43 pages • 1 hour read
Anthony HorowitzStormbreaker
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2000A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 4-6Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 4 Summary: “So What Do You Say?”
Alex wakes up the following day in an Elizabethan house wearing silk pajamas. He realizes that he was drugged and asleep for more than a day. A nurse opens the door and tells him that he will join Blunt for lunch. When Alex meets Blunt, Blunt introduces his secretary, Mrs. Jones. Blunt reveals that Royal & General is a cover for the Special Operations division of MI6. Ian was a spy with assignments around the world, which explains his absences and injuries over the years. He was on an undercover assignment in England when he was killed. Alex asks if they know who killed Ian, and they say they do but cannot tell him at this time.
Blunt and Mrs. Jones then tell Alex that he is at a training center and they need his help. Egyptian businessman Herod Sayle, who was adopted and raised by an English couple, is planning to donate thousands of Stormbreaker computers to Britain’s schoolchildren. However, Blunt and Mrs. Jones do not trust Sayle because of his contracts in China and the former Soviet Union and his private army. They sent Ian to spy on him, working undercover as a security specialist. He discovered something sinister about Stormbreaker and returned to London to report, but he was killed before he could pass on the information. Blunt asks Alex to spy on Sayle under the identity of Felix Lester, a boy who is scheduled to test the prototype of the Stormbreaker computer.
Blunt explains that he saw Alex’s karate moves in the junkyard and his break-in at Ian’s office. He says Alex is a brave and clever boy whose skills would be an asset to MI6 and the country. Alex refuses, wishing to return to a normal life, but Blunt tells him that with his uncle dead, MI6 is his guardian until he turns 21. They will send Jack back to America and transfer Alex to another school. Alex protests but, weighing the options, agrees to help them.
Chapter 5 Summary: “Double 0 Nothing”
Alex begins training. His sergeant believes training a 14-year-old is foolish and dangerous but gives Alex a chance. The other trainees are adults, most of whom avoid Alex, except one named Wolf, who antagonizes him and calls him “Double 0 Nothing” (61). The training is strenuous, but Alex does his best to endure. However, during one session simulating a hostage situation where the trainees must avoid tripping a wire, Wolf pushes Alex into the wire. When the sergeant angrily confronts Alex, he takes responsibility rather than reporting Wolf. Over time, Alex becomes exhausted. On a long hike, he tells the sergeant he can’t complete the program. The sergeant explains that he knows Wolf pushed him into the wire and offers Alex a chance to report Wolf. Alex refuses, which satisfies the sergeant. He tells Alex that the remainder of the day’s hike is not difficult, and Alex finishes. At the end, he sees the other trainees camped out with tents and trying to build a fire. Alex takes out matches that he pickpocketed from the sergeant and shares them.
Chapter 6 Summary: “Toys Aren’t Us”
Back in London, Blunt expresses satisfaction at Alex’s progress. Alex is too young to have weapons, so MI6 arranges for a technician named Smithers to create gadgets. Mrs. Jones, who reveals a habit of sucking on peppermints, tells Blunt that if they send Alex to Sayle Enterprises, he will probably die. Blunt insists that the Stormbreaker computers are a threat and that Alex’s potential death is a worthwhile risk. Blunt tells Mrs. Jones to inform Alex about Yassen Gregorovich, who killed Ian and might be working for Sayle. He then says it’s time for Alex to go undercover at Sayle’s house in Port Tallon, Cornwall.
Alex goes with the trainees to parachute. All the men jump, except Wolf, who freezes. Alex knows that if Wolf does not jump, he cannot progress in his training or career. Alex kicks Wolf out of the plane. When Alex returns to the hangar, Mrs. Jones greets him and introduces him to Smithers, who gives him gadgets that look like everyday items for teenage boys. These include a yo-yo with nylon string useful for climbing, an acne cream that can melt metal, and a Game Boy with four cartridges that can contact MI6, use X-ray and audio for eavesdropping, detect bugs, and create a smoke bomb. After Smithers leaves, Mrs. Jones gives him information about his cover, Felix Lester, and then shows him a picture of Yassen, a Russian contract killer who likely killed Ian. Mrs. Jones warns Alex that if Yassen appears, they will end his mission. Wolf arrives and, rather than being angry, tells Alex he was wrong about him and that it would be good for them to work together someday. Alex agrees, and they shake hands before Alex departs.
Chapters 4-6 Analysis
Chapter 4 introduces Alex and the reader to MI6 and establishes the central conflict in the novel: MI6’s investigation of Herod Sayle. In addition, the chapter establishes Sayle’s exterior image as a generous and brilliant man, which Alex finds himself believing for a time.
The Moral Complexity of Espionage creates a strained relationship between Alex and his MI6 handlers, Blunt and Mrs. Jones. When Alex refuses to work for them, Blunt tells him that he will likely be sent to a different school and home. Alex accuses him of blackmail but realizes that the cost of refusing is too high. This gives Alex unease throughout the section and causes him to develop resentment toward Blunt. In Chapter 6, Mrs. Jones tells Blunt that Alex is still only a boy and that if they send him to Sayle Enterprises, he will likely be killed. However, Blunt is more concerned with ensuring the safety of England and is willing to sacrifice Alex’s life if necessary. The exchange between the two establishes the necessity of MI6 to make difficult decisions that might not be completely ethical and that they might regret later. Alex wonders if Mrs. Jones thinks about the men she sent to die.
Peppermint makes its first appearance as a motif, with Mrs. Jones having a habit of sucking on peppermints candy. Alex makes a connection between this habit and her morally compromised work with MI6, wondering if “it was easier for her if her breath was sweet” (84). The motif supports The Moral Complexity of Espionage and reflects the complicated relationship between Alex and Mrs. Jones, which evolves over the series.
Perseverance in the Face of Difficulty is developed in Alex’s training in Chapter 5, during which he completes difficult tasks and simulates dangerous situations. Alex’s experiences show the strain of keeping up with the adult men in the program and his nerve and resilience in stressful and dangerous situations. Though Alex cannot outperform the other trainees, he makes a good impression and eventually earns their respect. In Chapter 6, Alex kicks Wolf out of the aircraft to help him overcome his fear of heights, an act that, while violent, earns Wolf’s respect. Their parting as friends leads to them teaming up later in the series. Although Alex’s training is unrealistic in its danger and intensity, his growth is portrayed somewhat realistically.
Chapter 6 incorporates The Interplay of Technology and Espionage by introducing Smithers, the creator of MI6’s gadgets. Smithers gives Alex tools appropriate for a teenager, including a yo-yo, acne cream, and a Game Boy. They are designed to convince Sayle that he is a normal teenage boy while giving him the means to detect things, send messages, escape, and climb. They also reflect the technological changes that came with the start of the new century and millennium. With these technological changes, espionage also changed.
Alex remains a reluctant spy with unresolved resentment and frustration toward Blunt and, to a lesser extent, Mrs. Jones, but he grows more confident in his physical skills and leaves the training center with the respect of the instructors and other trainees, including Wolf. His ability to stay calm in difficult situations and not escalate conflicts shows his maturity for his age and that, while young, Alex has the temperament to be a good spy.
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By Anthony Horowitz
