SIlverFin by Charlie Higson

Click here to find this at your library.

It’s the 1930’s and James Bond is an English school boy arriving at Eaton for the first time. While at school he meets and quickly becomes the enemy of a popular and wealthy boy. Nothing sinister happens, but there is a tension on campus. Imagine James’s surprise to learn that the boy’s father owns a castle in Scotland very near where James will be staying for vacation with his family. When a village boy and a Pinkerton investigator go missing, James gets sucked into action, adventure and a little spying.


I thought this book would be a little bit of fluff; an easy action read. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The story is well written and incredibly readable. The pacing is dead on and it keeps the reader interested. The descriptions and imagery put you in the place and time of the story. Overall I was impressed with how well the book was written, the historical accuracy, and the route the author took to get the reader to the end. I recommend this book to guys 12-18. It’s a clean read without cursing or sex. (You might think “How can there be Bond without sex?” I can assure you there is a Jr. Bond girl in the story, but James is only 13 so the book keeps it G rated.)