It's odd rereading this series. I've read most of the series at least half a dozen times. James is both loveable and unlikeable. He can be a total jerk but he also can be sweet - usually when it comes to his younger sister, Lauren. That being said, he has major anger issues and I'm kind of surprised Cherub doesn't work harder to address them. I hate Kerry. She irritates me. She's amazingly immature. Although, to be fair - most of the characters are. Lauren is about the only one who has moments of maturity and even she struggles at times. I love Cherub though - the action is always exciting, the cases interesting and the characters funny. ( )

-protagonist lives with abusive step father
-protagonist suffers devestating loss
-Adults take prescription drugs and drinks alcohol.
-protagonist vows to kill someone
-young characters smoking and vandalizing
-protagonist bullied at school
-some fowl language (Protagonist is called a faggot)
-antagonist characters talk about torturing animals
-12 year old protagonist has an inexplicit intimate (kissing) moment on a bed with a girl his own age.
-book does an excellent job of telling two sides of a story. Although the villains in the story are eco-terrorists, the author is able to provide a nuanced differentiation between terrorism and activism. On top of this, thus nuanced differentiation is laid out in way that is not too complicated for middle grade readers to pick up on. ( )

Easy to read, but oh so nasty. Let's torture disturbed twelve year olds and turn them into soldiers. Ewww. ( )

2.5 Stars ( )

I might have quit this book if I hadn't been reading it for a book club. I liked the idea of a kids' division of MI-5, but the execution didn't live up to the coolness of the idea. The presentation was too simple and the characters weren't very appealing. Plus, it's icky to read about a 12-year-old getting drunk and making out with some girl he just met.

Could have been a lot better. ( )