If you’re looking for an action-packed summer read, check out Chris Bradford’s Bodyguard books. Larrabee discovered the first one, Recruit, on the first day of summer vacation and has since binge-read the whole series.
In the first book, 14-year-old British kickboxing champion, Connor Reeves, is recruited into a top-secret squad of teen bodyguards trained to protect young celebrities. After some intense training, he travels to Washington, DC for his first mission: to guard the President’s high-spirited daughter.
Kids who like the Alex Rider series will like this one too. Both series are fast-paced and have a similar mix of action and suspense. Like the Alex Rider series, the Bodyguard books contain some violence and so are appropriate for older (grades 5+) readers.
You should be warned that the publisher has republished each of the original four books in two parts, so you’ll need to get the books two at a time. (Larrabee and I learned this the hard way.) Recruit ends with a major cliffhanger, and the rest of the story is in the second book, Hostage.
One of the coolest things about these books are all the fascinating details about the way bodyguards assess threats and counter dangers to their principal. After reading them, you’ll find yourself walking around in Code Yellow.
Imaginary Friends 
I love these SO much, and was excited when I got to interview Mr. Bradford! (https://www.yabookscentral.com/blog/author-chat-with-chris-bradford-plus-giveaway) This has been a very popular series in my school library!
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I’m glad to hear that. I was planning to donate the first two books to my son’s school library. (We checked the rest out of our local library.) Thanks for the link to your interview. Very interesting! I’ll share it with my son.
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This sounds like a must read both for me and a few emerging readers who are very selective about their reading choices. Thanks for the heads-up and to Ms. Yingling for her interview link.
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This book has short chapters, which I think are good for emerging readers.
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This really sounds like a fun book packed with a lot of action! Will check it out. Could see this series made into a movie. Thanks for the introduction.
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My son agrees that these books would make a great movie!
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Sounds fun! I love it when books give you a hint of what it’s really like to be something (like a bodyguard in this case).
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Me too! I learned so many things through books when I was a kid (and still do).
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Sounds like a great adventure story. And the bodyguards sound interesting too.
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I never thought about all that a bodyguard has to be constantly aware of—that’s so interesting! I do wonder why in the world the publisher would add cliffhangers in each book by splitting them—that seems more obnoxious than anything else. Thanks so much for the recommendation!
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I really like intense books like these. I hadn’t heard of them. Thanks for telling me about them. I will check them out.
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Definitely looking for this series. My karate-kids would have loved them!
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My son loves his martial arts class, so I’m sure that’s why the cover and back matter caught his attention in the bookstore.
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What a clever idea for a novel! Thanks to you and your son for sharing this one with us for MMGM. The cover looks like it is spot-on for the book, too.
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