Theodore Boone, The Fugitive, by John Grisham (Puffin, 2015, 250 pages, $8.99 paperback, ages 8+, grades 3+)
Kid Lawyer with a Dog
Judge, the dog, does not appear often in The Fugitive, mostly in passing, as a sidekick to our hero Theodore, unlike in a couple of the other titles in the series, but Washington, DC, plays a major role. Kid lawyer Theodore Boone, 8th grade son of two lawyers in a small Pennsylvania town, goes on a class trip to Washington, DC, for a few days. (Being from Idaho, I thought it was the high school seniors in the East that did this, but perhaps times have changed.)
In the subway (the metro, in DC language), Theo sees a fugitive from his hometown. Of course, Theo tails him and snaps a photo unbeknownst to the murderer, number 7 on the FBI’s Most Wanted List!
Grisham Gets DC Right
Famous author John Grisham must have done his research well: he gets Washington, DC, right (except for one metro stop, Metrocenter that appears as Metro Center). (Oh, I just looked it up and I stand corrected – Grisham is correct!) However, he does use ‘the’ Metro Center while we here in the DC area just say Metro Center.
All the Usual Suspects
Well, not suspects actually but characters. The Fugitive continues many of the same substories as the other titles in the series, with friend April of the hippie parents and Uncle Ike* with the shady past that is slowly revealed more and more in each book.
The Fugitive, book 5, continues the story of a murder that occurred in book 1 when kid lawyer Theo spots this probable ‘perp’ on the metro but loses him. The FBI, called in on the case, cannot find him either. What is Theo to do? Then, . . . .
Matinees in Book Form
The Theo, Kid Lawyer, series reminds one of the Saturday matinees on the big screen in small towns starting in the late 30’s with Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney in that the Theo books could be one long long epistle. Instead, it is broken down into seven (so far) books each of which stands alone but refers to incidents and characters in others and adds a bit more to each character’s substory.
The plots are good enough for adults to get hooked on and with several minor plots in each, the flow is fast to keep an adult’s attention.
The Fugitive may be the least fast-paced due to detailed courtroom scenes, but we love how Theo is considered an adult, wise beyond his years, and, the next moment, just a 13-year-old kid who can be grounded and will do almost anything to skip school and attend a jury trial.
Animal Court
Each book has a chapter about Animal Court and The Fugitive is no exception. Although animal lovers may object to some of the cases in Animal Court like possible outcomes for a barking dog, other cases serve a mild distraction to the main plot as the case of the fainting goats (For more on fainting goats, search in Youtube or read the DogEvals review of Please Don’t Feed the Mayor.)
Only two more Theo books remain (books 4 and 7). We may have to wait until our lockdown is over to read and share them with you. We wonder if book 7 will end the series or not. . . .
*I like Ike! And I can’t wait to hear his entire story. Ike is Theo’s favorite (and only) uncle and Theo is Ike’s favorite (and only) nephew. Ike is a disbarred attorney (like Woods, Theo’s father), who is currently an accountant in a T-shirt, jeans, and sandals with a 20-year-old car and who formerly spent three years in prison, but a good prison. He often saves the day for Theo.
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