Dating

Not my favorite. Maybe I would have liked it more if I'd read the first book in the series before this one -- but the cover doesn't make it clear that it's a sequel. ( )

This book was good but not the best. To me it was boring at some parts and confusing. ( )

In Son of the Mob: Hollywood Hustle, we return to Vince Luca, who's feeling optimistic about getting a fresh start in film school on the West Coast.

This is a ridiculously stuffed novel: there are the old hats of Vince a) trying desperately to not get involved in the illegal family business and b) maintaining his relationship with Kendra, daughter-of-FBI-Agent-Bite-Me.... and then add Vince's introduction to college life: c) a laid-back roommate who happens to be the son of a Congressman, d) a job helping out panicking foreign students-- it's hardly any surprise he's having difficulty making time to do his student film assignments.

Gordon Korman attacks these storylines with much aplomb and is in top form with his satirical tone (having all these new West Coast targets). But all this action simply doesn't leave much room for really any character moments. Frankly, it's a little busy. Kendra, in particular, is crowded out by all the new characters, who all remain fairly broadly drawn-- I could hardly keep them all straight, let alone really be entirely engrossed in the outcome of all their plots.

At the center of the Son of the Mob books is Vince's nice-guy ambivalence. He loves his family, but he hates their profession. He wants to ignore their world, but can't let their casualties go unaided. He hates their methods, but can't help using his knowledge to try and get the happy ending, for everyone. Though no sequel to Hollywood Hustle has yet appeared, I see the possibility of a whole series with Vince toeing the line... after all, he's genre savvy himself and says his life is no gangster movie (where this balance always falls apart and ends poorly), but this temporary-feeling ending feels less of a newly engineered balance and more of a holding pattern. ( )

Korman, Gordon. Son of the Mob. 2004. Hyperion: New York..
Genre: Humor and Drama
Themes: Mob, Son of the Mob, College, Film School, making friends, California, Los Angeles, State Representative.
Age/ Grade Appropriate: Young Adult/High school
Awards: Winner of the 2005 Young Readers Choice Awards, The Stellar Book Award
Censorship Issues: There are no censorship issues that I have with this book. There are no curse words. There is a little violence but nothing to vulgar.
Critique: This book fits the bill of Young Adult genre. It is about a kid right out of high school wanting to move away to go to college. Some kids can relate but may not have as exciting of lifestyle Vince has. I would refer this book to kids in high school. There are a few funny parts in the book that kids would enjoy. I would say this book has more action in it than humor though. I would classify this book as drama. Although there are some funny parts it is not the whole part of the book. I did enjoy reading it.
Curriculum Issues: This would be a fun reading assignment to give students. I do not see any problems with this book being violent or vulgar. It’s mainly Vince the main character talking and he wants nothing to do with the mob lifestyle. Kids will love this book. I could see it in the public library as well as the school library. ( )