CHERUB
| Author | Robert Muchamore |
|---|---|
| Original title | CHERUB Series |
| Language | English |
| Series | CHERUB |
| Genre | Children's, Thriller, Spy novel |
| Publisher | Hodder and Stoughton |
Publication date | 30 April 2004 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
CHERUB is a series of children's books written by the author Robert Muchamore about a group of children who are trained to be agents working for the British Government in the top secret organisation known as CHERUB. It is similar to the British security service MI5, and is based on the fact that no criminal would suspect a child of spying on them. Since the books have come out they have been a huge success selling over 600,000 copies worldwide. After the huge success in the United Kingdom they have been sold in the United States of America, New Zealand, Russia, Portugal, France and others.
Series (in order)
- ISBN 0340 88153 4
James Robert Choke is recruited by CHERUB after his mother dies. After training, he is soon sent on a mission to foil a mass murder led by a group of eco-terrorists called 'Help Earth!'.
- ISBN 0340 88154 2
(also known as CHERUB: The Dealer and CHERUB: The Mission) James is sent on a mission to spy on a drug dealer. To succeed he becomes friends with drug dealers and deals in drugs himself. When James comes close to using drugs his CHERUB career is put in jeopardy. He also befriends Junior Moore.
- ISBN 0340 884355
James becomes an inmate of a high security prison, but finds that his mission becomes more complicated than he thought it would be when his accomplice Dave is injured in a fight and can't carry on with the mission.
- ISBN 0340 894334
Somehow, a small time crook manages to get his hands on a fortune; MI5 needs to know how.
- ISBN 0340 894342
When CHERUB discovers a link between terrorist group Help Earth and a wealthy religious cult called the Survivors, the authorities need to know why.
- ISBN 0340 91169 7
James, Lauren and Kyle go undercover as animal rights protestors in order to bust a series of terrorist groups; the AFA (Animal Freedom Army) and the AFM (Animal Freedom Militia). The life of a man now rests in James, Kyle and Lauren's hands.
- ISBN 0340 91170 0
When an MI5 operation goes wrong, James needs all of his skills to get out of Russia alive. Meanwhile, his sister Lauren is on her first solo mission, trying to uncover a brutal human trafficking operation.
- ISBN 0340911719, to be published October 2007
The British underworld is controlled by gangs, and when two of them start a turf war violence explodes on to the streets. The police need information fast, and James has the contacts to infiltrate the most dangerous gang of all. This book is the sequel to CHERUB: Class A.
- ISBN TBC, to be published February 2008
The plot of the book centres around an airliner crash investigation. It'll also be the first book where Lauren and her friends get the leading role. James has a subplot where he's on work experience. Things go badly wrong...
ISBN TBC, to be published World Book Day, March 2008 A terrorist group called Dark Sun attempt making a Uranium Gas centrifuge. This will mean they can produce a Nuclear Weapon of mass destruction.
Sales
The CHERUB series have now sold more than 600,000 copies worldwide according to CHERUB Campus website.
Film
Production company Jigsaw Films have bought the rights to a film version of the CHERUB books. The script is being written by Chris Smith, director of horror films Creep and Severance. The release date is thought to be released in 2008 or 2009 according to an interview[1].
Characters
Cherubs
- James Robert Anthony Adams, born James Robert Choke in 1991, Tufnell Park, London, England: The main character in the books, which mainly focus on his experiences. He has anger management problems which do get him into trouble regularly. He excels at mathematics and is good in other subjects, although at the start of the series he is not motivated to do the set work. At the beginning of The Recruit he is expelled from school, his mother dies and he is put in a foster home, where he is recruited to CHERUB by Kyle Blueman.
- Lauren Zoe Adams, born Lauren Zoe Onions in 1994, Tufnell Park, London, England: James's half sister, who is forced to live with her father, Ron Onions, a violent layabout known to smuggle cigarettes, for the start of the first book. She is recruited to CHERUB later. She accompanies James on his missions in Maximum Security, Divine Madness and Man Vs. Beast. She begins going out with "Rat" in "The Fall".
- Kyle Blueman, born 1989, United Kingdom: A key character in The Recruit as he helps to get James settled in at the care home. He's always out to make some money, but the only scheme that actually works is his pirate DVD business. In Class A, he admits to James that he is a homosexual, and got his first boyfriend in Man Vs. Beast. Kyle accompanies James on his missions in Class A, Man Vs Beast and Mad Dogs.
- Kerry Chang, born Ling Chang in 1992: James meets Kerry shortly after joining CHERUB, shares a basic training programme with her and she becomes a very good friend, sharing an on/off romance with him. They first go out in Class A before breaking up in "The Killing" after James bashes up a younger child for laughing at him. They get back together later in the novel but they break up again in" The Fall". In Class A, Kerry accompanies James, Kyle and Nicole on their mission, posing as their adoptive sister.
- Amy Collins, born Josephine Amy Pegg in 1987, Prestwich, Greater Manchester, England: Amy was James's swimming instructor, and acted as his elder sister on his first mission in The Recruit. She retired from CHERUB after taking her A-Levels and moved to Australia to live with her brother.
- Shakeel "Shak" Dajani, born Ahamd Shakeel in 1992, Egypt: Shakeel was on basic training with James and Kerry.
- Nicole Eddison, born Nikki Vandome in 1992, Tottenham, London, England: Nicole was on basic training with James and Kerry, but dropped out on her first day, after being told she was too fat. She eventually completed basic training, but was permanently excluded from CHERUB after taking cocaine in Class A.
- Michael Hendry, born Jordan Lindsay in 1991, Ipswich, England.
- Andy Lagan, born Christopher Holmes in 1995, Salford, England: A boy that James beats up for laughing at him. He is later Rat's best friend.
- David "Dave" Moss, born David Rogers in 1988, Eastry, Kent, England: Dave is James's partner in Maximum Security and in The Killing. He is known as one of the coolest guys on the CHERUB campus, having won all martial art competitions he had entered at CHERUB, as well as having an exceptional success rate on missions. In the past he impregnated another member of CHERUB. He retired from CHERUB after The Killing.
- Bruce Norris, born Aled Thomas in 1992, Prestatyn, Wales: James met Bruce when he had his martial arts test, and has since been on missions with him.
- Gabrielle O'Brien, born Gabrielle Ruthven in 1991, Jamaica: Gabrielle is Kerry Chang's best friend and was on basic training with Kerry and James.
- Bethany Parker, born Elissa Bethany Paloma in Newcastle Under Lyme, England: Bethany is Lauren's best friend. James generally can't stand her, often to the annoyance of Lauren.
- Jake Parker, born Jacob Paloma in 1996, Newcastle Under Lyme, England: Jake is Bethany's younger brother. By Lauren he is called a 'dick' near the start of the climax of the gigantic food fight taking place at the end of 'The Fall'.
- Greg "Rat" Rathbone, born Rathbone Regan in 1994, Northern Territory, Australia: Rat was brought up under harsh physical conditions in the Australian Outback. Rat is highly intelligent, although tests undertaken on CHERUB campus have failed to replicate the IQ of 197 that he claimed to possess while living in the Survivor's Ark. He begins going out with Lauren in "The Fall".
- Connor Reilly, born Connor Farnworth in 1993, Croydon, Surrey, England: Connor is Callum Reilly's identical twin, and was on basic training with James and Kerry. He completed the training the first time, whereas Callum dropped out.
- Callum Reilly, born Callum Farnworth in 1993, Croydon, Surrey, England: Callum is Connor Reilly's identical twin, and was on basic training with James and Kerry. He had to drop out when he broke his arm, but completed training on his second attempt.
- Dana Smith, born Danielle McQueen in 1991, Queensland, Australia: Dana was on combat training with James. She accompanied James and Lauren on their mission in Divine Madness, posing as their sister. In The Fall, she becomes James' girlfriend, after helping him through some tricky business.
- Kevin Sumner, born Kevin Peterson in 1997, Farnborough, England. Has a fear of heights, which James and Bruce help him combat in The Fall.
- Megan Sumner, born Megan Peterson in 2000: Kevin's younger sister.
Staff at CHERUB
- Ewart Asker, born Ewart St Clair-Fitzsimmons in 1976, Freetown, Rhodesia: Zara's husband and the harshest of controllers.
- Zara Asker, born Jacqueline Oxford in 1970, Telford, Shropshire, England: A senior mission controller in the first five books of the series and through most of the Man Vs. Beast, at the end of which she gets the job of CHERUB Chairman, replacing Mac. She worked with James in Class A. Like most staff she is a former cherub.
- Chloe Blake, born Chloe Hoffman in 1981, Dover, Kent, England: Former assistant mission controller, who has recently been promoted to mission controller.
- Maureen Evans, born Margaret DeLucy in 1984, Las Cuevas, Trinidad: Maureen Evans was recruited by CHERUB in 1993. She retired after four missions in 2002 and rejoined CHERUB as an English teacher, but was reassinged to her preferred position as assistant mission controller.
- John Jones, born in 1957, Bexley, London, England: Worked for the police and then MI5. In Class A he works with the cherubs and decides to leave MI5 and join CHERUB as a mission controller. He worked with James as an MI5 agent in Class A and in Maximum Security, and as a mission controller in The Killing and Divine Madness. In The Fall he works with Lauren as her mission controller.
- Yosyp Kazakhov, born in 1959 Berdyansk, Ukraine: Recently joined CHERUB as a training instructor. He worked in the Russian Army for 17 years before joining CHERUB.
- Norman Large, born Eric Norman in 1963, Luton, Bedfordshire, England: Former senior training instructor at CHERUB. Demoted to regular instructor after being investigated for unfair treatment of Lauren Adams. Undergoing an inquiry after being drunk in charge of twenty-six children, and consequently suffering a heart attack.
- Dr. Terence "Mac" McAfferty, born Terence Henderson in 1941, Ayrshire, Scotland: Was the CHERUB chairman for ten years, retiring at the end of Man Vs. Beast. His punishments are half severe or half good, depending on optimism or pessimism.
- George Pike, born Angus Carr in 1976, Glasgow, Scotland: George is now head training instructor of CHERUB and has been in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and served as a cargo pilot before joining CHERUB.
- Meryl Spencer, born in 1968, Kenya: Student handler at CHERUB. Once a gold-medallist Olympic athlete.
- Micheal Bull, born in 1991, Russia, cherub doctor. His nickname was "Igor Puff".
Villains
- Brian 'Bungle' Evans; (CHERUB: The Recruit, CHERUB: Divine Madness).
- Keith Moore; (CHERUB Class A). Leader of a drug-dealing gang.
- Curtis Oxford; (CHERUB: Maximum Security). Curtis Oxford is a prisoner in Maximum Security. He was incarcerated after murdering three people, as a result of mental illness.
- Jane Oxford; (CHERUB: Maximum Security). Curtis Oxford's mother and illegal arms dealer.
- Leon Tarasov; (CHERUB: The Killing). A second-hand car dealer who is also involved in illegal activities.
- Michael Patel; (CHERUB: The Killing). A policeman who is found to be involved in serious crimes including murder and robbery.
- Joel Regan; (CHERUB: Divine Madness). Has links with Help Earth.
- Eleanor Regan; (CHERUB: Divine Madness). Eleanor Regan, commonly known as "The Spider", is considered to be the person with real power inside the Survivor's Ark (her father, Joel Regan, is now 82 and depends on an oxygen tube). She is the eldest of Joel's 33 children.
- Barry Cox; (CHERUB: Divine Madness). A salesman, financial advisor, and former soldier. Wanted for numerous terrorist attacks with the environmental group Help Earth.
- Rhiannon Jules; (CHERUB: Man Vs. Beast). An animal rights activist. In connection with extremist actions in support of the animal rights movement in the UK, Germany, and the US.
- Susie Regan; (CHERUB: Divine Madness). A former model. She is wanted in connection with numerous financial irregularaties involving the religious cult known as The Survivors.
- Sasha Thompson; (CHERUB: Mad Dogs) Sasha Thompson is believed to be the leader of the criminal gang commonly known as the Mad Dogs.The Mad Dogs are one of several gangs involved in a bloody turf war that stretches from the outskirts of north London and as far north as Luton in Bedfordshire.
Awards
The CHERUB books have won various awards.
- Red House Awards 2005
CHERUB: The Recruit Winner - Older readers category
Other Awards:
- Bolton Childrens Book Award 2005 - Winner
- Medway Childrens Book Award 2005 - Winner
- Bishop Luffa Childrens Book Award 2005 - Winner
- Salford Childrens Book Award 2006 – Winner
- Doncaster Childrens Book Award 2005 – Runner Up
- Portsmouth Children's Book Award - Winner 2006
- Grampian Children's Book Award - Runner up 2006
- Doncaster Children's Book Award
- Runner up 2006
CHERUB Campus
CHERUB Campus is where CHERUB pupils stay when they are not on missions. We do not know the exact location but it is somewhere in the English Countryside. It is full of excellent facilities including swimming pools, obstacles, a dojo and many more.
Every student has their own room. Children who still have not done Basic Training are also allowed to keep an animal. CHERUB Campus also has a mini air strip for emergency landings. We also know that there is a city near by where pupils go in the week-end.
Other Countries
These are the dates of books which have CHERUB Books or will have them. 2004:
2005:
2006: NONE
2007:
2008:
T-shirts
The CHERUB t-shirt is symbolic of the person's status at the CHERUB campus; the colours and their meanings are:
- The orange t-shirt is for guests on campus. Cherubs are only allowed to talk to someone in an orange t-shirt if the Chairman gives them permission.
- The red t-shirts are worn by Cherubs who are not qualified to enter basic training. This is usually because they are under 10 years of age, however it can also be because they were unable to complete basic training for some other reason. Cherub accepts children from age 6 upwards, though sometimes a younger child is admitted if they have an older brother or sister.
- The blue t-shirt is the trainee shirt, with a trainee number on, and is worn for the duration of the 100 day basic training programme.
- The grey t-shirt is what you earn if you make it through training and qualify as an agent. All qualified agents wear this t-shirt unless awarded a 'dark' t-shirt.
- The navy t-shirt is awarded for outstanding performance on a single mission.
- The black t-shirt is awarded for outstanding performance over a number of missions. They are given entirely at the discretion of the Chairman. 50% of cherubs can expect to receive one before they retire.
- The white t-shirt is for retired cherubs when they come back to visit friends or attend a reunion. Many CHERUB staff also wear the white shirt.
The acronym "CHERUB"
What the acronym CHERUB actually stands for is yet to be revealed. The founder of CHERUB, Charles Henderson, was murdered by his wife before he could reveal why he named the organization such. However, since he had already had several items monogrammed, the name was kept. Robert Muchamore, the author of the books, has promised he will reveal the whole acronym in the last ever CHERUB book. He has recently revealed that the "CH" in CHERUB stands for the founder, Charles Henderson.
Overseas Links
See also
- CHERUB
- CHERUB: The Recruit
- CHERUB: Class A
- CHERUB: Maximum Security
- CHERUB: The Killing
- CHERUB: Divine Madness
- CHERUB: Man Vs. Beast
- CHERUB: The Fall
- CHERUB: Mad Dogs
- CHERUB: The Sleepwalker
- Hodder & Stoughton
- Robert Muchamore