You've seen "The Godfather." Or you were a faithful "Sopranos" fan. Your favorite minor character on the "Simpsons" is Fat Louie and his cronies.Or not. But even so, Son of the Mob is for you. I'm a fan, but in this case, I know someone who's an even bigger fan of Gordon Korman's hilarious book, so I'm going to let her be my inaugural guest reviewer.
"Vince Luca has always known his family is slightly different. It's not every kid who has more "uncles" than you can count with names like Uncle No Nose, Uncle Uncle and Uncle Pampers, or comes to school one day with a lunch sack full of diamonds instead of lunch. But once he understands what his brother meant when he said their father was "mobbed up," Vince wants no part of it. Easier said than done when you're 17, in high school, and still live at home with your father (the head mob boss for one of the largest New York mafia families), your mother (the mob's chef), and your brother (one of dad's minions).
Vince tries valiantly to, at the very least, minimize his own contact with the mob. But things never seem to go according to plan, like when he's arrested for grand theft auto (his 16th birthday present). Or when his talent on the football field turns out to be the other team's reluctance to tackle a mob prince. Or when he finds Jimmy the Rat beaten and unconscious in the trunk of his car (bought with his own money to assure it's actually his this time) while on a hot date. Or when he finds himself sucked into helping Jimmy the Rat escape the wrath of his father. Even getting a normal girlfriend seems too much to ask, when the girl he starts to like turns out to be the daughter of the FBI agent in charge of taking down his father.
Gordon Korman's "Son of the Mob" is not only a truly hilarious and fun book to read, it also touches on a boy's ever evolving relationship with his father, his best friend, and his own sense of self. A good read no matter what age you are (as is the sequal, "Son of the Mob: Hollywood Hustle")."
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