| Plot Summary of The Recruit |
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"James Choke is one of the toughest kids in his school. No one messes around with him. When a girl in his class makes fun of his overweight mother, he retaliates. The girl's face is cut open and James is expelled from school. Before he can tell his mom what happens, he discovers her dead in her armchair. James is sent to Nebraska Home because his stepfather and the father of his sister Lauren, don't want him. James joins a dangerous gang and gets caught stealing beers. He spends the night in a cell and wakes up in the morning in a completely different location.
James has been relocated to the campus of CHERUB, an agency that trains children to become spies for the British government. After passing a series of tests which included karate and mathematics, James is offered a place at CHERUB, which he readily takes. After changing his name to James Adams, he begins the difficult task of learning how to swim. Once he successfully swims 50 meters, he starts Basic Training.
Basic Training is designed to work the trainees to the point of physical and mental exhaustion so when they go on missions as a CHERUB agent, they can perform at a higher level. James's partner, Kerry, has already been through basic training before. She was kicked out halfway through due to a knee injury, and knows all the shortcuts on the obstacle course. She and James overcome their differences and become a well-oiled machine. After a grueling 100 days of physical labor, exhaustion, extreme cold, an instructor that seems to enjoy torturing the trainees, and a trip to sunny Malaysia, James and Kerry pass Basic Training and become CHERUB agents.
After waiting around at the CHERUB campus while all his friends go on missions, James is finally given an assignment with his swim instructor, Amy. They are going to uncover any information concerning the “hippie town,” Fort Harmony, and an environmentalist/ terrorist group, Help Earth! The two kids stay with a woman from Fort Harmony and begin to unravel a plot to kill all the oil company representatives in the upcoming “Petrocon” oil convention. Will James and Amy foil Help Earth!'s plot?
"
Katharine Schwab, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Recruit |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 60%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%
Tone of story
- very upbeat
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
Spying/Terrorism Thriller
Yes
Cloak & Dagger Plotlets:
- main char. spying/sabotage
Kid or adult book?
- Ages 7-14
Who's the terrorist enemy here?
- environmental NUTS
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- spy
Age:
- a teen
How much violence does he/she use?
- just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- an organization
Profession/status:
- criminal
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
The antagonists are:
- crazed environmentalists
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 1
Amount of dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
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