Fledgling by Mark A. Cooper

Reviewed by Lori
Fledgling
Title: Fledgling

Series: Jason Steed

Author: Mark A. Cooper

Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 48196

Description: Jason Steed, an eleven-year-old martial arts expert, is spending his summer training on a British Navy Frigate when rebel forces attack, and he must find the courage to rescue a special ops team and save the world from a nuclear war.

Rubric Rating: Level 4: Love It!

Why I Read It: I was looking for a good book to recommend for a boy.  I didn't notice the profile picture of the boy doing martial arts in the corner of the cover.  I just noticed the military symbols and thought it looked interesting.

Lori's Notes: This was a really good read.  The main character - Jason Steed - is amazing.  As much a child prodigy as he is a precocious youth it's incredible how much he is able to accomplish.  Like Robopocalypse this is a story that gives you a glimpse at the ending before starting back at the beginning.  In this case, right back to Jason's birth.  Jason is "raised" by an absentee father after his mother dies during childbirth.  Reared in Hong Kong, Jason quickly develops a love for martial arts.  While he masters many different styles of martial arts he also masters languages - both skills that serve him well in this novel.  Not to mention the ability to fly using the local military base's flight simulator!  The tense father/child relationship is at times difficult to read, and the insistence of adults on blaming Jason for situations that were not his fault (protecting himself from bullies, getting mugged etc) is a little heartbreaking.  After moving back to England Jason develops friendships with Scott Turner - a true and smart-mouthed friend, and Catherine a Princess of England.  While out on a training mission with the sea cadets Jason ends up in the middle of a covert SAS mission to recover an important military piece of equipment.  Jason is brilliant and you just need to set aside your disbelief when you remember that he is only 10/11 years old.  The book ends with an obvious link to the next book "Revenge," when a member of Scotland Yard Undercover Intelligence approaches Jason.

Recommended Readers: This is a fantastic book for boys with lots of action, martial arts, friendship and espionage and would be ideal for students in grades 6 and up.  It's the Karate Kid meets James Bond!

Themes: Martial Arts, Intelligent Youth, Father/Son Relationships, Friendship, Military Intelligence, Survival, Espionage, Acceptance, Growing Up, 1970s.

Cross-Genre Links: 
Movie: The Karate Kid (1984)
Movie: Spy Kids (2001)
Movie: Agent Cody Banks (2003)
Search: Sea Cadets  (Canadian Sea Cadets lost in UK)
Search: Martial Arts
Music: Kung Fu Fighting by Carl Douglas (1974)

Possible Discussion or Essay Topics: 

  • Do you find Jason a believable character? Why or why not?
  • What makes Jason's relationship with his father so difficult?
  • How does Jason use his training when confronted by bullies?  Do you agree with how he handles these situations?  How could he have done things differently?
  • Jason acts a lot older than his actual age, why do you think this is?  
  • The adults in the novel seem to have very high expectations of Jason.  Do you think these expectations are reasonable?

Other Books in this Series:
Book 2: Revenge




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