to Homelanders, reviews from folks like himself are the only ones that matter to me. I hope he liked the part where Charlie's stuck in the bunker with the bomb... it was really exciting to write!
Aug '10
Re: The Truth of the Matter
I am looking for other hits in the genre. Please Andrew, tell us who you like.
My 13 yr daughter consumes each Homelanders book within 48 hours of its receipt . She has lent them out to people as diverse as retired Navy admirals , the more admiring boys in her class, and her teachers.
They appear to be the only books she will willingly devour, except for those angst-ridden vampires.
It's a challenge getting their attention when Facebook friends are pinging with super high frequency.
Imagine their connectedness in that media !
May '10
Re: The Truth of the Matter
My 15-year-old daughter is devouring "Atlas Shrugged." She loves it, and keeps saying "these people are idiots!" She sees many parallels between the era in which it was written (mid-50s) and today. :) Start 'em young!