The Recruit by Robert MuchamoreMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
James ends up at Nebraska House, a children’s home, after his mother unexpectedly dies. His stepfather keeps his younger half-sister Lauren, but decides he doesn’t want anything to do with James who he labels as a juvenile delinquent. After a couple of narrow scrapes with the police, James wakes one day in a posh boarding school with no idea how he got there. It turns out to be a training school for children who spy for MI-5. James is offered the chance to enroll as a CHERUB in training. The decision in a no-brainer and James begins the 100 day training program. The program pushes James to his limits, but failing is not an option if he wants to be CHERUB. Through the process James finds a friend in his training partner Kerry. They help each other and compensate for each other’s weaknesses. Ultimately, the training takes all of the recruits through the most difficult tasks of their lives. If they are lucky enough to pass, they must face the real-life dangers waiting for them in future missions as agents.
This was a fun read, and one that will appeal to fans of the Alex Rider series. It will more likely be popular with middle school students than high school students, although it is one that would be good for reluctant and low level older readers. There is plenty of action, and the plot moves fairly quickly after James enters CHERUB’s training program. James is pretty obnoxious in the first third of the book, so it’s difficult to feel much sympathy for the character, but this changes as he matures throughout the book. This is the first book in the CHERUB series by Robert Muchamore, and the second book The Dealer has already been published. While it is a good read, I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily a must-read.
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