Son of the Mob [Paperback]

Gordon Korman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 9, 2004 | Age Level: 1 and up | Grade Level: 7 and up | Series: Son of the Mob (Book 1)

Vince Luca is just like any other high school guy. His best friend, Alex, is trying to score vicariously through him; his brother is a giant pain; and his father keeps bugging him to get motivated. There is just one thing that really sets him apart for other kidsæhis father happens to be the head of a powerful crime organization. Needless to say, while Vince's family's connections can be handy for certain things-like when teachers are afraid to give him a bad grade as they can put a serious crimp in his dating life. How is he supposed to explain to a girl what his father does for a living? But when Vince finally meets one who seems to be worth the trouble, her family turns out to be the biggest problem of all. Because her father is an FBI agent-the one who wants to put his father away for good.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Vince Luca, 17, has a problem. His wealthy family runs the, uh, vending machine business in New York, and Vince is determined not to be part of it. Especially after a hot date is ruined when he finds that his older brother Tommy has conducted some business with Jimmy the Rat and hidden the messy and temporarily unconscious body in the trunk of Vince's car. His dad, the King of the Mob, is reasonable, sensible, lots of fun, gives great presents to his kids--and his name strikes the hearts of other mobsters to stone.

Although Vince keeps a low profile at school, his family connection brings him unwanted advantages, like the birthday Porsche that gets him arrested on stolen vehicle charges, or the football game in which he makes touchdown after touchdown because word has gotten around and nobody is willing to tackle him. Even private conversations at home have to be carried on in the basement because the FBI has bugged the house and an agent is always listening. Vince's life is inextricably tangled up with the family business, no matter how hard he tries to stay out of it. How can he show them he's serious? Then he meets Kendra, and when she innocently reveals that her father's an FBI agent--that FBI agent--it's a match made in heaven. He thinks.

Gordon Korman, author of (No More Dead Dogs) and over 30 other witty YA novels, is at his best in this Sopranos-style spoof about a teen's home life with the Mob. (Ages 12 and older) --Patty Campbell --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

The Sopranos (minus the vulgarity and violence) meets Leave It to Beaver (minus the "aw-shucks" tone and dated sensibility) in Korman's (No More Dead Dogs) brassy, comical caper. With its razor-sharp dialogue and bullet-fast pace, this tale could fly on either the small or big screen, yet it makes a page-turner of a novel. Korman shapes a believable and likable crew-despite the less than reputable profession of some. Many of the novel's conflicts revolve around the fact that the affable narrator, 17-year-old Vince Luca, refuses to become involved in the family "vending machine business." But of course, since his father is the Mob boss, and his older brother serves as their father's loser lackey, Vince cannot avoid being tainted (e.g., he lands in jail "because my sixteenth-birthday present [a Porsche] turns out to be hot"). Mom turns a deaf ear to the shady goings-on, cooking up a steady storm in the kitchen and willing "to serve a sit-down dinner for fifteen guys at four in the morning with ten minutes advance notice." Things heat up when Vince begins dating-and eventually falls in love with-the daughter of the FBI agent determined to bring down Vince's father. The boy also gets sucked into the maelstrom when he loans money to one of his father's underlings for whom he feels sorry. Funny and unexpectedly affecting, this will grab-and hold onto-even the most reluctant of readers. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 1 and up
  
• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Book CH (August 9, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786815930
• ISBN-13: 978-0786815937
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (102 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #337,332 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #34 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

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great., October 21, 2003

By 

Kevin (OH USA) - See all my reviews

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

Gordan Korman seemed to have leaped the extra mile in Son of the Mob, I loved everything about, except the ending. Vince Luca 17, a highschool student but also a Mob prince. He recieves what every kid wants a hefty allowance, a porsche for his birthday,and basically anything he wants. Even though the stuff he gets sometimes isn't bought, example the porsche. Good ol' Dad working for the vending machine buisness, Vince's way of putting the Mafia in code, Honest Abe Luca, Vince's father, keeps Vince protected and wealthy. His family consists of many uncles , which are under his father in the uh...buisness. When Vince gets a second date, his first was ruined by a Rat and a brother, Vince and Kendra seem to be the perfect couple except thier fathers are opposites, Kendra's dad works for the FBI, that happens to be the one who is trying to put Anthony Luca into the slammer. The book sends you in twists and turns, almost like a Romeo and Juiliet story. This was favortie book by far, I'm interested to see what Gordon Korman will do next.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Son of the Mob - keeper, March 28, 2004

By 

dsl (Mylivingroom, Villas) - See all my reviews

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

Vince Luca is a 17 year-old student who just wants to live the common high school life. Chasing girls, playing football, and other "normal" things are what he aspires to. However, Vince is in a rather precarious situation. His father is a mob boss and Vince wants to have nothing to do with it. His entire family with the exception of his mother, believes that one day he will come around and accept his position. Vince suffers the classic struggle of a protagonist trying to escape his family's reputation and image. However, Vince ends up right where he didn't want to be, posed by the F.B.I. as a loan-shark for his father's business.

The book "Son Of The Mob" is the perfect blend of something which, is very serious (mob-affiliation), and applying it to highschool life, something almost all teens can relate to. It is comedic excellence and had me yelling, gripped, and shaking my head at the misfortune and unexpected turns that Vince Luca takes. At every moment, Gordon Korman throws in another piece of the plot to thicken and enrich the book. Not deep by any standards, this book does have an amazing correlation to Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." Vince and Kendra, being the "star-crossed lovers," and their families of completely opposite backgrounds makes the book suspenseful and comical.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow!, June 8, 2005

By 

Lauren "Laurie" - See all my reviews

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

This is literally the best book I've read! It has a distinct voice, and a (very hot =P)believable main character. Sometimes it can be confusing, but once you catch up with the fast-paced action, you'll love it.

It's a classic Romeo and Juliette tale with the softy-mobster meets tuff-FBI-agent-kid. Vince wants nothing to do with his family's business, and from what we can tell, neither does Kendra. They're obviously a perfect match but before they can get any real action in, their outside lives kick in. Since Kendra's father has Vince's house bugged (and for another secret reason) her father soon finds out about the teens' secret love. I don't want to give away the book, but as most fairy tales turn out, they live happily ever after.

I would keep this book away from kids under 11. There's nothing X-rated, but there is some suggestion of sexuality. This is a great book for younger teenagers. I hope you love it as much as I did!