I was feeling guilty about my propensity for recommending "girl books" so I picked up Anthony Horowitz's Stormbreaker after reading about the popularity of the series in Publisher's Weekly.  A James Bond-style story for a teen audience, Stormbreaker delivers fast-paced action, cool gadgets, and a total nutcase for a nemesis.   Adapted for an American audience, ("potato chip packets" rather than crisps!), this series will appeal to tweens and younger teens with its imperfect but heroic main character Alex Rider.  An orphan brought up by his uncle (a bachelor banker), Alex considers himself an average British schoolboy until he is informed of his uncle's "accidental" death.  Alex's determination to find the truth puts him in the hands of M16, and his adventure begins.

    "This isn't a bank," Alex said.  "Who are you?  Was my uncle working for you?  Did you kill him?"
    "So many questions," Crawley muttered.  "But I'm afraid we're not authorized to give you the answers."
    The second man lifted his hand and Alex saw that he was holding a gun.  He stood up behind the desk, holding the file as if to protect himself.  "No . . ." he began.
    The man fired.  There was no explosion.  The gun spat at Alex and he felt something slam into his heart.  His hand opened and the file tumbled to the ground.  Then his legs buckled, the room twisted, and he fell back into nothing.