The Recruit
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4.7 • 120 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
A young foster child gets inducted into an elite group of underage spies in this gripping first book in the young adult CHERUB series perfect for graduates of City Spies and Spy School.
Following the death of his mother, eleven-year-old James Choke gets separated from his half-sister, Lauren, and sent to a children’s home. James may be a bit of a troublemaker, but he’s also brilliant and soon makes an impression on his roommate—who introduces James to CHERUB.
CHERUB is an organization of highly trained, extremely talented spies aged ten to seventeen who tackle sensitive missions where adult agents would draw too much attention. When James passes the entrance exams, his next hurdle is the brutal one hundred days of basic training. From being forced to spend Christmas night outside in his underwear to a grueling three-day solo hike through a rain forest, James gets pushed to his limit and beyond…but he perseveres.
James is soon sent overseas with one of his CHERUB mentors to monitor a dangerous group of people, but when deadly compounds enter the mix, will James’s first mission also be his last?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The first book in Muchamore's CHERUB series, a bestselling line in the U.K. since 2004, offers an enjoyable mix of action and teen drama, while avoiding some of the wackiness that can plague teen spy novels. When 11-year-old James is orphaned after his petty criminal mother dies, he comes to the attention of CHERUB, a spy agency that only uses minors as agents, because kids make such unlikely suspects. Much of the novel is standard spy training stuff, including a grueling boot camp (complete with a relentlessly tough and sadistic instructor), bonding sequences with his fellow recruits, and a first mission that goes awry. In this case, that mission involves infiltrating a camp of ex-hippies who are planning to attack oil company executives. If the plot is predictable, Muchamore presents both the spies and the dangers they face realistically, avoiding over-the-top gadgets sand slapstick. Well-fleshed out minor characters including James's training partner/crush, as well as his sister help elevate the story above the standard fare. Ages 12 up.
Customer Reviews
The Most Amazing Series Ever!!
This is a crazy book!! It is very good and has a lot of action. This series is more for 12+ because it has some bad words and violence. This is my favorite series out of all. Alex Rider *_* that was a good one but not nearly as good as cherub. I love this series!!
Good enough start
3. Cool debut spy novel for teens and it only gets better from here.
Good
Good