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Henderson's Boys #5
The Prisoner
One of Henderson's best agents is being held captive in Frankfurt. A set of forged record cards could be his ticket to freedom, but might just as easily become his death warrant. A vital mission awaits him in France - if he can find a way to escape.
354 pages, Paperback
First published February 2, 2012
85 people are currently reading
1134 people want to read
About the author
Robert Muchamore
148 books1,910 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 64 reviews
January 21, 2022
This is an interesting entry in the series - it's a brave departure from earlier entries, and it shows that Muchamore isn't afraid to deviate from the CHERUB formula. The entire book focuses on Marc's escape from a German work camp, over the course of an extended period (which really matters, given that the war only lasted 6 years). That really shakes up the status quo, rather than returning things to "normal" at the end of every book.
As for the story itself, it's exactly what you'd expect - well-done YA pulp espionage. It's a page-turner, but not a ground-breaker. You do have to appreciate that Muchamore didn't shy away from depicting the horrors and deprivation of Nazi Germany - he really drives home just how awful the experience was for forced laborers.
As for the story itself, it's exactly what you'd expect - well-done YA pulp espionage. It's a page-turner, but not a ground-breaker. You do have to appreciate that Muchamore didn't shy away from depicting the horrors and deprivation of Nazi Germany - he really drives home just how awful the experience was for forced laborers.
February 12, 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyEY3q...
Follow the link to watch my video review of read the script below.
-Start with a reading, page marked.-
The Prisoner by Robert Muchamore, book five in his Henderson's Boys series. So from watching my previous videos you'll know I'm quite a fan of Robert Muchamore's, in fact Grey Wolves, the book that proceeds this one was actually one of my books of the year for 2011. -Indicate video.-
For those who've never encountered the series before, Henderson's Boys is a collection of what will eventually be 7 books, all set in world war two, that focus on Charles Henderson, a British spy working against the Nazis, who ends up using young boys and girls to work for him, because no one expects children to be spying on them. It's the 1940s origins of what will eventually become the high tech, government organisation CHERUB, the focus of his original series of books. -Cut away to pictures.-
The Prisoner follows the story of Marc, who at the end of Grey Wolves is arrested by the Nazis and taken to prison in Germany. As the story opens he has been imprisoned for months in an old converted steamer in Frankfurt. He is packed in, shoulder to shoulder, with as many other men they can fit, fed the barest of slop and they are forced to work in the toughest conditions, given the jobs that no one else wants. Marc knows he has to get away, if he doesn't he'll end up worked to death by the guards or even killed by one of his fellow prisoners. Yet this time there is no Henderson to help him, the British spy network isn't him, and the awful conditions make it impossible to even think straight, let alone plot an escape. This time there is no plan, no help, but Marc will try anyway, it's escape or die.
I really loved this book, it's the kind of book you read for thrills. With books like this you can basically measure how good it is by how long it takes to read it. It really does have the 'can't stop turning the pages' element to it. You simply can't put down and take a break, you just continually /have/ to find out what's going to happen next. Marc is constantly toying on the edge of danger and one wrong move will see him shot through the head. You can't help reading with your heart in your throat.
There are some brilliant throw backs in this book, you are presented with scenes and characters that first appeared in books as far back as The Escape, but overall this book feels more like a companion novel, rather than another book in the series. Of all the characters we have been introduced to previously it really is simply about Marc and in such a way it's very different, but not in a bad way. It's different, it's Marc's book, rather than a Henderson's Boys book, and I can't wait for the next to hear from Rosie and Pj and Paul again, but this was an interesting diversion, it gives an exhillerating view behind enemy lines, where everything is so much more dangerous and thus, much more exciting.
With much thanks to Rob and Hodder I have some amazing Cheruby-Henderson Boys goodies to give away to you my viewers. These include... As always all you have to do to win, be subscribed and post a comment down below.
So guys have you read any Muchamore? If so what do you prefer Cherub or Henderson's Boys? If you haven't read him already definitely check him out. Definitely my favourite spy books at the moment. Anyway, happy reading guys, hope to hear from you in the comments down below. Bye.
Follow the link to watch my video review of read the script below.
-Start with a reading, page marked.-
The Prisoner by Robert Muchamore, book five in his Henderson's Boys series. So from watching my previous videos you'll know I'm quite a fan of Robert Muchamore's, in fact Grey Wolves, the book that proceeds this one was actually one of my books of the year for 2011. -Indicate video.-
For those who've never encountered the series before, Henderson's Boys is a collection of what will eventually be 7 books, all set in world war two, that focus on Charles Henderson, a British spy working against the Nazis, who ends up using young boys and girls to work for him, because no one expects children to be spying on them. It's the 1940s origins of what will eventually become the high tech, government organisation CHERUB, the focus of his original series of books. -Cut away to pictures.-
The Prisoner follows the story of Marc, who at the end of Grey Wolves is arrested by the Nazis and taken to prison in Germany. As the story opens he has been imprisoned for months in an old converted steamer in Frankfurt. He is packed in, shoulder to shoulder, with as many other men they can fit, fed the barest of slop and they are forced to work in the toughest conditions, given the jobs that no one else wants. Marc knows he has to get away, if he doesn't he'll end up worked to death by the guards or even killed by one of his fellow prisoners. Yet this time there is no Henderson to help him, the British spy network isn't him, and the awful conditions make it impossible to even think straight, let alone plot an escape. This time there is no plan, no help, but Marc will try anyway, it's escape or die.
I really loved this book, it's the kind of book you read for thrills. With books like this you can basically measure how good it is by how long it takes to read it. It really does have the 'can't stop turning the pages' element to it. You simply can't put down and take a break, you just continually /have/ to find out what's going to happen next. Marc is constantly toying on the edge of danger and one wrong move will see him shot through the head. You can't help reading with your heart in your throat.
There are some brilliant throw backs in this book, you are presented with scenes and characters that first appeared in books as far back as The Escape, but overall this book feels more like a companion novel, rather than another book in the series. Of all the characters we have been introduced to previously it really is simply about Marc and in such a way it's very different, but not in a bad way. It's different, it's Marc's book, rather than a Henderson's Boys book, and I can't wait for the next to hear from Rosie and Pj and Paul again, but this was an interesting diversion, it gives an exhillerating view behind enemy lines, where everything is so much more dangerous and thus, much more exciting.
With much thanks to Rob and Hodder I have some amazing Cheruby-Henderson Boys goodies to give away to you my viewers. These include... As always all you have to do to win, be subscribed and post a comment down below.
So guys have you read any Muchamore? If so what do you prefer Cherub or Henderson's Boys? If you haven't read him already definitely check him out. Definitely my favourite spy books at the moment. Anyway, happy reading guys, hope to hear from you in the comments down below. Bye.
August 8, 2013
I decided to read this book because id read the other books leading up to it and they were great so I wanted to finish the series and I think these books are the best book of all of Robert muchamores' books including his other version of this series the cherub series. this book is set in the second world war in France mainly and it is about an elite group of children spies who help the alliance fight against Germany.
the category that this book fills in is my own choice. this is an interesting category because it is like the trump card of the categories.
a character I found interesting was marc kilgour he is the main character in this story and he gets captured and becomes a prisoner of war who tries to escape and return to his home back in France and back to his espionage group cherub. marc kilgour grew up an orphan and was beaten regularly by the 'supervisor' of whom he gets his own back after he joins the German forces. when the germans strt bombing france he managed to sneak away In the confusion he went to Paris and found the spy who started the cherub operation and he never looked back.
a quote I found interesting is 'this war will be over before America is ready to begin fighting' Adolf Hitler 1941 I found this quote interesting because of Adolf Hitler's false confidence that he'd all ready won the war.
some thing new I learned from the book is what it would be like if I was a prisoner in a German labour camp and how hard it is and that you were treated with no respect and that cow pats were treated with more respect.an example of this would be when they were moving logs up a hill and a prisoner got trapped underneath one of the two tonne pile of logs and when the other prisoners finally got it off him he was barely breathing and on of the soldiers started laughing and said "do that again it was funny". when they finally completed their task, the prisoners who helped the guy got punished for leaving their post.
the category that this book fills in is my own choice. this is an interesting category because it is like the trump card of the categories.
a character I found interesting was marc kilgour he is the main character in this story and he gets captured and becomes a prisoner of war who tries to escape and return to his home back in France and back to his espionage group cherub. marc kilgour grew up an orphan and was beaten regularly by the 'supervisor' of whom he gets his own back after he joins the German forces. when the germans strt bombing france he managed to sneak away In the confusion he went to Paris and found the spy who started the cherub operation and he never looked back.
a quote I found interesting is 'this war will be over before America is ready to begin fighting' Adolf Hitler 1941 I found this quote interesting because of Adolf Hitler's false confidence that he'd all ready won the war.
some thing new I learned from the book is what it would be like if I was a prisoner in a German labour camp and how hard it is and that you were treated with no respect and that cow pats were treated with more respect.an example of this would be when they were moving logs up a hill and a prisoner got trapped underneath one of the two tonne pile of logs and when the other prisoners finally got it off him he was barely breathing and on of the soldiers started laughing and said "do that again it was funny". when they finally completed their task, the prisoners who helped the guy got punished for leaving their post.
February 3, 2012
I suprisingly did enjoy The Prisoner, even though the plot revolved entirely around Marc. I'm a fan of Henderson my self, his character brings about lots of laughs as well as a more mature outlook but Marc has always been an interesting character and I was curious to see what happened to him at the end of Grey Wolves. Watching Marc struggle through labour camps was terrible, there were moments when I would cringe and look away, but continue reading with one eye squinting. I mean, it's interesting but come on,
'It was a relief knowing he wasn't blind beneath the swelling, but soon both eyes were filled with blood as the surgeon cut away strips of skin, then used a sterilised tea-spoon to scoop out rancid-smelling pus and clotted blood.' (pg.67)
Gross much? I can't look at a tea spoon the same :(
All in all, a great novel although lacking that final umph. Muchamore hasn't dissapointed for this one methinks.
'It was a relief knowing he wasn't blind beneath the swelling, but soon both eyes were filled with blood as the surgeon cut away strips of skin, then used a sterilised tea-spoon to scoop out rancid-smelling pus and clotted blood.' (pg.67)
Gross much? I can't look at a tea spoon the same :(
All in all, a great novel although lacking that final umph. Muchamore hasn't dissapointed for this one methinks.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 18, 2016
I don't know what it is about CHERUB but I enjoy these books almost as much now as I did when I was 11. At least now it only takes a few days to read them.
This one was excellent though I wish we'd got to see more of Henderson and his sadness at Marc's disappearance but hey. Marc is a great character, the story moves super quickly and is exciting and yeah. Just another awesome CHERUB book.
This one was excellent though I wish we'd got to see more of Henderson and his sadness at Marc's disappearance but hey. Marc is a great character, the story moves super quickly and is exciting and yeah. Just another awesome CHERUB book.
August 22, 2018
Why I decided to read this book.
I decided to read this book so I could continue reading from the first 4 books,I also find this series quite enthralling and also quite humorous at times, as well as the action packed goodness that's in this book.
I find that this book teaches you about the history of World War II and also explains how crucial spies and agents were during World War II. This also shows how England cooperated with the French and their resistance agencies so they could get information and downed aircraft men out of the country safely.
My Favourite Quote from this book:"Look,Jae,I've got nothing against you. I've just got no intention to get strapped to a barn door and horse whipped."
Something new I learned from this book was that the British used kids as spies in France.
Marc was an interesting character because he had quite a few hits of brilliant luck and he also had some good ways of lying to the jerrys and he managed to get out of trouble from his labour camp in Germany all the way back to Paris and get back into his orphanage which he last visited 2 years ago, he also got a very nice girlfriend whom both adored each other very much. He also got back out of Paris and back to England to meet up with his fellow spies after blowing up and airfield with a pair of Canadians who had landed at dieppe and made it all the way to the orphanage.
I decided to read this book so I could continue reading from the first 4 books,I also find this series quite enthralling and also quite humorous at times, as well as the action packed goodness that's in this book.
I find that this book teaches you about the history of World War II and also explains how crucial spies and agents were during World War II. This also shows how England cooperated with the French and their resistance agencies so they could get information and downed aircraft men out of the country safely.
My Favourite Quote from this book:"Look,Jae,I've got nothing against you. I've just got no intention to get strapped to a barn door and horse whipped."
Something new I learned from this book was that the British used kids as spies in France.
Marc was an interesting character because he had quite a few hits of brilliant luck and he also had some good ways of lying to the jerrys and he managed to get out of trouble from his labour camp in Germany all the way back to Paris and get back into his orphanage which he last visited 2 years ago, he also got a very nice girlfriend whom both adored each other very much. He also got back out of Paris and back to England to meet up with his fellow spies after blowing up and airfield with a pair of Canadians who had landed at dieppe and made it all the way to the orphanage.
April 12, 2022
Good to see Marc again. Trying to keep track of the characters that come in and out is a tip, but ultimately, the ending is always worth even the slowest parts. Thankfully, this is not one of the books that has a lot of slow parts. Marc is the usual clever and resourceful young man that readers have come to love at this point, and the bit of history mixed into this particular chronicle is intriguing as it gives the reader some real-world perspective. It's also interesting to see Marc and the rest of the CHERUBs maturing, and makes you wonder how the age cap in the original series comes to be. Keep on reading, readers. I think the last two books in this series are going to get really interesting.
August 18, 2019
Marc Kilgour's storyline just gets better and better, and finally, he can have a 'solo' book without riding on the coattails of his espionage mentor Charles Henderson. It was a thrilling book about an escape from a Nazi labour camp and an escape from Nazism itself. But as a teen's book, it did get overly lovey-dovey. Overall, it was a fast-paced novel whose main character undergoes an internal change when travelling alone back into Allied territory and shanks a few bad guys, and the story is a great lead onto the rest of the series.
November 5, 2017
It was all about Marc! I loved it! Definitely my favourite Henderson's Boys book so far. Especially since in the last one PT annoyed the crap out of me. I was sad I didn't get to see as much of Rosie or Paul but Marc was amazing. He was smart and resourceful and totally kicked ass. I didn't love the fact he got back together with Jae but it was a minor point. He's willingness to fight for his beliefs was inspiring. I just loved it.
December 15, 2021
Another very good Henderson Boys story from Muchamore!!
I loved how this story focused on Marc alone because he’s easily my favourite character. It was epic to see how all of his plans unfolded and all of the obstacles he had to get over! I really enjoyed it!
However, the heavy romance seemed a little far fetched to me as he is only 14. But I guess I can understand as when you’re 14 your emotions are running super high.
I loved how this story focused on Marc alone because he’s easily my favourite character. It was epic to see how all of his plans unfolded and all of the obstacles he had to get over! I really enjoyed it!
However, the heavy romance seemed a little far fetched to me as he is only 14. But I guess I can understand as when you’re 14 your emotions are running super high.
July 1, 2018
The first three quarters of this were the best book of the series (so far) in both realism and suspense. Just a shame the last part seemed so rushed, and more than a little OTT.
Odd thing is the reason the first part was so good was that the title character was completely missing.
Odd thing is the reason the first part was so good was that the title character was completely missing.
November 15, 2021
A fantastic novel. It was a great decision of Muchamore’s to dispense with the standard formulae of these books - introducing a mission and following it through to conclusion. In this entry in the series we take a break from the driving series narrative and follow Marc in his trials and tribulations through Nazi-occupied Europe. We get to see lots of history, lots of different settings and get to know Marc as a skilled and well-written protagonist, more than capable of carrying the novel without the usual cast of characters. The conclusion was maybe a little rushed but this does at least stop the book from becoming too long. Absolutely cracking read! 5 stars.
March 6, 2025
Amazing book and very interesting about the life of people (14 year old ) in the army camps having to survive lots of hard things in the camps such as little food, hard labour and lots of other things.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 4, 2018
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.
March 17, 2018
The best one of the series
July 22, 2018
good book
September 10, 2020
Best so far
Read
March 18, 2021it was a good war fiction story would recommend to anyone who like the war and spy agents
March 1, 2023
★★★★★
October 30, 2023
I absolutely loved this book especially with it being all about Marc and him being my favourite character in the series
June 1, 2024
good book 👍
read-children
August 20, 2024Rec: Luke / Mum, Format : Paperback, From: Luke
November 7, 2024
Marc was my favourite character so it was really interesting to read about his time in germany. He is so resourceful and impressive to think of all the ways to escape danger..
February 4, 2025
Glad he didn’t shy away from the fear Marc feels in a work camp. It’s horrible and there’s nothing else to it. It feels like a lot of the time he isn’t going to make it which really interested me.
May 24, 2025
read as a child
September 15, 2025
Wasn't sure I would like a story primarily focused on Marc, but Muchamore pulled it off. Great adventures.
October 1, 2025
if I could give 6 stars I would
amazing
amazing
March 6, 2023
Great book
August 10, 2021
More average action from a series that has been, for the most part, average. I don't mean bad - lots of people seem to think average is bad - just very average.
Writing this from a month's distance (I was busy in the meantime), I really can't remember a whole lot of what went on.
I do remember some parts relatively clearly, and I remember that the usual gruesome descriptions of injuries and conditions were still up to the usual standard of the author, which is one of the reasons I loved Muchamore's books when I was younger.
But there's also the same disregard for the period these books have been set, not just in a way to make them accessible for modern readers, that makes it hard to swallow sometimes. There's also some serious suspension of disbelief needed to accept the age of the protagonist given the events, but given this is YA, I'm much more forgiving on this front. The target readers want to imagine themselves in Marc's shoes, after all.
Its not a bad book, but it does kind of feel like another one thrown in, and not really adding to the overall series plot. To be honest, I'm not sure quite what the series plot is, if there is one. But again, it's not bad. Just average.
Writing this from a month's distance (I was busy in the meantime), I really can't remember a whole lot of what went on.
I do remember some parts relatively clearly, and I remember that the usual gruesome descriptions of injuries and conditions were still up to the usual standard of the author, which is one of the reasons I loved Muchamore's books when I was younger.
But there's also the same disregard for the period these books have been set, not just in a way to make them accessible for modern readers, that makes it hard to swallow sometimes. There's also some serious suspension of disbelief needed to accept the age of the protagonist given the events, but given this is YA, I'm much more forgiving on this front. The target readers want to imagine themselves in Marc's shoes, after all.
Its not a bad book, but it does kind of feel like another one thrown in, and not really adding to the overall series plot. To be honest, I'm not sure quite what the series plot is, if there is one. But again, it's not bad. Just average.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews