Higson, Charlie.
SILVERFIN
New York : Hyperion Books for Children, 2005
IL 5-8, RL 6.7
ISBN 0786838663

(2 booktalks)

The story opens in highlands of Scotland as a local boy, Alfie is sneaking onto the new laird's reserve to fish.  There is something strange and very unpleasant about the new laird, and Alfie knows he better not get caught. While fishing he falls into the water and is overwhelmed, and then pulled under by large, very aggressive eels. The story then moves to a prestigious boy’s school and one of its newest students, a young James Bond.  He is soon picked out for some vicious harassment by another new student, George Hellebore and his  followers, but finds ways to deal with it. After all, he IS the young James Bond. Home for the holidays with his Scottish aunt, who of course lives near the nasty laird with the fishing pond full of eels, James befriends a boy who has come home to look for his young cousin, Alfie, who went fishing one day, and never came back.  The story rumbles to an edgy climax as James and his friend Red tackle the nasty laird who is none other than the father of James’ school nemesis.  Full of action and intrigue with a few surprises thrown in, this is a sure hit for your male readers.  Book 1 in the Young Bond series.  (New Hampshire Isinglass Teen Read Award committee)

Booktalk #2

Hi, I read Silverfin by Charlie Higson. The main characters are James Bond, Pritpal, Kelly, Aunt Charmain, Uncle Max, Sedgepole, George Hellebore, and Lord Hellebore.

This book is a captivating story about young James Bond going on a mission to destroy a man who is using all of the deadly, fierce, huge fish in Loch Silverfin. The setting is in London, England,and in Scotland the Hellebore’s castle, in present day. It starts out with James in front of a large fence with a yard behind it full of dead animals hanging by a rope from their necks. He goes to the Eton Academy and meets his good friend Pritpal.  Silverfin, a deadly fish in the bay by a Scottish castle, is used for evil by one man to try to destroy all of Loch Silverfin.  Randolph, (Lord Hellebore), controls all of the Silverfin in Loch Silverfin and tries to destroy all of the other fish in the Loch. He also kidnaps James to tell him what he is doing. Randolph takes a drug to make himself stronger and faster than anybody else. Randolph was just about to destroy the Loch when George turns over to James and his crew. James kills Lord Hellebore before he destroys the Loch. But to see the ending you'll have to read the book.                         (Reed, student)