The
International Writers Magazine: New Children's Fiction
Divine
Madness by Robert Muchamore
Paperback 320 pages
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books ISBN: 0340894342
Review by Kyla Lacey -Davidson
The
primary aim of the CHERUB-ASIS mission is to infiltrate the inner
sanctum of the Ark and try to uncover the links between the Survivors
and Help Earth. The mission is likely to take between two and
six months to achieve success, and involves four complex phases
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Every child dreams
of adventure; of being whisked into a parallel universe where their
every day is filled with the kind of excitement, terror, suspense and
surprise that so rarely frequents their real lives. The kind of life,
I suppose, they see reflected in the lives of Harry Potter and Co. Well,
sixteen-year-old James Adams, along with his sister and three hundred
other children have the opportunity to live that life as they are all
Cherubs. And no I do not refer to winged celestial beings
but instead agents within a secret branch of British Intelligence.
In Divine Madness, a trio of Cherubs are sent to Australia
on a mission to infiltrate a religious cult named The Survivors, who
are suspected to be financing an eco-terrorist organisation called Help
Earth. James, his eleven-year-old sister Lauren and fifteen-year-old
Dana have to try to fool The Survivors into believing their sincerity
and enthusiasm for the Survivor life whilst resisting the strong mind
control techniques that surround them within the cult as well as always
keeping in mind the final goal-to bring the organisation down and prevent
any more deaths from terrorist bombings.
This may all sound extremely adult and complicated but unfortunately
its not. In todays sad social climate, most teenagers, if
not most people, will worry about the present and looming threat of
terrorism. They are issues presented to every one of us on pretty much
a daily basis to the extent that another suicide bombing barely makes
us flinch any more. That is to say, as long as it isnt in our
own country.
With this book, Muchamore cleanly and kindly combines the fear of terrorism
with the fear each teenager has about finding friends, finding love
and passing school exams. The books are aimed at the young adult bracket
but would be suitable for most readers. It fills you with suspense and
excitement and the obvious yearning for the good to win out.
© Kyla Lacey Davidson May 2006
Kyla has just completed the second year of her Creative Arts Degree
at Portsmouth University
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