Robert Muchmore

  James Choke is one of the toughest kids in school, but after an  'accidental' injury to one of his class mates he is expelled; only to go home and find his mother dead in her armchair. He and his sister Lauren are taken to a children's home for the night. James gets into trouble after stealing beer from a nearby shop with a gang of older boys, and finds himself in a cell for the night. In the morning James wakes up to find himself at an unknown place; a campus called Cherub. Cherub is an MI5 organisation for kids and after a gruelling 100 days Basic training; changing his name to James Adams and learning to swim; James and his friends find themselves  qualified as Cherub agents. He and his 16yr old swimming instructor Amy are given an assignment to uncover any information about the "hippie town" Fort Harmony.  The Government suspect an environmentalist/ terrorist group,"Help Earth!" is planted near that area.The two kids stay with a woman from Fort Harmony and begin to unravel a plot to kill all the oil company representatives with a deadly disease transmitted from the air conditioning. James also falls for a girl named Joanna, but will she distract him from fulfilling his mission or will James and Amy foil Help Earth!'s plot? 

   This book is very gripping and a good read. I found it very hard to put down and it would appeal to both boys and girls. The Recruit is like the Alex Rider books but a hundred times better. The book is aimed at  older children probably 11+ as it would be unsuitable for younger readers. The Recruit is also about teenage children so it is very easy to relate to. I think it would make a brilliant film. I definitely recommend it!