If you're looking for a light-hearted and fun book for children, look away because this is CHERUB: The Recruit, a violent story by popular author Robert Muchamore. It features a great plot, some interesting characters and you won't be able to put it down!

-Plot-

James Choke's life turns into a bit of a mess when he gets himself into a lot of trouble of school, and soon after, his mother dies. With no family left but a sister, he is sent to Nebaskra House, a home for children. Despite making friends with another boy named Kyle, things aren't any better - he can't get over the death of his mum, plus his sister, Lauren, is taken by James's horrible stepdad.

James wakes up one day in a mysterious place named CHERUB. He finds out it is a branch of British Intelligence, but uses kids instead of adults. Why? Because criminals don't think for one moment that kids are spies. James has to go through five tests to join CHERUB, and he surprises even himself by passing.

His life has taken a turn for the better, but things aren't perfect quite yet. Before becoming a proper CHERUB agent, however, he has to pass a gruelling training course, which takes place over one hundred consecutive days. The head instructor, Mr Large, takes pleasure in making the kids suffer in tough assault courses and straining physical exercises. Failure would mean going through the whole course all over again. It makes James's life not just sad anymore, but extremely tough.

-Characters-

James Choke, who becomes known as James Adams later in the book, is the main character. Despite being funny at times, he is a couch potato and finds himself in trouble a lot of the time. He's arguably one of the best characters in children's books today - he's likeable and his feelings are constantly described, so boys can connect to him.

Lauren Choke, whose surname also becomes Adams, is James's sister. They do fight sometimes, but generally get on well. She's not the girliest of girls - she's quite tough and wants her hair dyed black. She is, like James, quite a likeable character and it is good to see her appearing quite a lot in the book.

Kyle Blueman is James's best friend. He is very funny, pulling some hilarious pranks on James. He's an experienced CHERUB agent, going on several important missions in his time. He is shown as a fun and cheerful character, but does get himself into quite a lot trouble, like James.

Kerry Chang is James's partner in the training course and comes across as strong and tough, but quite friendly at the same time. She was part of the last CHERUB training course, before breaking her kneecap, needing titanium rods in it. This means that she's helpful to James as she knows the best ways to complete the assault courses and is excellent at physical exercises.

-My Opinion-

I really enjoyed reading The Recruit. It has an excellent storyline which is easy to follow and features characters that kids and teenagers will be able to relate to. Throughout the near 330 pages of the book, you are completely gripped and you can never guess what happens next. The Recruit is also very descriptive, especially about it's characters. If there's a teenager or maybe even an adult who is looking for a book, this is a perfect choice!

-Content-

Despite being called a children's book, The Recruit is quite strong in terms of content. I'd recommend it for anyone ages 12+.

- There is some violence but injuries are not often described.
- Several characters in the book smoke.
- There are uses of strong language; s*i* is used sometimes and there is minor language such as p*ss and cra*.

This reviewis also posted on Ciao under my name YoshiCheesePuff.