NEVER SAY DIE (Alex Rider #11) by Anthony Horowitz

The story: When Alex gets a strange email, he realizes something that seems impossible--his nanny, Jack Starbright, is still alive. Even though he saw the bad guys blow her up at the end of #10. He immediately goes into stealth mode and starts his signature continent hopping in hopes of finding the one person in the world who still feels like family to him. How much can a 15-year-old kid take? Plenty, if his name is Alex Rider.

June CLeaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence PG-13 (people are killed, but not graphically, and not by Alex); Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (espionage, organized crime, murder, kidnapping, torture, but mostly referenced and not graphic) PG-13; overall rating PG-13.

Liz's comments: Alex Rider has been a middle-school staple for as long as I've been in the MS library. He literally is the teenage James Bond (without the sex). Cool gadgets and lots of chases and blowing up make this perfect for boys and particularly for reluctant readers. Start with #1, "Stormbreaker" if possible, but it's also true that each story is pretty much a stand-alone: whatever content is necessary to get the reader up to speed is provided, and then the story is off and running