Although as a child I’d been brought up on James Bond films, which – unbelievably to today’s kids – were a rare treat that were only ever shown on Bank Holiday Mondays, it wasn’t until my mid-teens that the idea of becoming a spy or secret agent became appealing. If I’m honest, this was mainly down to the BBC showing several The Man from U.N.C.L.E. films in the summer holidays a few years in a row and my developing a huge crush on Illya Kuryakin, played by the late David McCallum, but all these years later, I’d still be thrilled to be sent on a mission with him and Robert Vaughan’s Napoleon Solo.

Today’s young readers are far more likely to be familiar with James Bond than I was at their age, either through the films or Charlie Higson’s Young Bond books, and the continuing popularity of these together with Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider stories will have left many of them hungry for more adventures filled with espionage and gadgets, leading me onto this new read for them. Fast-paced and action-packed, this opener for a new series is one that is filled with twists and turns and one that introduces us to protagonist Zac Thorne, whose life is changed forever when infighting within his family of master criminals leads to his being taken into protective custody.

Following a murder attempt by one family member against another two months ago, Zak has found himself in the care of covert residential protection officer Danny, who works for the National Crime Agency. When Danny offers him the chance to join a team called Python, which is overseen by the NCA and MI5 and is staffed by teenagers whose lives have been damaged by organised crime, a reluctant Zak agrees.

Sent on his first mission to local shopping mall the Kewford Centre, Zak is initially tasked with finding the other members of the team who are already in place there as part of a plan to take down a mobster operating from within its walls, but unwilling to do the groundwork expected of him ahead of time, quickly finds himself in trouble.

Having managed to worm his way out of the situation, Zak identifies the other Python members and between them they start to formulate a plan to put a stop to the criminal activities being carried out in the mall. But when a hunch leads him to uncover the mobster’s base, Zak impulsively decides to act alone, throwing everything into confusion and putting himself and the rest of his team in danger. Untrained for the situation in which he now finds himself, Can Zak somehow find a way not only to alert those in control to what is going on but also to save his own skin and those of his new teammates?

Very soon after picking up Zak’s story, we learn that although his family appears to be a bunch of amoral criminals who are prepared to stop at nothing in their attempts to carry out their crooked business dealings, Zak clearly doesn’t fit in. Torn by loyalty to his father, who runs the corp of which he desperately wants to be a part, and doing what his conscience tells him is the right thing, after being placed in Danny’s care, Zak is keen to do all that he can to reunite himself with his father and reestablish his hopes of joining his dad’s business empire, leading him to agree to join Python.

When he meets the other teenagers who will be working alongside him, his misplaced self-confidence almost scuppers their task before it’s even started and as we watch him try to put things right, his inexperience of both breaking the law and being part of a team continue to trip him up, leading to what is a really exciting read as he tries to do whatever it takes not just to stay alive but also to bring down those who are on the wrong side of the law. I don’t think it’s too spoilery, with this being just the start of the series, to say that he makes it to the end and I can’t wait for Book 2 to reveal just what he has learnt and how he puts it to use in Python’s next mission.

Ahead of that, my enormous thanks go to publisher Simon & Schuster and to NetGalley for my advance read of this title. Python: The New Recruit publishes July 2nd for 11+ readers.

Fifteen year old Zac Thorne really loves his dad Joey. Sure Joey might test the boundaries of the law sometimes with his ‘Corporation’, but he’s basically a nice guy, isn’t he? Zac can’t wait to be allowed to join the family business, even if his dad seems to have doubts. Then one day Zac is confronted with just how far his dad is prepared to go to protect the Corporation and suddenly Zac isn’t sure whose side he wants to be on.

´Python: The new recruit’ is an action packed page turner with a cliff hanger (sometimes literally) in every chapter. Zac is a likeable and conflicted hero and there are plenty of plot twists and turns to keep me guessing and genuinely suspenseful moments that left me wondering whether Zac (or anyone in his vicinity) would survive to the end of the book.

Perfect for age 10+ fans of Action and Adventure books.

Disclaimer: I am most grateful to the publishers Simon & Schuster Children’s UK and NetGalley for allowing me access to the advance e-copy of Python: The new recruit in exchange for my honest opinion.

Intriguing title?- check.
Pick me up and look at me cover?- double check
Pulse pounding, attention grabbing, funny when it needs to be, twisty turny, thrilling story with plenty of heart? - All the checks!

Fantastic read, Make room on your library shelves for this one and the rest of the series. Dare I say it, may have enjoyed this one even more than Bite Risk!

I loved this book! It’s an action-packed, suspenseful spy story that kept me hooked throughout. Zac, the son of a powerful mobster, is a brilliant main character, and I liked how, despite his background, he still has strong values.
The friendship storyline adds real heart, and there are fun Home Alone-style moments with the criminals that made me smile.
Perfect for readers in higher KS2 to KS3, especially fans of fast-paced adventures. If you enjoy Alex Rider, you’ll love this!

This was the exact action packed adventure I was looking for! I knew I was in safe hands after throughly enjoying this authors other books so I eagerly hopped into this one.

It didn’t take me very long at all to get hooked. It’s fast-paced and I flew through chapters without even realising it.

It was also the perfect book to christen my brand new Kindle with so not only did I have fresh new kindle vibes, but paired with an exciting book made for a perfect first reading experience.

Zac is a character still very much in his character development arc and I can’t wait to see how he will progress through the series. His criminal overlord dad has a controlling influence over him, he has a lot to overcome and he’s still finding out his place in the world. Will the help of friends and a brand new mission help him figure out who he’s meant to be? It’s set itself up to be a fab set of books and anyone who enjoys a spy themed thriller will find themselves loving this one too. I can’t wait for the sequel!

Zach Thorne is your typical fifteen year old, except for the fact that his dad is a notorious crime boss, running the family corps. When Zach calls the police just before his aunt is about to carry out a hit on somebody, he suddenly finds himself as the one they want to kill. To protect him, he is given a new identity and is put into protective custody. Not long after that, he is offered a chance to change everything: to become part of a deeply secret government agency known as Python, an elite group of teenagers. His first day on the job isn't really the glamorous affair he imagined as he spends the day with his new 'crew' wandering round a shopping centre trying to gather intel on The Manicurist, a rival crime boss of his father's. The day starts slow but then things take a rather dramatic turn and Zac and his fellow agents find themselves in a fight for their lives.

Ok, so most of you will know that I'm a huge fan of the Bite Risk series (one of my class is currently reading my copy of the fist book), and it was by chance that I stumbled upon Python on NetGalley. To say that I squealed and raced through the book I was reading at the time so I could begin it would be an understatement!

Oh my goodness, what a rush of excitement this book is! From the start, the action and adventure takes you on a rollercoaster of a ride which makes it a book you simply won't be able to put down (be warned: this book will keep you reading late into the night!).

Zac really goes through the ringer as the plot unfolds. Without his father, he feels alone and is desperate to go home but he knows it's too dangerous. The relationship with his dad changes in so many ways over the course of the book (I won't say too much so as not to spoil anything) and his life really does turn upside down. He may only spend a day with the Python team but it's a day he'll never forget; after a rocky start, they have no choice but to bond as their skills are seriously put to the test. Zach discovers more about himself in that one day than any other, and it's a day that changes things forever for him.

Python: The New Recruit is a book where the twists in the plot keep on coming! Just as you think you've got everything straight in your head an other curve ball hits you! It really is a book where you never quite know who you can trust.

Told from the points of view of multiple characters, the book is a real adrenaline rush of a read that will have you utterly gripped, completely breathless and will leave you with a serious book hangover. Publishing 2nd July, I'm already desperate for book 2 and my class are counting down the days until this book is released! (one child even asked if they could borrow my iPad so they could read my electronic copy!!).