The Recruit

Analyze the order of the tests in James’s CHERUB entrance exam. Is there a significance to the placement of each test in the order? Why or why not? If so, describe how the order is also a test. If not, is this order the most effective one? How might the tests have been reordered for maximum impact, and why that order?

Explore how the missions included in The Recruit would have gone differently with adult agents rather than children. What benefits and drawbacks do CHERUB agents experience as a result of their age? Based on how the missions end, does CHERUB seem like it could be a functioning part of real-world intelligence organizations? Why or why not?

What is the point of the jellyfish trick in Chapter 25? Does this add anything to basic training? If so, what? If not, why did Robert Muchamore include it, and what does it show about the instructors and recruits?