Hollywood Hustle (Son of the Mob, Book 2) [Paperback]

Gordon Korman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 28, 2006

When Vince heads out to sunny L.A. to go to college, he feels like he is finally going to be able to leave his shady family and their illegal antics behind. Once he arrives at school, he is paired up with the son of a prominent congressman as a roommate-finally some respectability! Not to mention that the girls in college are something else. With his girlfriend, Kendra, giving him such a hard time, Vince is beginning to wonder if single life is the way to go.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up–Vince Luca, from Son of the Mob (Hyperion, 2002), returns, and this time he tries to get away from his family and "The Life" by moving to Santa Monica to start college as a film major. His high school girlfriend, Kendra, the daughter of the FBI agent who is determined to nab Vince's mob-boss father, is attending a nearby college, but they hardly see one another. When Luca mobsters from New York show up claiming they're "on vacation," Vince knows something is up, but isn't quite sure what until he attends a local rally for the concrete workers' union at the request of his roommate, Trey, the son of a powerful congressman. When Vince sees the so-called "tourists" in the audience, he assumes that they are there to make trouble. Meanwhile, he almost throws away his relationship with Kendra when he kisses a beautiful girl who has set him up so that Kendra's father can take pictures of them. He must also deal with his visiting mobster brother, who cheats some foreign students out of money, and with Trey's kleptomania. The somewhat complicated plot lines eventually come full circle and there is humor throughout the narrative. The pace is quick enough to keep reluctant readers interested. Korman avoids stereotypical caricatures by concentrating on relationships, particularly between fathers and sons. In the end, Vince comes into his own in this funny and somewhat over-the-top story.–Karen Hoth, Marathon Middle/High School, FL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 9-12. In this sequel to Son of the Mob (2002), Vince Luca, son of one of New York's top crime bosses, is off to California to enter college as a film major, accompanied by his girlfriend, Kendra, the daughter of a federal official bent on putting Vince's dad behind bars. Vince hopes to leave his shady past behind, but he is soon visited by his wise-guy brother and a host of thuggish "uncles." The complicated plot involves the kidnapping of a union boss, the unmasking of a seemingly high-minded congressman, and Vince's brief fling with a beautiful FBI informant. By the end, Vince has managed to sort through the thickets of corruption, thievery, and colossal misunderstandings, finding that his first semester of college has been much more lively than the average freshman's. Korman delivers many funny lines throughout as he deftly balances satirical elements with an action-packed story. Todd Morning
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Book CH (March 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786809191
• ISBN-13: 978-0786809196
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 6.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #140,157 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #23 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( K ) > Korman, Gordon

More About the Author

Gordon Korman has written more than fifty middle-grade and teen novels. Favorites include the New York Times #1 bestseller The 39 Clues: One False Note, The Juvie Three, Son of the Mob, Born to Rock, and Schooled. Though he didn't play football in high school, Gordon's been a lifelong fan and season ticket holder. He says, "I've always been fascinated by the 'culture of collision' in football and wanted to explore it-not just from the highlight films but from its darker side as well." Gordon lives with his family on Long Island, New York.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book Review of Son of the Mob Hollywood Hustle, March 22, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Hollywood Hustle (Son of the Mob, Book 2) (Paperback)

What would someone do if they thought they were finally away from the mob but then it suddenly came back into their life? Vince Luca faced this in the fantastic book Son of the Mob Hollywood Hustle by Gordon Karman.

At first Vince goes off to college happy to get away from the mob which is his father's business. His roommate, Trey, is the son of a congressman. As things go on Vince's relationship with his girlfriend, Kendra goes down hill and he gets mixed up with an evil scheme.

There are multiple things that I loved about this book. First, I enjoyed the plot because it always kept me hooked and I always wanted to know what would happen next. This is shown when Trey steals something and gets caught. When he got caught I wanted to know what would happen to him. Another thing I liked about this book was the theme. The theme teaches people that just because someone looks and acts good around the public does not mean that they don't do bad things and vice versa. Finally, I loved the character development. For example, Trey hated his dad and what he did at the beginning but Trey matures and learns that he actually loves his dad and will help him no matter what.

This book would be appropriate for teens because it has lots of action and suspense and different relationships. I enjoyed Son of the Mob Hollywood Hustle by Gordon Karman and I hope other people do too.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Son of the Mob, April 7, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Hollywood Hustle (Son of the Mob, Book 2) (Paperback)

If I had to change my name to anything else it would be to Vincent Luca. This is the name of the Son of the Mob. This was the second book of the series about the son of the mob that I read. Vincent is the first Luca to graduate from high school and make it to college. When he gets there he hopes he will be mafia-free, because he does not like his other option, actually joining the mob. Within Vincent's first week at college his brother Tommy shows up at his dorm and ends up staying for a while.

Throughout the other quarter of the book, Vincent's "uncles", men who work under Vincent's father, start showing up at his dorm with his mother's homemade food. The "uncles" say that they are there to go sightseeing, but Vincent has other suspicions. Ironically Vincent's college roommate is the son of a Congressman. He has a knack for the "five finger discount". Vincent's roommate finds out about the mob connection, Vincent therefore wants his roommate to stay far away from hid "uncles" in case he has any ideas about joining the mob. This is my favorite part of the book

It turns out that Tommy is only in town to find ways to scam money. The "uncles" are only there so they can cause riots at all of the Congressman's speeches.
Vincent's roommate goes out and steals a car, at the same Vincent finds out that his own father is in town, and mysteriously someone important goes missing. To add up to a great grand finale, Vincent and his roommate both follow their fathers coincidentally at the same time. It turns out they are all headed to the same place, the same place the missing person is being held. The question now is whose the good guy and whose the bad guy???
This book was well written and well put together. The author did a good job of piecing together the facts. He alluded, very well I might add, to what it would be like in the mob. It was the kind of book that you felt like you were a part of. It really felt like you knew what Vincent was going through. I would definately reccomend this book to anyone interested in an action packed novel.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars son of the mob hollywood hustle, April 11, 2006

By 

j frenchy "j" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Son of the Mob: Hollywood Hustle (Hardcover)

If you like the kind of book that can be funny with a lot of action an romance all at the same time this is the book for you. The son of the mob is the second bnook in the series of son of the mob books. The book is about a high school graduate named vince luka that is going to collage in hollywood to learn how to be a film director but this isnt just any ordinary kid he is the son of a mob boss in New York city. When vince gets to collage his roomate is the son of a fomouse congresman that is running for governer, talk about two different worlds. Everything is going ok until some of vinces fathers cronies show up for a little vacation but vince knows better than that and soon enough the congressmans opponent is kidnapped.
I think this is a great book because it always kept me on my toes and it has a great surprise ending.