Common Sense Media Review
By Michael Berry
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Teen spy series gets off to rousing start.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 12+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 5 parent reviews
Based on 38 kid reviews
Kids say the book is engaging and filled with action, but it also contains mature themes, including swearing, violence, and sexual references, making it more suitable for older teens rather than younger children. Many reviewers appreciate its thrilling plot and character development, while cautioning that parents should be aware of the content before allowing younger readers to engage with it.
- mature themes
- exciting plot
- parental caution
- character development
- suitable for teens
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
In THE RECRUIT, James Choke's mother runs a crime ring out of their flat. When she dies suddenly, Jack and his sister Lauren are separated by the authorities. She goes to live with her good-for-nothing father, while James is sent off to a boarding school that's actually a training facility for CHERUB, a secret organization that employs teens for spy work. James undergoes a grueling regimen, but the real challenge comes when he's sent undercover on his first mission.
Is It Any Good?
Author Richard Muchamore keeps the pace brisk, the dialogue punchy, and the action heightened in this thrilling tale of teen spies in training. This volume is an origin story, so it takes a while to prepare James for his first mission, but the payoff is worth the long setup. Lots of kids daydream about what it might be like to be an international super spy, and this novel provides plenty of exciting answers.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether children could actually be employed to complete spy missions. What sorts of laws might prevent such a setup?
Why are spy stories so popular? What others have you read?
What might it feel like to be an orphan? How does society treat teens without parents?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Mystery
- Topics : Adventures
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Simon Pulse
- Publication date : August 30, 2005
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 12 - 18
- Number of pages : 342
- Available on : Paperback, Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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