Harlan Coben: Long Lost

My students have been enjoying Harlan Coben's novels this semester, and last week I was compelled to call one's father. The conversation went something like this ...

"Mr. _____? This is ______'s teacher." Long pause on the other end of the line. "I just wanted to let you know what a great son you have. His reading has really taken off."

"Well thank you."

"You know, I have some books by an author named Harlan Coben that he really seems to enjoy. He told me his grandmother bought him some more, and he read one of them, a 422 page novel, in two nights," of course, I'm grinning like a madman while telling him this.

"Yes, I've noticed that. When the rest of us are all together watching TV, he's in reading. I told him, More power to you."

"He's really a terrific kid. And I'm not telling you this just because he let me borrow that novel."

I went on to say how well the student was doing in class, and how pleased I was to was to know that he had found a genre he really got into. Dad thanked me profusely for calling.

It just goes to show you, those phone calls from the school aren't always about problems.

Harlan Coben writes the Myron Bolitar series, as well as having other great main characters. Long Lost is a Myron Bolitar book, and even though it's a series, each book can stand alone. The great thing about Coben, especially for high school students who think they don't like to read, is that he tells his stories with a voice that anyone can hear. I always feel as though I'm "in" with Myron, that he's my pal, telling me what's going on. Myron's best friend Win is a big draw also. Prep school looks, haughty attitude, and a veritable maniac at the same time.

Long Lost finds Myron ending a relationship, while an old lover is calling for his help. She has a secret, and it's a big one. As the plot thickens (and becomes pea soup fog rather quickly) we're pulled in to the world of international terrorists, murder, and some unusual mayhem.

No wonder my students love this stuff. Not only are they getting a great story, they're learning about the world at the same time.

(Click the title of this post to redirect to Coben's excerpt for Long Lost.)

Comments

  1. Wish my teachers had called home with this kind of news.

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