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CHERUB #9
The Sleepwalker
345 people are dead...
An airliner has exploded over the Atlantic leaving 345 people dead. Crash investigators suspect terrorism, but they're getting nowhere.
A distressed twelve year old calls a police hotline and blames his father for the explosion. It could be a breakthrough, but there's no hard evidence and the boy has a history of violence and emotional problems.
An airliner has exploded over the Atlantic leaving 345 people dead. Crash investigators suspect terrorism, but they're getting nowhere.
A distressed twelve year old calls a police hotline and blames his father for the explosion. It could be a breakthrough, but there's no hard evidence and the boy has a history of violence and emotional problems.
312 pages, Paperback
First published February 7, 2008
525 people are currently reading
3725 people want to read
About the author
Robert Muchamore
152 books1,920 followersRobert Muchamore was born in Islington, London in 1972. He still lives there, and worked as a private investigator up until 2005 and the critically-accepted release of Maximum Security.
The Hunger Games phenomenon is part of the huge YA / Children's book explosion that has grown, thanks to the British Rat pack of YA authors, Anthony Horowitz, Robert Muchamore, Mark A. Cooper and Charlie Higson. We owe much of the hunger games sucess to authors such as Robert.
Robert was inspired to create the CHERUB series by his nephew after he complained about the lack of anything for them to read. CHERUB: The Recruit was Robert's first book and won the Red House Children's Book Award 2005 in the Older Readers Category.
Following the last book in the CHERUB series, it was revealed that a trilogy would be released starting from August 2011 that will focus on a new set of CHERUB agents centred upon Ryan Sharma and also involve an sixteen year old Lauren Adams. The first book will be called People's Republic.
Check out the Hendersons Boys series. Henderson's Boys is a series of young adult spy novels written by English author Robert Muchamore. The series follows Charles Henderson, the creator of the fictitious CHERUB organisation.
CHERUB is currently being made into a TV series.
The Hunger Games phenomenon is part of the huge YA / Children's book explosion that has grown, thanks to the British Rat pack of YA authors, Anthony Horowitz, Robert Muchamore, Mark A. Cooper and Charlie Higson. We owe much of the hunger games sucess to authors such as Robert.
Robert was inspired to create the CHERUB series by his nephew after he complained about the lack of anything for them to read. CHERUB: The Recruit was Robert's first book and won the Red House Children's Book Award 2005 in the Older Readers Category.
Following the last book in the CHERUB series, it was revealed that a trilogy would be released starting from August 2011 that will focus on a new set of CHERUB agents centred upon Ryan Sharma and also involve an sixteen year old Lauren Adams. The first book will be called People's Republic.
Check out the Hendersons Boys series. Henderson's Boys is a series of young adult spy novels written by English author Robert Muchamore. The series follows Charles Henderson, the creator of the fictitious CHERUB organisation.
CHERUB is currently being made into a TV series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 287 reviews
April 24, 2018
I'm surprised myself how much I liked this book. I read the last book in this series 5 years ago but I definetely want to finish the rest now. Of course it was written for a younger audience but it was really exciting and I couldn't stop reading. It was more thrilling than some other novels for adults... I also liked Robert Muchamore's writing style more than I remember. I also “enjoyed” how many issues the author wrote about, that some people face everyday (domestic violence, abuse, loss etc.)
I can not wait to grab myself a copy for book 10,11 and 12 :)
I can not wait to grab myself a copy for book 10,11 and 12 :)
March 25, 2011
Excellent series. Take the time frame that Harry Potter books write in (he ages from 12-18 over the series) and instead of a world of Fantasy make it a world of Spy craft. This Basically is children being James Bond or Jason Borne and based on each book everything seems fairly realistic. The one thing I appreciated over the entirety of the series is the fact that the characters actually grow and deal with puberty. It adds a layer that makes the series more teen appropriate than the Harry potter series, but seeing that the average read time was 8 hours or so/ 400 page book it is an easy and fun ride.
The cherubs are looking into leads regarding the mysterious downing of an international flight.
The cherubs are looking into leads regarding the mysterious downing of an international flight.
January 1, 2017
Really felt bad for fahim. And stereotyping Muslims as terrorists is too cliché.
March 8, 2024
rar this was whatever
September 15, 2025
the arab representation i needed 🥰 : crooks if not downright terrorists, wife-beaters et évidemment sprinkles of smothering sharia law :D
jsp si je lirai la suite sachant que mtn je navigue en terres inconnues et que jpp me targuer de redécouvrir mon enfance pr justifier la lecture de cette merde..... dautant + qu'il a été porté à ma connaisssance bcp de séries (silverwings....) que jaimerais bcp relire mtn
askip le 12 c le dernier de james?
hiatus chérub pr le moment mai peut-être qu'on se reverra
jsp si je lirai la suite sachant que mtn je navigue en terres inconnues et que jpp me targuer de redécouvrir mon enfance pr justifier la lecture de cette merde..... dautant + qu'il a été porté à ma connaisssance bcp de séries (silverwings....) que jaimerais bcp relire mtn
askip le 12 c le dernier de james?
hiatus chérub pr le moment mai peut-être qu'on se reverra
April 15, 2014
1. I decided to read this book as it is one of the last books of the well known and loved series 'Cherub' and like any good series you are more than likely to continue reading it, and that's exactly what I have done.
2. I enjoyed the character James as he possess the same attributes as Ryan in my first review (Black Friday) where the same author (Robert Muchamore)creates close to the same character in his latest series based on 'Cherub'. Where in that review I explained why I liked Ryan and therefor James. I like the character James due to his rebellious scent and his attributes he processes exactly like Ryan's. Another reason why I have chosen him as my favorite character is not only because he is the protagonist and you know exactly what he is going to do and whats happening next, but because you get the feeling that you are him, making the book nothing but more intense and gripping, and in a book like this there is plenty of that.
3. A quote that I found very interesting is the quote "Mentioning violence to Bruce was like mentioning chocolate sauce to a six-year-old." I was intrigued with this quote as it gives you a slight glimpse of these children/teens life are about how they are trained professionals and also how they cope and see violence as a normal part of their life which really shocked me especially if this was real (not).
4.Sleepwalker made me really think about the world that we live in now and how there are so many conflicts in the world today. With wars and people doing illegal actions all in which are effecting the world we live in. Where these Cherub agents are really our last wall of defence to help prevent something major happening to the world turning it into chaos.
2. I enjoyed the character James as he possess the same attributes as Ryan in my first review (Black Friday) where the same author (Robert Muchamore)creates close to the same character in his latest series based on 'Cherub'. Where in that review I explained why I liked Ryan and therefor James. I like the character James due to his rebellious scent and his attributes he processes exactly like Ryan's. Another reason why I have chosen him as my favorite character is not only because he is the protagonist and you know exactly what he is going to do and whats happening next, but because you get the feeling that you are him, making the book nothing but more intense and gripping, and in a book like this there is plenty of that.
3. A quote that I found very interesting is the quote "Mentioning violence to Bruce was like mentioning chocolate sauce to a six-year-old." I was intrigued with this quote as it gives you a slight glimpse of these children/teens life are about how they are trained professionals and also how they cope and see violence as a normal part of their life which really shocked me especially if this was real (not).
4.Sleepwalker made me really think about the world that we live in now and how there are so many conflicts in the world today. With wars and people doing illegal actions all in which are effecting the world we live in. Where these Cherub agents are really our last wall of defence to help prevent something major happening to the world turning it into chaos.
March 6, 2012
I decided to read this book because I was reading the series and I had read the books that come before "The Sleepwalker" so I decided to buy and read this next book in the CHERUB series.
On my class "bingo board" the categories this book fills are:
This book relates to the theme "Knowledge is power" in class because they book is about spies trying to capture a supposed terrorist. It relates to the theme because the way spies get the power over the terrorist or bad guy is by getting knowledge on them to get them arrested.
This book has a main male character named James and a main female character Lauren. These characters are unique because even though most of the time they have a great family bond but sometimes they use each other to their own advantage.
The setting in this book was interesting to me cause it wasn't really set in a cliche place like Russia or something but it is set in ordinary Hampstead, London.
On my class "bingo board" the categories this book fills are:
This book relates to the theme "Knowledge is power" in class because they book is about spies trying to capture a supposed terrorist. It relates to the theme because the way spies get the power over the terrorist or bad guy is by getting knowledge on them to get them arrested.
This book has a main male character named James and a main female character Lauren. These characters are unique because even though most of the time they have a great family bond but sometimes they use each other to their own advantage.
The setting in this book was interesting to me cause it wasn't really set in a cliche place like Russia or something but it is set in ordinary Hampstead, London.
April 20, 2018
An airliner explodes over the Atlantic ocean, killing 345 people. As usual, the crash investigators and the media blame terrorism before anything else, but this cannot be confirmed as the cause.
When a twelve-year-old calls a police hotline while distressed, blaming his father for the plane crash. The Cherubs are sent in to investigate and try to help the boy, but it may lead nowhere as the boy has a history of violence and emotional problems.
James is now getting too old for the regular missions, and so he has to do work experience. He lands a job at the literal worst place, a fast-food restaurant. He also has to work with his ex-girlfriend, Kerry. How is he going to get through this?
This book focuses on Lauren and Jake, as they are now of age to go on full missions. They are also around the age of Fahim, the boy who reported his father. Fahim is a twelve-year-old Muslim boy who has an abusive father, and who is bullied at school nearly every day. His father usually takes out his anger on his mother, but he has started to move to him as well. Fahim doesn't know how much more he can take before he breaks.
This book has definitely been one of the better Cherub books, with the addressing of some popular social issues. Fahim may be a fictional boy, but that doesn't mean that there aren't real kids who have his issues. It is sad that he suffers from both bullying at school and abuse at home. Luckily he was able to find friends in the Cherub members, but in real life, this might not be the case.
The biggest problem that I had with this book was its portrayal of Muslim children and families. I have several friends in real life who are Muslim and live in a city where there are a multitude of different religions. The only two kids that are Muslim that I have seen in this whole series have been in this book. One of the kids ate bacon, saying that he is "more Muslim some days than others", and the other kid had an abusive/crazed father. I would be fine with it if there were other representations of Muslim kids in this series. But when the only two kids in the series either don't follow the rules of their religion or have abusive parents, I start to question it. I hope that they will be portrayed in a more positive light in more books to come.
I did appreciate the fact that James was a lesser character in this novel, as I can't seem to make myself like him any longer. I only hope that Jake will have some more defining character traits. For half the book, I was reading Jake as James and thought that he was on the mission even though they were two separate characters. As the series comes to a close, I want to see more growth from Lauren and her friends Jake and Bethany.
The book started off slow and it took me from before winter break until now to actually finish it. By the time I got to the middle, I was finally drawn in enough to actually finish the novel. The old cover was one of my least favorite covers in the entire series, as it really didn't fit the title and actually rather confused me. The Sleepwalker actually refers to Fahim's emotional distress and has nothing to do with the plane. The new cover isn't as bad, but I still wish that the title had more to do with the actual story.
Overall, this wasn't the best book in the Cherub series because of some of the issues, but it wasn't the worst. I would rate it 3/5, but the slowness of the beginning of the plot and the character issues make me take a point off, as it took me far too long to get through this 336-page book.
When a twelve-year-old calls a police hotline while distressed, blaming his father for the plane crash. The Cherubs are sent in to investigate and try to help the boy, but it may lead nowhere as the boy has a history of violence and emotional problems.
James is now getting too old for the regular missions, and so he has to do work experience. He lands a job at the literal worst place, a fast-food restaurant. He also has to work with his ex-girlfriend, Kerry. How is he going to get through this?
This book focuses on Lauren and Jake, as they are now of age to go on full missions. They are also around the age of Fahim, the boy who reported his father. Fahim is a twelve-year-old Muslim boy who has an abusive father, and who is bullied at school nearly every day. His father usually takes out his anger on his mother, but he has started to move to him as well. Fahim doesn't know how much more he can take before he breaks.
This book has definitely been one of the better Cherub books, with the addressing of some popular social issues. Fahim may be a fictional boy, but that doesn't mean that there aren't real kids who have his issues. It is sad that he suffers from both bullying at school and abuse at home. Luckily he was able to find friends in the Cherub members, but in real life, this might not be the case.
The biggest problem that I had with this book was its portrayal of Muslim children and families. I have several friends in real life who are Muslim and live in a city where there are a multitude of different religions. The only two kids that are Muslim that I have seen in this whole series have been in this book. One of the kids ate bacon, saying that he is "more Muslim some days than others", and the other kid had an abusive/crazed father. I would be fine with it if there were other representations of Muslim kids in this series. But when the only two kids in the series either don't follow the rules of their religion or have abusive parents, I start to question it. I hope that they will be portrayed in a more positive light in more books to come.
I did appreciate the fact that James was a lesser character in this novel, as I can't seem to make myself like him any longer. I only hope that Jake will have some more defining character traits. For half the book, I was reading Jake as James and thought that he was on the mission even though they were two separate characters. As the series comes to a close, I want to see more growth from Lauren and her friends Jake and Bethany.
The book started off slow and it took me from before winter break until now to actually finish it. By the time I got to the middle, I was finally drawn in enough to actually finish the novel. The old cover was one of my least favorite covers in the entire series, as it really didn't fit the title and actually rather confused me. The Sleepwalker actually refers to Fahim's emotional distress and has nothing to do with the plane. The new cover isn't as bad, but I still wish that the title had more to do with the actual story.
Overall, this wasn't the best book in the Cherub series because of some of the issues, but it wasn't the worst. I would rate it 3/5, but the slowness of the beginning of the plot and the character issues make me take a point off, as it took me far too long to get through this 336-page book.
January 24, 2025
Oh Robert, you’ve done it again
November 20, 2023
Épisode un peu plus sombre, comme chaque grande saga, mais tout en gardant l'esprit originel de la série ! C'est très cool de voir la série évoluer avec ses personnages
June 1, 2015
After a jet airliner plane crashed killing all of the passengers and staff, Fahim bin Hassam over hears his parents talking about it. He immediately calls the police, but then urgently hangs up, thinking that they might just be talking about the news. This information was picked up by Mac, CHERUB's retired headmaster. Unfortunately, Mac's wife, daughter, and two grandchildren died on the flight, so Mac really wanted to figure out who was behind the horrible crash. But once the CHERUB team has set up all of the hidden camera's, Hassam bin Hassam found one and goes berserk. So Fahim had to tell his father what his friends, Lauren and Jake from CHERUB, had been up to. Unfortunately, nobody believed him due to his past in making up stories. Then, after Fahim contacted Mac, the CHERUB agents took down Hassam bin Hassam. Since Fahim's father was killed, he had no other living relatives, so he asked Mac if he could try out for CHERUB. Sadly, Fahim didn't get in. The Sleepwalker is about taking risks, following your gut instinct, and keeping secrets.
April 12, 2016
The Sleepwalker is the ninth book in the C.H.E.R.U.B. series of twelve and is one of my personal top books in the series. James is sent to investigate a claim that a boy’s father was responsible for the aeroplane crash, causing 345 people to die, although this trail could become cold. Robert Muchamore is a #1 International Bestselling Author for his internationally acclaimed series C.H.E.R.U.B. and has also written the Henderson Boy’s and Rock Wars collections. His style of writing grips you in the first few pages and makes you want to keep reading until you’re finished. I found this series browsing in the local bookshop and the cover really interested me so I bought the first book (The Recruit) and loved it, as well as the next one, and the next one, after that, and so on. Before the series I wasn’t a keen reader but after I found it I loved it. This book is suitable for ages 12 + and is for the Action/Adventure or Spy Novel type. I would rate this book a 4 out of 5 as I really enjoyed reading it and couldn’t put it down. This is a series you can’t live without!
Matiss L
Matiss L
May 6, 2012
I absolutely LOVE the CHERUB series and this was by far one of my favourites in it. The story is excellently written from a very realistic perspective. Robert Muchamore writes like the typical teenagers in the books and he does it extremely well. This book had me hooked from start to finish, it was hard to put down. James is a character so strong and powerful, easy to relate to and you do get the feeling that you personally know him, though he doesn't really exist. The CHERUB world is so well imagined by Robert, you do actually wish you were an agent enjoying all the fun on campus and the thrilling missions. The emotions in this book of young Fahim Bin Hassam are convincing and you really feel his pain as he realises the truth about his father and faces the fact that his mother has been murdered. A brilliant read, I would recommend to anyone over the age of eleven.
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June 9, 2016This was an amazing book, it is one of those stories that you cannot put it down. It is really cool how they have references to things in our everyday lives, because it helps us connect to the story a bit more. This story is a representation of many other children’s stories that we don’t here about, and I am grateful and privileged enough to read this and be in the safety of my home. The storyline of the book is fictional and some of the missions that they go on are very unrealistic for kids their age. I really like how the fictional aspects are embedded into real world situations. I wonder if the author had to research this topic, so he could write the book? Overall this is an amazing book and it was so amazing to read, with it still being a fictional book, however, with real life scenarios and stories from all around the world.
September 3, 2017
I enjoyed every page of this book, from when it started with an intense scene of inside the plane crashing and how it makes you feel like a bomb was the cause of the crash, and how well Fahim's character deepens through the story as you learn about his family and how abusive his father is. I especially enjoyed the scene where Jake redeemed himself by stopping Fahim's father when he was cornered by Police Marksmen and he snuck behind and stopped him, leaving Fahim's unharmed. I enjoyed the twist of Hassam bin Hassam's job, as I suspected he did something to damage the plane, but knowing it was faulty parts made it a deeper story than if he did something else.
October 28, 2011
I read this book a long time ago but i forgot to do a post about it. My favorite part is when the plane crashed, many people died but some survived. If i was one of the kids in the plane, i would scream around panicking. This book is an adventurous book with murder and secret agents. If you would like this book come see me.
December 21, 2018
In this episode the Cherubs are caught up in what they believe to be terrorist activity. Involving a plane that crashes killing all passengers and crew - Mac’s family included - this is a slower story than some of the others, and it will definitely touch a nerve in these times.
The racial prejudice shown was upsetting, and though they end up realising their errors the reality of what happened was still awful.
A few set pieces involving other agents and a mix of on and off campus activities keep the formula going. After 9 books read in close proximity I think it’s time to take a break from the series, but I will aim to read the others some time.
The racial prejudice shown was upsetting, and though they end up realising their errors the reality of what happened was still awful.
A few set pieces involving other agents and a mix of on and off campus activities keep the formula going. After 9 books read in close proximity I think it’s time to take a break from the series, but I will aim to read the others some time.
September 21, 2017
I love the mix of different genres that it had. I have read them all but this one might be on of my favorites (there are 12). It combines adventure and spy which is my favorite genre with teenage life and a little bit of romance. It is about a boy named James and his sister Lauren whose mom is dead and they have never seen their dad. They are recruited by Cherub, a British intelligence section of the MI5 that uses teenagers as their agents. This book details one of their best missions yet. if you like drama, suspense, and fast paced action, then this is a book for you
February 12, 2020
This is the ninth one in the cherub series
airliner has exploded over the Atlantic leaving 345 people dead. Crash investigators suspect terrorism, but they're getting noseries Fahim bin Hassam Who is parents talking about the crash? And was going to ring the police, but then he thought maybe they're just talking about what's on the news. This information gets back to cherub. information was picked up by Mac, CHERUB's retired headmaster. Unfortunately, Mac's wife, daughter, and two grandchildren died on the flight So he really wants to find out what happened on that flight. And if this kids parents had anything to do with it. He sends a team of agents. To put hidden cameras and listening devices in their house. But was it then? When you have to read this book to find out I've Been Loving all of these books recently. And so happy I started reading them again.
airliner has exploded over the Atlantic leaving 345 people dead. Crash investigators suspect terrorism, but they're getting noseries Fahim bin Hassam Who is parents talking about the crash? And was going to ring the police, but then he thought maybe they're just talking about what's on the news. This information gets back to cherub. information was picked up by Mac, CHERUB's retired headmaster. Unfortunately, Mac's wife, daughter, and two grandchildren died on the flight So he really wants to find out what happened on that flight. And if this kids parents had anything to do with it. He sends a team of agents. To put hidden cameras and listening devices in their house. But was it then? When you have to read this book to find out I've Been Loving all of these books recently. And so happy I started reading them again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 11, 2019
I think this book was very new and different to the other books in the series , however it changes a lot. For example some characters relationships get worse and some gets better, there is also a change in characters personality as well, for some people who used to have a bad personality, showed some responsibility and did the right thing.
October 1, 2021
This book differentiated from the other books in the series, it was just Lauren and Jake so it was quite unique in the sense that we would be able to see more character development and different aspects of different characters and not just James and his friends, which was a nice change, this book was quite enjoyable but had some gruesome scenes with a considerable amount of violence and recommended for ages above 11 at least. It was quite an easy read and I will probably read the next in the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 20, 2017
I think it was an amazing book to read and had a very exciting story.This book does a very good job in relating it to your actual life, as it portrays a very realistic perspective. So the book really drives you in it. It had a good imagination, so I could visualize what is happening. The book is very thrilling and mysterious and is perfect for people who like spies and secret intelligence.
January 2, 2019
In this installment of the Cherub series, Jake and Lauren investigate a potential terrorist link to a plane that crashed into the Atlantic after mechanical failures, while Jake and the other older Cherubs go through some work experience as they're getting older.
I'm not sure I was a huge fan of this installment in the series, as while it was good overall, I felt that the plot was rather slow as a whole and despite a strong start it kinda fell flat :/
The beginning of the novel started off rather strongly, and I thought that the plane crash set up a strong direction for the plot to go in, especially once you learned that , but the actual investigation into the crash fell rather flat for me, and I thought that Jake's inclusion in the investigation was pretty much just irritating from start to finish. He was basically a smaller, cockier version of James - who already irritates me to no end! While he did seem to get over himself a bit towards the end he just spent far too much time being essentially a "know-it-all little shit" that I had a hard time reading his scenes - even with Lauren being pretty prominent in them too!
It was interesting having James do his work experience alongside Kerry, as they haven't been together too much since they a couple of books ago, so it was nice to see how the dynamics have changed between the two. Kerry definitely showed a different side to her personality during this (a rather bad-ass one at that) and I enjoyed seeing her take on Danny when he really pissed her off ;D
All-in-all, the book was good, though not great as some of the earlier ones have been. Still, I look forward to the next one!
I'm not sure I was a huge fan of this installment in the series, as while it was good overall, I felt that the plot was rather slow as a whole and despite a strong start it kinda fell flat :/
The beginning of the novel started off rather strongly, and I thought that the plane crash set up a strong direction for the plot to go in, especially once you learned that , but the actual investigation into the crash fell rather flat for me, and I thought that Jake's inclusion in the investigation was pretty much just irritating from start to finish. He was basically a smaller, cockier version of James - who already irritates me to no end! While he did seem to get over himself a bit towards the end he just spent far too much time being essentially a "know-it-all little shit" that I had a hard time reading his scenes - even with Lauren being pretty prominent in them too!
It was interesting having James do his work experience alongside Kerry, as they haven't been together too much since they a couple of books ago, so it was nice to see how the dynamics have changed between the two. Kerry definitely showed a different side to her personality during this (a rather bad-ass one at that) and I enjoyed seeing her take on Danny when he really pissed her off ;D
All-in-all, the book was good, though not great as some of the earlier ones have been. Still, I look forward to the next one!
June 12, 2019
There has been action throughout the book and James, the main character, always finds him self in a challenge that he has to face. I would recommend this to teenagers cause there is some bad language but most of all it would interest them more.
December 31, 2024
** 3.5 STARS **
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April 26, 2019I thought the book was really enjoyable and a great addition to the series. The different plot twists were surprising and overall the book was a great read.
Read
February 13, 2019This is a book based on a plane crash which had happened across an ocean. The cherub crew look through a series of recorded phone calls and find that a young 12 year old boy called Fahim bin Hassam had called in saying that he thinks his dad could have done it before nervously breaking the phone call. He has a very strict father who whips him. After finding out Lauren goes undercover and befriends Fahim which then leads into his father leaving his house and to another place. They later find out that he was actually a trader and it was only his Arab surname which had caused his name to be referred to as the person who crashed the plane. I would recommend.
May 10, 2019
I think the theme is keep trying because James and his friend fail but then they keep trying and they succeed.
March 12, 2022
A wild ride that seems to never end. Once again, I wish that I was a Cherub!
October 5, 2022
I really loved this book! However, it was not as action packed as some of the books that are part of the series. I also think that the ending could have ended better with Fahim becoming part of CHERUB.
Overall, the beginning was quite exciting and the ending rather slow.
Overall, the beginning was quite exciting and the ending rather slow.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 287 reviews