3 out of 4 stars
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Code Name: Dodger (Operation Rubber Soul) by Eric Auxier is a young adult novel which follows the story of fourteen year old Justin. It is the first installment in the series. Justice Malcolm Reed, or Justin, as he prefers to be known, is a street smart, mischievous orphan living in Brooklyn. He and his group of friends invite trouble all too often, but his latest escapade where they stole the school bus in the middle of night and went off on a three-state spree, might have just been a bit too much. He isn’t sent away to juvenile prison, as he fears, but is instead taken away for a psychological experiment. Unexpectedly, Justin lands straight in the middle of a CIA operation, which is connected to his father’s murder. Will Justin discover the secret his father meant him to find, or will he get eliminated the same way his father was?
The author has weaved an uncomplicated, yet interesting plot for the readers. Initially, I felt that the plot was similar to some other young adult spy thrillers I had read, since it features a familiar combination of an orphan whose parent was murdered, who receives training to become a spy and who seeks revenge for his father’s murder. However, a multi-dimensional protagonist sets apart this book from the rest.
The author’s smooth and almost flawless execution of the plotline, gives the novel a refreshing advantage over other novels in this genre. The story is fast paced, with well choreographed action scenes and bits of simple humor to keep the reader entertained. For instance, when Justin is informed that he’ll be taught “highly specialized skills such as covert surveillance, intelligence gathering, unobserved target area penetration, self defense, and enemy disposal techniques”, his mental response is “I had to admit, the guy had lots of fancy names for spying, stealing, fighting and killing”.
Justin’s character is a bit of a puzzle, and pleasantly so. He has clearly experienced a hardened life on the streets, but he isn’t attracted to drugs or becoming part of a street gang. In fact, he pulls his friends away from that kind of life, too. On the other hand, he is up to some mischief every other day and escapes from his orphanage at the first opportunity. As a lead character, he has a strong sense of good and bad. His self-assuredness isn't an annoyance, and coupled with his sensitivity, it charms the reader. Another facet of his character which is quite likeable is that he doesn’t burn for revenge; he just wants justice for his father and doesn’t want to end up killing anyone.
The author has sketched some other interesting characters in this novel like Bob, the CIA agent who shelters and trains Justin. Justin looks up to him with a mixture of a father figure and a teacher. The author portrays the yawning gap in Justin’s life after his father died, in short snippets, like when Justin says that all he ever wanted in life was to go fishing with his father. Justin hopes that Bob will fill that void in his life.
Through characters like Justin’s friends Randy and Doug, or Mira, an illegal immigrant who is forced into prostitution, the author hints at the contrasting realities in New York, focusing on the deplorable condition of people who live in the fringes of society.
Although it was exciting to picture Justin outsmarting the government and criminals alike, I found it a bit irrational that a mere fourteen year old could be that ingenious. Another aspect that left me little dissatisfied was Justin’s equation with Bob. Though I understand Justin’s need for a parent, I found their relationship a bit cold for Justin to have conceived such a notion. I hope the author delves deeper into their relationship in the subsequent novels.
Apart from these couple of issues, I found this book fairly enjoyable. I rate it 3 out of 4 stars, and recommend it to young adult readers, especially those who appreciate action thrillers.
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Code Name: Dodger
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