Wednesday Review

Chasing the Falconers – On The Run series by Gordon Korman

I decided to recommend a series of books that have been out since 2005. I read this 6 book series to my son when they first came out and fell in LOVE with them. As most of you know, we moved this summer. Twice. This left us unable to use most of our most cherished things for two whole months. So when I finally had the chance to unpack everything, I ran across the books and decided to read them again. I was quickly reminded of why this series is one of my favorite young adult series.

Fifteen year old, Aiden Falconer, and his eleven year old sister, Meg, are sent to a juvenile delinquent farm after their parents are arrested and convicted of espionage. After an accident that sends the farm up in flames, Aiden and Meg find themselves free at last to find the one person who can clear their parents’ names. But if neither the Feds nor the team of investigators their parents’ hired were able to find him, how does a pair of kids think they can?

Agent Emmanuel Harris is the one who broke the case against the Falconers. He should be satisfied with the fame he received from the highly publicized case. But something just never sat well with him and he can’t seem to get the two criminals or their kids off of his mind. When he finds out that the Falconer children have not been found after the fire, he feels responsible for their safety. He makes it his personal mission to find them. But he isn’t the only one looking for the two. Can Agent Harris find them before someone else stops them forever?

This book begins an exciting chase across country as two kids jump onto moving trains, break into empty houses, learn to drive, stowaway on a cargo boat, get separated in a stormy sea, get shot at, make new friends, solve crimes, and learn more about their own strength and character than they ever thought possible. All the while, the danger to their lives escalade as they come closer and closer to finding the truth that will set their parents free.

As the story progresses through the six books, the reader is left rooting for the kids and wondering how it could possible end well for them. As an adult reading the story, I felt the frustration that Agent Harris seethed with each time he realized he’d been within minutes of catching the two juveniles, only to lose them once again in the chaos. I also felt the thrill and excitement as Aiden and Meg escape time and time again as they gets closer to finding out the truth and solving the case.

The On The Run series was a roller coaster ride of highs and lows. I laughed. I cried. I also waited on pins and needles after reading the 3^rd book and then had to wait for the bookstore to order the 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th one in. This was an awesome series and I’m thrilled to see that Mr. Korman has another series featuring the Falconer siblings, entitled Kidnapped, where Meg gets kidnapped and Aiden has to team up with Agent Harris to find his sister. You better believe I’m waiting not so patiently for the bookstore to get this series in for me. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.