Muchamore - FAQ CHERUB

How many more CHERUB books are there going to be and when are they released?
The first twelve CHERUB books from The Recruit to Shadow Wave tell the story of James Adams. The bad news is that James has got too old to be a CHERUB agent any more. The good news is that there will be a new series following a new younger group of CHERUB agents led by Ryan Sharma.

The first of these new books People's Republic is published in August 2011.

Will any of the old characters like Lauren and Kerry feature in the new CHERUB books?
Yes. Although they're not the main characters anymore, you'll still see the classic CHERUB characters cropping up in the new series.

Lauren, Callum and Connor all feature in People's Republic. But before you ask, I haven't yet decided when or if James Adams will come back.

Why do you only release one CHERUB book per year now?
As you write a series of books it gets harder to keep coming up with good storylines and plots. So rather than do two CHERUB books a year my plan is to do one CHERUB per year and one book about something else.

What does CHERUB stand for?
The CH in CHERUB stands for Charles Henderson, the man who founded the organization. You can find out what the rest stands for when you read the Henderson's Boys books.

Will you ever put more bonus stories on the website?
Possibly, but as I've written more books in the CHERUB series it's become harder to come up with enough ideas and I've saved all my ideas for the books themselves.

What is CHERUB: Dark Sun?
Dark Sun was a 118 page limited-edition CHERUB story released in March 2008 to celebrate World Book Day. As it is no longer widely available, fans can now download Dark Sun for free from the members area of CHERUB campus.

When will a certain book be released in my country? (Except the USA)
CHERUB is published in more than 25 countries and it's impossible for us to track release dates and schedules in every one of them.

Try contacting your local bookseller, or checking the website of the publisher in your country to find out when the next book is coming.

When will the next CHERUB book be released in the USA?
The Simon Pulse editions of the CHERUB books weren't very successful and while volumes 1-6 are currently in print they have no current plans to release further volumes.

The good news is that Simon Pulse began re-releasing the CHERUB books from the beginning in April 2010. The bad news is that it's going to take them a few years and they've yet to decide whether to publish any books after Man vs Beast.

The only option for American fans is to import the books from the UK or Canada using an online retailer. Unfortunately this is quite an expensive option.

Where can I get a CHERUB T-shirt?
For full details of how to buy CHERUB T-shirts please visit www.cherubcampus.com/shop.htm

Can I have a character in a CHERUB book named after me?
Sadly I get too many requests to be able to do this for everyone who asks. However, we occasionally hold competitions at events and in CHERUB News where the main prize is to have a character named after you in a book.

What age range are CHERUB books aimed at?
I usually say that CHERUB is meant for kids aged eleven and upwards. However, kids abilities and interests vary widely and I regularly meet kids aged nine and ten who read and enjoy my books.

Why do the books now have a ‘Not suitable for younger readers,' logo and what does it mean?
The logo was added at the request of a UK supermarket. Unlike dedicated book stores, supermarkets don't have enough space to make separate sections for older children. The logo is designed to prevent the books being accidentally bought for very young children.

What kind of content can I expect to find in a CHERUB book?
My books are primarily aimed at kids aged 11+ and the majority of my readers are aged between 12 & 14. These are the content guidelines I use for CHERUB and Henderson’s Boys:

1. There are no sexual swear words in the books. Each book has roughly the same number of mild swear words in it (yes we count them every time!).

2. Characters (including the main character from CHERUB book 8 onwards) do have sex and issues such as contraception and sexually transmitted diseases are touched on. However, there is no explicit depiction of sexual acts beyond kissing and non-genital touching.

3. Other controversial subjects such as drug abuse, human slavery, brainwashing etc are depicted in the books. Although individual characters may espouse this behavior in specific scenes, the overall message of the story is always that these forms of behavior are completely unacceptable.

Is there going to be a CHERUB TV series?
The current plan is to try and make a movie, not a TV series.

Is there going to be a CHERUB movie?
We hope so. A script has now been written. In early 2009, BBC Films said that they hope to begin making the first in a series of CHERUB movies. If all goes well, filming could start in summer 2011 and the movie will be released in 2012, but movie projects get delayed all the time so keep your fingers crossed!

Is there going to be a CHERUB video game?
Video games for consoles like Playstation and Wii cost millions of pounds to develop. They are usually based on movies rather than books, so a CHERUB video game is only likely if a movie goes gets made and becomes a big hit.

In the short term, a CHERUB video game seems unlikely.

When will the movie be released?
This question depends upon the finance. The most optimistic schedule is that the movie could begin shooting in Summer 2011 and be released in 2012. However, it might take much longer than this and it is still possible that the movie project could fall through.

What certificate/rating will a CHERUB movie be?
We know very little about the movie at this stage, but it's unlikely that anyone will release a movie based upon a kids' book that kids can't watch, so it will probably be a PG or a 12 certificate.

(If you're not from the UK and don't understand this question, you don't need to worry about it!)

How can I audition for a CHERUB movie?
There are currently no fixed dates for a movie and casting of child characters is unlikely to take place until the movie is ready to start shooting (we could cast someone as James now and find that he's got a beard by the time the movie is ready to be made!).

If there is an open casting, I'll try and put the information into the CHERUB newsletter. You may also want to follow me on Twitter because if I hear anything you'll probably hear much sooner than if you wait for a newsletter.

Will a CHERUB movie be true to the books?
The film makers' stated aim is to make a gritty and realistic movie based upon The Recruit. The last version of the script that I saw changes quite a few plot details from the book, but sticks closely to their spirit.

Will a CHERUB movie be based upon one book or lots of books?
CHERUB books contain quite a lot of material, so the first movie will probably be based upon The Recruit and is unlikely to include content from more than one book.

Will there be sequels?
Like any movie, sequels depend upon the first movie making money. If the first CHERUB movie was profitable, there's certainly a chance of a sequel or sequels.