I Am the Weapon

By: Allen Zadoff

Narrated by: John Salwin

They needed the perfect assassin.

Boy Nobody is the perennial new kid in school, the one few notice and nobody thinks much about. He shows up in a new high school in a new town under a new name, makes a few friends and doesn't stay long. Just long enough for someone to die -- of "natural causes." Mission accomplished, Boy Nobody disappears, moving on to the next target.

But when The Program assigns him to the mayor of New York City, things change. Somewhere deep inside, Boy Nobody is somebody: the kid he once was; the teen who wants normal things, like a real home and a girlfriend; a young man who wants out. And who just might want those things badly enough to sabotage The Program's mission.

In this action-packed series debut, author Allen Zadoff pens a page-turning thriller that is as thought-provoking as it is gripping, introducing an utterly original and unforgettable antihero.

Critic reviews

Praise for I Am the Weapon, previously titled Boy Nobody:
A 2014 Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
* "Zadodff shines in this violent, entertaining twist on the teen spy novel. [Boy Nobody is]...a tense and exciting story with a strong cast...blunt and hard edged narration and twists will keep readers riveted."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

* "[Boy Nobody] is like a darker version of Alex Rider, [and] Thomas in James Dashner's Maze Runner series... Fans of such fast-paced action novels should love this first installment in the Boy Nobody series."—VOYA (starred review)

"Operating in the tradition of both James Bond and of Robert Cormier's I Am the Cheese(1977), Boy Nobody is an auspicious first volume in a promised new series of action-adventure thrillers that will keep readers clamoring for more."—Booklist

"Fast, furious, and fun...Plenty of action and drama, and hairpin turns [that] will keep readers guessing; a twist in the end will have them begging for more."—Kirkus Reviews

"A promising start to an exciting new series."—SLJ

"I cannot wait to get this title, first in a new series, into the hands of my male students who are often at a loss for material to read."—Library Media Connection

"When James Bond was a little boy, he wanted to grow up to be half as hard-core as Boy Nobody."—Barry Lyga, New York Times bestselling author of I Hunt Killers

only one small thing

my only irritation was the constant use of "I said" "he said" "she said" like grade school writing at points. other than that, good book

I said she said.

when 90% of the book is the phrase I said she said every 30 seconds it's not gonna get a high rating.

Orphan X Kids Club

This is sort of interesting despite being highly improbable. Like Orphan X, Ben is taken at 12 and trained in super-spy techniques, then by 16 is sent out on assassination missions. The difference between the orphans is that Ben must make phony relationships to get close to his target before the kill. Ben has moved many times and gotten "in" at many schools. Orphan X's distance kills seem more believable than Ben's instant relationships.

In this tale, he has 5 days to kill the mayor of New York. To do so he befriends the mayor's daughter at his new school. On day 2 of this assignment, after attending a teen party at the mayor's home, she says, "I'm beginning to have feelings for you....Do you have feelings for me?" Yes, I know all about Romeo and Juliet and I myself (believe it or not) have had fast teen romances, but still. He should have answered her, "Gee, Samara, I dunno, we just met yesterday, and I need to kill your father."

The reveals at the end alleviate some of the hard-to-swallow-ness, but the whole setup just takes a lot of belief suspension to get through. I will still give the next volume a chance since Ben is starting to do some thinking, and he has made a real friend here along the way.

The narration makes the book sound more amateurish, but by the end you get used to it, so it ends up interesting.

Absolutely amazing!! I loved this book

I loved this book the story is amazing and so is the narrator! Must buy

Interesting

It was an interesting listen, and the different voices were performed well. Plot twists were predictable, and characters were a tad cliché. All in all, I can't wait to finish the series and see what happens next.