The Recruit: Book 1 (CHERUB)

James is not having a good year. He keeps getting in fights and getting in trouble. He ends up in a foster home and things aren't much better. Eventually, he gets a break and things start looking up. It's not an easy road, but who said being a spy is easy?

This started out a bit slow, but once it

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got going, it was really good.

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This is the first book in the Cherub series. It is the story of James Choke, and his half Sister, Lauren Onions. It is the story of how their Mum dies of a drinks overdose, their short time in Nebraska House, their sudden Recruitment into a branch of the secret intelligence service that recruits

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children aged 10-17 called Cherub, and their 99 day basic training course in the hands of the fearsome Norman Large.

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352/352 It's the first book in the cherub Series and it's where James gets recruited into Cherub. But that is after his mother dies, and he and his sister are sent to a group home. But they get seperated because he and his sister are half siblings. His sister goes to live with her dad, who was

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basically the one who got their mother killed. Who also doesn't like James or his own daughter.

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I like the Cherub series because they are all well written and appeal to teenagers

It's very interting, lots of facts, keeps the reader in suspense

Cherub agents are all seventeen and under. They look like regular kids. But they're not. They are trained professionals who are sent out on missions to spy on terrorists and international drug dealers. CHERUB agents hack into computers, bug entire houses, and download crucial documents. It is a

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highly dangerous job. For their safety, these agents do not exist. James is the latest CHERUB recruit. He and his sister were recently orphaned, and James has been in a lot of trouble. But he is brilliant in math. And CHERUB needs him. After one hundred days, the grueling training period is over. But the adventure has just begun.

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Category: Spy, action, adventure

This book is about a secret organization called CHERUB which uses orphaned children to spy on criminals. This series follows one new recruit James Adams from his recruitment at age 11 to the end of the latest book at 17.

The best thing about this book is that you

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will never know what will turn up next in the series of events.

I did not like in this book the distinctly adult themes in some of the later books which would be inappropriate for younger readers.

You would like this book if you had previously read the ‘Alex rider’ series which goes along the same lines as this book.

A good place to read this book would be just about anywhere because it is not one of those books where you need to be in a specific place to imaging the scenario

This is a great book for anybody from the ages of 11-17.

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My 9 year old nephew loves these so I bought the first one to take a look. On the back cover is a warning "not suitable for younger readers" which I took to be a marketing thing (what better way to get your book read by younger readers wanting to read something that makes them seem older!) However,

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having read the book I feel the warning should be taken somewhat seriously.

This is unfortunate though as the story would be ideal for younger readers, and indeed young teens too. It is quite reminiscent of Anthony Horowitz - a perfect scenario for boys. Who would not want to be chosen as a Cherub agent, enlisted by British Secret services for those missions that adults cannot manage?

The scenario is perfect and should make for a great and readable series. The first story was a good adventure - maybe staying a little too long on the basic training, but still one that younger readers will love, and older readers can appreciate. I fully intend to buy the next book in the series.

But the writing occasionally lets the book down. As a father, there is language in the book and some messages from the book that I would not want to put in front of younger readers, and I will not be recommending it to anyone under the age of 11. Its not terrible, and some of my problem with the language just marks me out as an old fogy! But it was unnecessary, and a real pity as this book could be enjoyed by 9+ otherwise.

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Aspiring teenage fiction authors take note: if you want to rake in the fans, this is how to do it. Robert Muchamore's CHERUB series has amassed a formidable worldwide following, and one need only open up a copy of The Recruit – the book that started it all – to see why. Muchamore plays

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shamelessly on every thirteen-year-old boy's closeted longing to be a secret agent. No matter how many times our protagonist, James, is battered, bruised, drowned or nearly killed in training or on missions, readers will still fantasise themselves into his boots, because to be him would be the coolest thing ever. From the descriptions of his former bedroom – so loaded with gaming consoles that 'it looked like a bomb had gone off in Toys R Us' – to the campus full of karate-kids whose job it is to break into terrorists' houses and smash up furniture, every aspect of this novel is hardwired to scream 'teenage guy's dream'.

As fast-paced thrillers go, Muchamore's writing is top-notch. He stumbles a little when it comes to realistic dialogue, but nowhere near enough to unglue his readers from the page. With the help of some convincing (but not cumbersome) background information, a cast of likeable supporting characters and a smattering of brisk humour – all delivered via bite-sized chapters packed with punchy sentences – The Recruit goes from readable to downright addictive without a moment's pause, especially where basic training and the CHERUB campus are concerned.

Once James departs on his first mission, the page-turning power wanes a little, but with so much momentum behind it, The Recruit is virtually unstoppable. What Muchamore gives us in the final few chapters is a somewhat sobering reminder of his novel's realism. For all its action-packed charisma, this miniature portrait of intelligence work is coloured with a complexity and depth that complete the book very nicely.

The hype is fully justified; Robert Muchamore's first CHERUB novel will grab you, thrill you and leave you eager for more. It's a good thing the series shows no signs of running out any time soon.

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I picked up this first-in-a-series anticipating that it would be a good read-alike for fans of Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider series. Indeed, I think it is a read-alike but I wanted to like this book more than I did.

Remembering that I usually only read the first book in a series in order to give

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myself time to read more titles to offer better readers’ advisory services, this may be a series that improves as it continues. The things that bothered me are not things that would prevent a young teen from enjoying this book but may be things that equally nag at older readers. I found the writing disjointed, rough, and elementary. My hope is that this improved with the series’ continuation; otherwise, I fear that readers will give up on the books as they feel talked down to rather than spoken to.

This title also seemed to be laying a good deal of groundwork and did not spend nearly enough time on the mission itself. Of course, it is personal style and choice but I find myself more engaged when a book lays groundwork while telling the story – not making the groundwork a separate entity. Again, this is something that may change with the future editions to the series because, well, the groundwork will have been laid.

I must stress that my misgivings have not hindered me suggesting the series to young teen readers. Their reactions have not yet come back to me and those reactions will most definitely play into whether I continue to offer this series as a read-alike for Alex Rider fans.

Cautions: Mild language (usually followed with discipline by adult), some “snogging”

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A marvelous series by a marvelous author

It is a fantastic book which grips me from it. It is a must read book which describes James, a spy for the Britain, daily life. The connection between him and his sister was an astonishing relationship. Its good.

The Recruit is the first book in the Cherub series. This is an outstanding book. It mainly takes place at Cherub, a secret facility hidden in England's countryside. The main character, James Adams gets recruited to Cherub after his mother dies. Cherub is a branch of British intelligence. Its agents

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are based from 10-17 years old. Cherub agents are mainly orphans who have been taken out of care homes and are specially trained to work undercover. I really liked this book and after I read it I read the 11 books after this one!

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I'd give all cherubs books at least a four start rating this is a really good book. It is easy to read and intresting.

I really enjoyed these series. They are very interesting and you never know what's going to happen next.

Definitely the best Cherub book in the series. I especially liked the part where Bruce and Kyle beat the crap out of Greg Jennings and his friends.

The Recruit was a great book. This book was classified action but also involved a good amount of drama and comedy. I definately reccomend this book because it is very exciting and you will want to read more.

This was my favourite book i have read when i was a teenager. This series i still enjoy and love. Some content however can be a bit extreame however i strongly suggest this book to young teens

This is the first title in the Cherub series. James Choke is one of the toughest kids in his school and when a girl in his class makes fun of his overweight and alcoholic mother he retaliates by pushing her into a wall. Unfortunately her face is cut open on a protruding nail and James is expelled

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from school. His mother, the leader of a group of thieves, has a heart attack and dies and James is sent to a foster home where he joins a gang and gets caught stealing beer. After spending the night in a cell, he wakes up at the campus of CHERUB, an agency that trains children to become spies for the British government. Once he has passed a series of tests he is offered a place at CHERUB and starts Basic Training. After a gruelling 100 days of physical labour, exhaustion, extreme cold, an instructor that seems bent on torturing the trainees, and a trip to Malaysia, James becomes a CHERUB agent and is sent on his first mission.

I’m sure everyone would excited by the prospect of being a spy, especially teenagers! Muchamore has written a fast paced, action adventure with a bit of humour thrown in. This book is a great read with a likeable, if flawed hero – fabulous.

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This series has been in demand with the boys at Highland, so I knew I'd have to check it out this summer! The first book in the series follows James as he goes from a troubled kid whose mom dies to his experience as a recruit for a secret organization called CHERUB, a division of MI5 for under 18

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spies. In order to go on a mission, recruits have to get through a gruelling 100 day training. James' first mission puts him undercover investigating a possible terrorism threat. It was surprising at times how much these kids could do and experienced when they were so young - like 10 or 12 years old! This series has a lot in common with the Alex Rider series. Although, it is a little grittier with more emphasis on action and spying and less gadgets. It was a quick read and will definitely continue to be popular!

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Finally, after years of successfully recommending this to reluctant boy-readers and girls looking for something different, I read it myself... and it's a good read. Typical of bk. 1 in a series: there's lots of scene setting and plot-layering, but overall a satisfying read, and a series I can now

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dip into as and when various parts are available for a fun weekend read.

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this is a tense book and it is good

So I wanted to slap the author about a hundred different times while reading this "novel". Just a terrible book. And that's all I'm saying.

First in series about child spy, James Adams. Exciting and gritty, although the kids do seem really young for all the tough stuff they experience...