So I started writing this review in July, but as always, life got in the way... I've also added edit notes and re-written this many times. Hope it's been worth the wait!
"CHERUB has a fifty-year tradition of mayhem and destruction" (page 122)
My copy of this book is an early edition, as only the first three books in the series were published at the time. I remember getting it signed 'TO LAURA' in June 2005. I own the 7th edition of this book however, I couldn't locate it at the time of reading/writing, therefore this review is based upon the 40th edition book which my dad will shortly be receiving for Father's Day (EDIT: He received it, was pleased but still hasn't read it!). I promise I will try to refrain from giving away too many spoilers for those who haven't read the book, although with 325 pages (including the epilogue, which is quite lengthy for a first novel) it'll be hard to keep all the juicy stories to myself...
CHERUB is an organisation of British child spies. Now many of you will instantly think of Alex Rider books (by Anthony Horowitz), but I'll warn you now, there is no comparison. CHERUB blows it away without the need for silly gadgets and the CHERUB kids even go to the toilet! It's as realistic as a fiction book for children/teenagers/young adults can be - I've seen just about every age at various signings!
Characters:
The book opens with "James Choke hated Combined Science", which makes him instantly likeable as the lead character. Everybody hates at least one school subject when you're a kid, so it gives you an instant connection to him. We are introduced early on to his half-sister Lauren, who is only ever called his sister. They clearly share a close bond over their mutual hatred of her father however, Lauren seems to have inherited a mean streak from him as "...she was looking forward to seeing James suffer" later on in the book.
The character of James is developed slowly at an enjoyable pace throughout the book. We learn that he is smart, shown by excelling at mathematics and his novel ways of hiding money, and also trying to be as classy as an eleven year old can be by picking his favourite football player as his new name - I'm sure every kid has thought about having a celebrity name once or twice! It is a captivating journey of self-discovery he undertakes as he navigates friendships, punishments and first love, all in a very short space of time. (EDIT: Seriously?! I wrote this?!!)
Although James takes the lead role in this book, we are introduced to an overwhelming amount of extra characters too. Kyle is his happy-go-lucky friend, as long as everything is clean and tidy and doesn't smell like James' dirty socks! He seems like a trickster at first by playing a practical joke on James, but he redeems himself for lying about CHERUB by helping James get revenge on another care kid. He also proves his best friend credentials by defending James in a fight. Kyle is slightly older than James and although they seem to be total opposites, they seem very suited to being great friends.
Kerry is James' training partner at CHERUB. We see a huge range of emotions from her throughout the training experience, which is what you would expect from an eleven year old girl anyway, without the added pressure of training! She starts off by bossing James around, which he isn't used to but understands when he realises she can help him. This trait is made likeable however, by also making Kerry vulnerable and desperate when she asks James to help her in return. Kerry's character is a challenge for James as she is everything he's not and she's good at everything. This frustrates him, especially when she's a drama queen - screams when landing on her knee, then says "...no worse than usual" - but his character learns to adapt to her challenges throughout the book.
I'm gonna leave it there for the characters because they will definitely be mentioned again in later book reviews.
Plots and Themes:
There is a steady introduction into James' school and family life, and information is revealed slowly to leave the reader wanting more. James' sister Lauren appears as an unsympathetic character often, yet helps out eventually. This turns into a theme and key trait of her character throughout the books.
(EDIT: This seems to be getting long, a bit boring and far too formal, so hopefully I can make the end of this review a bit more exciting!)
Although you are aware that you are reading a book, you'll never feel as if the plot is farfetched. It feels very realistic throughout. There are many transitions of surroundings throughout the early chapters, which keeps the pace. James gets raced between school, the park, his home, his estate, a care home, a new school and many other places. By half way through you feel nearly as lost as James does!
Many chapters of the book were heavily editied or removed to fit the graphic novel. This was to maintain pace and fit the key story points in. Once of these was from the London mission. Editors initially wanted to remove this classic scene, where Bruce pees on the piano in a swimming pool, from the original story of The Recruit too! Thankfully it was kept when lots of kids complained that it was their favourite part of the book. If you don't read it for any other reason, let this be the part that persuades you to try it, as it is hilariously childish and fun!
I do find the Training section has a difficult to follow pace. We jump from day 1 to 26 to 29 in a relatively short space of time, then we suddenly arrive at the last 3 days out of 100, which we get chapters and chapters on. It seems strange to review this because it seems to just fit the writing style and feel of the book! The huge mission briefing half way through the book is very interesting the first time you read it, however after many re-reads, it can feel like it's dragging a little. It's also very formal which is a complete change from the child-like grammar and occasional swear word which entertains us the rest of the time.
One mistake I spotted had been corrected in the 37th edition was on page 250. Scargill's name was mis-spelled as Scragill in my edition! I wasn't sure if this was a play on the speech or a typo, but from the correction I'm guessing at typo... I also wasn't sure that people in real life could make friends so quickly with the weird kids James has to, but maybe that's just my personal opinion.
Overall I think it's an interesting story. The narrative shows good character development and although there is a clear focus on male perspective, the book appeals to both genders and a huge range of ages. A firm favourite with CHERUB fans and a deserving winner of the Older Readers category of the Red House Children's Book Awards 2005.
Laura's rating: 8/10
"It was beautiful" (page 322)