The Bodyguard

by Sean Rodman

Overview

Ryan wants to give up football and apply to his dream university, but to afford it he may have to insert himself into some strange and possibly dangerous situations.

Ryan Hale, aka Replay, is the most successful running back in his high school's history. With university scouts making him offers he can't refuse, his future seems set. The problem is, Ryan would much rather go to film school. But his dad doesn't want to hear it. His teammates sure don't. He can't afford the application fees anyway. But then a solution appears when Markus, a strange exchange student with outrageous stories about mobsters and hackers, offers to pay Ryan to be his bodyguard. Things get complicated when Ryan realizes the stories may be closer to the truth than anyone imagined.

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for teen readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read! The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781459827462
Publisher:	Orca Book Publishers
Publication date:	11/17/2020
Series:	Orca Soundings Series
Edition description:	High readability edition
Pages:	112
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.28(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Sean Rodman is the author of several books for young people. When not working on his own books, Sean is the executive director of the Story Studio, a charity that inspires, educates and empowers youth to be great storytellers. He lives in Victoria, British Columbia.

Editorial Reviews

"The Bodyguard is quickly paced with interesting plot turns. Ryan's character is one that is nice to see unfold."

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

"There is suspense, teen interests, and family drama in a quick-read format: formula for success. Excellent."

Resource Links

02/01/2019

Gr 8 Up—This continuing series follows teenagers dealing with transitions. Logan is a photographer reeling from the recent death of her mother in The Unbroken Hearts Club. When she and her best friend Cole begin attending bereavement meetings hosted by her father, she is forced to confront her loss, as well as her possible feelings for Cole. Aspiring criminologist Zack's best friend goes missing in Thicker Than Water—and all signs point to Zack's father being involved, all while his parents' marriage falls apart. In The Bodyguard, Ryan, known as "Replay," is a star football player who dreams of becoming a filmmaker. To raise the money to apply to film school, he begins working as a bodyguard to Markus, an Estonian exchange student with dark secrets tied to online gambling. Readers will be enticed by the edgy themes and compelling stories of adolescents following their dreams. VERDICT Written at a third and fourth grade reading level, these novels are distinguished by multidimensional characters and briskly paced plots.

School Library Journal

2018-11-12

An odd pair make an unconventional arrangement in this rushed book for reluctant readers.

Ryan "Replay" Hale is the golden boy of his school's football team even though he feels ambivalent about the game. Markus is the awkward new kid, an exchange student from Estonia who speaks English with a strong accent. Replay has promise as a budding filmmaker, and a teacher encourages him to apply to UCLA's film school, but he doesn't have the confidence, can't afford the application fee, and his parents are insistent that he try for a football scholarship to college. An opportunity to earn the money he needs presents itself when Markus asks Replay to be his bodyguard after Replay rescues him from a bully. The offer seems like easy money, too good to refuse. For $125 per week, Replay is to accompany Markus to and from school and even allows him to attend a party with him. Markus needs protection from a mysterious person called the Plunger who has connections to the Russian mob. Unfortunately, the relationship between Replay and Marcus feels contrived, and the story ends very abruptly. Replay's family dynamics are livelier and more engaging than most of the rest of the book, however briefly described. There are no physical clues regarding Replay's ethnicity.

Despite the issues with the pacing, the accessible writing and occasional humor will keep readers engaged. (Fiction. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews