TOP STORY:
CHERUB: CLASS A
JUST DAYS AWAY!

We're barely three weeks away from the launch of CHERUB: Class A. Here's a little taster, just to get you all excited!

James pushed an armchair against the door as the gunman rattled the handle on the outside. He desperately needed some kind of weapon.
  ‘Unlock this or I’ll shoot you to pieces,’ the man shouted, as he pounded the door with his fist.
  James slid one of Keith’s LPs off its rack. He’d learned in weapons training that you can make a dagger by shattering any object made out of hard plastic. He leaned the record sleeve against the wall and stamped it with his bloody trainer.
   The gunman shoulder charged the door.
   One of his colleagues shouted after him from the kitchen. ‘You need a hand?’
   The gunman didn’t sound worried. ‘It’s just some smartass kid, who’s gonna be feeling a lot of pain real soon.’
   Three deafening shots fired into the door, blasting away the lock. James tipped the pieces of the album out of its sleeve and grabbed the longest shard of what, until a few moments earlier, had been a valuable purple vinyl edition of Led Zeppelin IV.
   The gunman kicked the door twice, barging the armchair out of the way. James backed up to the wall beside the door, with the shard of purple vinyl clutched tightly in his hand. His heart drummed like it was set to burst. If he got this wrong, he’d end up with a bullet through his head.
   The second he eyed the pistol coming through the door, James grabbed the muzzle with one hand while plunging the sharp piece of plastic into the gunman’s wrist. The man screamed out. His fingers sprang apart and James snatched the gun, before backing up to the opposite wall and turning it around so that his finger was on the trigger.
   The man tugged the plastic out of his arm as he stumbled over the armchair. He faced James off with a self-assured grin.
  ‘Big gun for a little boy, eh?’ the man said, showing off a rack of yellow teeth. ‘Are you really gonna shoot me?’

YOU CAN FIND OUT ON
OCTOBER 14TH*

Don't forget you can read the opening chapter right now. It's online here.

(*Date may differ outside Great Britain)

To win, find the correct phrase and e-mail it to: cherubquiz@hotmail.com

Three lucky winners will receive a set of CHERUB cover artwork signed by the author.

Competition closes on 28/10/2004 For full terms and conditions click here.

Congratulations to Fiona, Harriet and Mark who won the August competition.

The winners will be picked on or soon after the closing date and will be notified by e-mail shortly afterwards.

AUTHOR'S MESSAGE:
MUCHAMORE DENIES SECRET VEGAS MARRIAGE TO BRITNEY

Howdy ho, CHERUB fans,
This picture isn't just to show off how cute I was before I got old and tubby. It's one of many embarrassing photos you'll find in the new author section of my web site at: www.cherubcampus.com/author.htm

The previous author section was all on one page and it was a bit rubbish. This time there's an FAQ, family album and the mysterious TTIWLTDBID section.

Why not check it out?

I've been visiting the CHERUB forums and answering fan's questions almost every day this month. I have to say, I really enjoy George's site and I hope more of you join soon.

One of the weirdest threads on the forum is the one where fans speculate about what the acronym CHERUB stands for. So far my favorite is

Couldn't
Help
Eating
Rhubarb
Underneath
Bed

Maybe one day I'll tell you all what CHERUB really stands for.

Have a good month!

Robert Muchamore.

P.S. If you've got any comments or questions on CHERUB books, CHERUB News or CHERUB Campus, you can e-mail me at: mail@cherubcampus.com or join me on the CHERUB forums at cherubseries.proboards34.com/