Eagle Day

Henderson's Boys #2

by Robert Muchamore

Late summer, 1940.

Hitler has conquered France. Now he intends to cross the Channel and defeat Britain before winter arrives.

A group of young refugees led by British spy Charles Henderson faces a stark choice. To head south into the safety of neutral Spain, or go north on a risky mission to sabotage the German invasion plans.

For official purposes, these children do not exist.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Historical Fiction, War, Adventure, Action, Espionage

432 pages, Paperback

First published June 4, 2009

About the author

Robert 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.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This second volume in the prequel series to Cherub, set in World War II, moves things along rather well. Whilst The Escape was the story of some children caught up in the German invasion of France, this is the story of how a group of children end up working for British intelligence during the war. Rosie, Paul, Marc and new character PT have met British spy Charles Henderson and are headed to the safety of England but Henderson has a mission for them first.

My favorite thing about this story is the accuracy of the World War II setting. Throughout the book there are great depictions of life in occupied France and under the Germans and the whole plot is based on something which actually happened. The mission is cause fires to mark where bombers should bomb to destroy barges meant to cross the channel and invade England. If I didn't know this was a work of fiction I would think it actually happened as it is so well researched and put together.

The characters are strong, with each of the children having special skills that can be put to use. I always thought this was the cleverest thing from the Cherub series, the idea that children who are criminals and orphans often have special skills and with the right guidance can really make use of them. PT is a good addition to the cast, although there is a whole section which gives his 'origin story' in New York and I felt it added nothing to the story apart from unnecessary length. Charles Henderson is also well constructed- so often the adult characters in young adult books are little more than an outline but Henderson is a fully-fledged proper complicated adult.

This book also solved the few problems I had with the first one. I worried that the Germans were made to be overly evil and wondered that surely some of them were OK and low and behold in this book we have some friendly Germans. I was also frustrated the lack of an ending in the first book but we get one here. It's very much a two book story and I guess the next volume takes the series in a slightly different direction

This is a triumph from Muchamore, a young adult book that has all the action needed to keep reluctant male readers interested but also gives us superbly accurate depiction of a small part of World War II.

[Kasia (kasikowykurz) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐ // Nie mogłam się wgryźć :). Tak naprawdę zaczęła mi się podobać dopiero bliżej połowy, a potem znowu miałam problem ze skupieniem. Pierwszy tom podobał mi się o wiele bardziej, ale też nie pomaga mi tło historii, bo ja ja bardzo nie lubię książek dziejących się w trakcie wojny (nudzą mnie). No nic, zobaczymy jak z trzecim tomem będzie!

[Cindee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book it was even better than the first it was so action-packed from start to finish I loved the war-related realism how this book shows just how bad war is. I loved the characters even more than before the new one PT is really interesting as well. I loved the story it was non stop action and I loved how WW2 was depicted in this book. So overall I loved this book and will be continuing the series as soon as possible.

[Peter O'Conner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set during World War II, Charles Henderson and four orphaned children work together in France to sabotage Hitler's invasion of Britain.
After reading The Escape (the first of the Henderson's Boys series), it didn't seem like things could get any better but Eagle Day manages it from start to finish. Continuing the story of how CHERUB came to be, this story just gets more and more exciting.

[NoConforto Dos Livros · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5*
https://www.noconfortodoslivros.com/l...

[Stormy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unlike the first book this one isn't as slow paste so we start off with Henderson with marc trying to break into the place where they can get him a passport so they can get back into to the UK but while they're doing this the Paul and Rosie needed to jump off their boat as it was under attack the Rosie was a stronger swimmer than Paul could hardly swim Rosie got back to land ok but had lost her brother Paul while trying to survive she finally finds him but he sorted unconscious or something like that PT he was able to bring him back around PT is a new character and we find out that that he is from New York City in America where him and his family killed two cops while trying to do a bank robbery only him and his younger brother escaped everyone else died he left his brother there well he escaped wasn't his biggest fan like I said this but was a lot better and what I expect off Robert muchamore

[16LongbottomJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was book 2 of the series and I liked this book even ,poorest then the last as I now know all the characters the series is really starting to form and I'm really interested in history so the realism of ww2 is very good

[16BorgesJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading eagle day because it was very climatic and was addictive to read as I always wanted to know what happened next.

[SecretsOfaBookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars!

[Rafi Abdur · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad

[Jordan McCrae · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading the first instalment of the series, it really got me hooked and I was really keen to see what the second book was to bring to the exciting series.

The second book begins where the first was left, June 1940, during World War II. Hitler has now conquered France and intends on crossing the channel to take over Britain. Meanwhile, Charles Henderson, a British spy and a group of teenagers that joined him in the first book to escape France have failed in doing so as one of the teenagers (Marc [13]) does not have a passport as he escaped an orphanage before the bombing of France – which causes him and Henderson to stay back and get him a passport whilst the other two kids (Rosie [13] and Paul [11]) have already left on a ship named “Cardiff Bay” which gets attack by the Nazis, and is sunk a fair distance away from shore. After this disaster happens, the four are reunited back in France, where they meet a boy who goes by the name of PT, an American boy in trouble with the law. Now stuck in France again, they begin a risky mission to sabotage the German invasion plans on Britain, whilst also facing the challenge of escaping, once again. I really enjoyed the plot in the story because when your reading it, it basically puts you in the brutal reality that some people had to live through during these terrible times – and the way they reacted to beatings or their society being destroyed. This is one of the keys reasons I was still hooked and wanting to read more.

Amongst the many interesting characters in this book PT Bivott, the boy who has a shady background, is the guy who kept me the most hooked into the book. Reason being the way he acts and lives, after the death of his brother and father in a failure robbery. Every now and then during the book you get a flashback of what his past life was like, it intrigued me and I wanted to know more. It’s also interesting as he uses techniques and tricks he learnt in his part life to help the others escape.

When reading this book, I learnt behind all the action packed plot a lot more about World War II, and what it would be like to live in these times, be forced to put your soul on the line for your country, whether you’re French or German, and be put in brutal life threating conditions almost every day. This makes me feel really fortunate I wasn’t born in these times.

The quote from the book that I found most interesting was “These Germans call us apes. They won’t ever let a black man go. So better to die trying to escape, eh?” This quote proves how racist Hitler was and how times have changed so much since then, where black people were compared to apes, and how they would let a white prisoner go but never a black.

[Philip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the first instalment, however this book contains some great scenes and characters and continues to educate me about the Nazi occupation of France. The final page setting up the creation of CHERUB was a brilliant moment. 3 stars.

[Marcel Driel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book!

[Romana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars because I liked this more than the first book in the series...but still not that much.

This story follows Marc, Rosie, Paul and new addition PT as they hide in Northern France with British spy, Charles Henderson. That’s honestly the best plot summary/introduction I can give because it took me so long to read this I can’t remember half of it...

I’m going to start with something I actually forgot to write in my review of the first book but is still very much relevant to this one. My initial concern was that Muchamore seems to have his age perception a bit off. Marc is supposed to be twelve, and PT only fifteen. Now, I’m no 12-15 year old boy, but the way they talk seems a little unbelievable and, particularly when they’re talking/thinking about girls, they sound more like 17 year olds, and borderline sexist 17 year olds at that. I realise that it’s set in WW2 but I don’t think this was a case of trying to achieve historical accuracy. Drawing on this, Muchamore seems a bit obsessed with including ‘sexual’ (there are no actual sex scenes, but they relate) scenes which have no relevance whatsoever. I’ll use an example from very early on in the book: the kids all sit there spying through an open door at Henderson and another woman undressing. I’m sorry, but all we got from that was that they were romantically involved which could’ve easily been shown in a way that was less creepy and weird for a book aimed at people younger than me. And the scene is never revisited - it has zero significance. And that happens a couple of times.

Rant over, I’ll talk about why I liked this book more than the first one: it actually felt like the kids were doing something. In the last one it was all Henderson, and the others felt like they were just tagging along or being babysitted. This time they seemed to add value, and the whole idea that Henderson is realising their potential made more sense.

I really loved the first part of the book where we were told PT’s story, but I must admit it all slows down a bit in the middle which is why it took so long for me to read this. However, I’ve already read the first couple of chapters of the next book and it seems promising. It sounds a lot more like what I’ve been expecting in these last two books so fingers crossed...

[Mike Booth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A much more entertaining read than the first in the series, and well worth the time.
After I finished the first book, The Escape, I thought that I would read this (as I had been loaned the first two books by my housemate) and then leave the series there, as it wasn't going to be interesting enough to read all seven. I'm happy to say that this one has completely reversed that opinion, and I think that now I will continue the series to its conclusion.
It may help that I have all but finished another series of YA/kids books that I was reading (Septimus Heap), that I was not particularly enjoying. I have only the companion book to read to conclude that series, whereas when I read the first of this series, I was still midway through and disappointed in each book. Now that the end is very much in sight, I need another series, and this was perfectly situated.
That's not to say that I would have read this regardless: I do think this second book is a vast improvement on the first. Perhaps because there was less need to introduce characters and set the scene, this already having been done in the first, allowing the story to be much more of a focus (which was always the strength of the CHERUB books). The story is therefore much more developed, which makes for a more entertaining read - the book itself is also bigger, which again gives the author more space to put in some character development as a subsidiary focus.
I also felt like the characters behaved more appropriately for how they had been introduced, although there is definitely too much of a modern feel. I know that not everyone alive then would be the stereotypical example of the 1940s that is often portrayed in historical fiction, but the author seems to have written this in pretty much the same manner as his other series, and just changed names and places to fit in with the wartime period, without altering any behaviour.
As I said, it's definitely an improvement on the first. I do hope this improvement continues, as I remember enjoying CHERUB when I was younger, and I'd like to see how the series concludes. After Septimus Heao, though I'm not going to finish a series if I'm not enjoying it just to find out why - it's not worth my time. We shall see.

[Mella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the first book and I think I liked this one slightly less in some ways. PT annoyed me in a lot of ways - his lack of loyalty. I understood it, but I also hated it. Henderson also grated on my nerves. He seemed to become more and more childish and immature. To be honest, he seems really young and I guess due to my own advancing age - particularly young. His relationship with Maxine annoyed me on many levels - one of which was you know, his wife? On the other hand, I grew to love Marc, Paul and Rosie even more. Each had strengths that developed further in this book and it was nice to see them take on greater responsibility for their 'mission'. I particularly liked how being a woman or being tiny or young didn't affect their ability to kick ass. All of them take on stronger opponents and outwit them to achieve victory. Another favourite who doesn't really get a lot of screen time was McAfferty. But the scenes with her were wicked. I loved how she handled herself and the way her superiors recognised her worth. I hope to see more of her in future books.

[Tom Munro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eagle Day written by Robert Muchamore is a book set in the 1940s in the second war and is about a group of children who team up with a British spy and go into occupied Franc and try and sabotage the German invasion fleet.

One thing the bought taught me was that thought the toughest times are testing us and make us stronger and better for the future. An example of this in the book is when Marc and Henderson survive the gestapo and are smarter and stronger after in there friendship.

Another thing that a learnt was it doesn’t matter where you come from and what you’ve done you can always do good. A example of this in the tex is the character P.T he was a fugitive from America and came to France to flee the police and helps Henderson sabotage the German invading fleet.

I would recommend this book for people who have read cherub and like the author.

[Pavan Reddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its plain and simple and this no fun to read because it goes on straight road with only little thumps. Writing is good which makes it good to read but the plot didn't encourage me to continue this series. Its lole there are no emotions in the book its just plain story just for reading. Characters were good but I couldn't get connected to a particular character throughout the whole which made it lame to continue. But if you're looking for a book to get a break from a particular genre then it maybe handy due to its easy english and plain story.


Thanks&BeHappy

[Gavin Kerst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not much to say on this book and that’s a good thing because Muchamore simply nails everything.
The storytelling, the characters, the setting, all of it!

I particularly loved the ending sequence as the final plan depended on many actions from each of the different characters and we got to follow those different paths, all of them being very exciting right until they all intercepted each other!!!

What more can I say? Robert Muchamore is a master at his craft!

[17carlinb243 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book quite a lot as it was full of non-stop action and you never knew what was going to happen next as it was so unpredictable. Near the end you may get really worried for a few seconds as Rosie thinks that she gets shot as she has this blood like liquid on her leg but then she realizes it is just her brother Paul's strawberry jam!

[ASHer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great sequel to the first, carrying the story on perfectly. Solving the puzzling questions left unanswered from the first book, and throwing completely new ones into the mix. I'm so excited to read the next books in this series, and so excited to see what happens to these characters I've come to love.

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is set in World War II when the Germans were carefully planning an attack on Britain however this failed due to the efforts of a small spy team called CHERUB. My favourite character is Marc because he is big, tough, brave and the main character of the story. My favourite part is when They blow up all of the docks winning the battle.

[Suzanne Brayton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book in the series involves how the Unit of (theoretical) teens to be sent into occupied France evolved.

This is good reading and pulls you in to keep wanting more. I only downgraded each book in the series because of language and sexual references and at this point hints at sexual activity, because i feel it is inappropriate for pre-teens/teens.

[Emily ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

🌟🌟🌟🌟
Despite my preconceived thoughts about this book it was actually really really good! I love historical fiction and this hit the spot. I was hooked throughout and finished it in a day, engaged with the characters too. The plot was fast paced, chaotic and fiery and I am glad the ending worked out!! 😄

[Gerard C · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is well written but has a little too much action involved, the story develops slowly and relies too much on many characters of the book. I would give it it 4/5 stars because I like a person that likes action in books.

[theo · Rating 4 out of 5]

good overall but annoying how rosie was more in the background as the only girl whereas all the boys got into the action most of the time. (don't talk to me about historical accuracy its already a book of fiction about using child soldiers in wwii so)

[Jude Morse · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s quite evident that more is expected of these children than the average cherub agent. They have to be a lot more willing to kill and if necessary die for their country. It’s brutal but arguably more fascinating then cherub

[Garrett Porter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just as good as the first book! A nice change of pace from the fantasy I usually read. I'll keep reading these in my spare time as they are enjoyable and do not require much time or effort to read

[ineslopezz · Rating 4 out of 5]

6,5/10 *
1ª vez

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you read this book, you feel like you are reading a story that really happened. Muchamore explores the historic facts around the fictional storyline, like a pro.