Robert Muchamore is behind some of the best novels available to young readers.

His CHERUB series is credited with shaking up young adult literature, with realistic language, unconventionally sophisticated themes, and portrayals of heroes that challenge tradition.

His latest series tackles concepts like corruption, protection rackets, and late-stage capitalist failure, with a twist on the tale of Robin Hood. The ninth book in the series, Robin Hood: Fury, Fire and Frost, was released earlier this month.

Muchamore told Jack Tame he’s always been fascinated by the tale of Robin Hood – this very old story that has been passed on and reimagined over and over again.

“It’s this kind of legend that's been around for so long, and everyone gets to interpret it in their own way.”

His version of the story is a more modern take, set in a contemporary world with a 12/13-year-old Robin Hood that's very similar to most modern children.

That similarity can be something of a challenge though, as Muchamore explains that over his twenty years of writing for children, it’s becoming a bit harder to stay in touch with kids.

“You really do have to be humble and talk to kids, and listen to what they say.”

“Kids are quite ruthless,” Muchamore explained.

“They’re always quite ruthless if you get something wrong or you use a phrase that isn’t hip anymore or something like that.”

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Lorde has described her fourth album as her rebirth.

‘Virgin’ is her attempt to make a document that reflected her femininity, which she described as “raw, primal, innocent, elegant, openhearted, spiritual, masc”.

It deals with themes of gender identity, body image, and mental health, a more introspective album than its predecessor ‘Solar Power’.

Estelle Clifford joined Jack Tame to share her thoughts on the album.

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Apple in China by Patrick McGee

After struggling to build its products on three continents, Apple was lured by China’s seemingly inexhaustible supply of cheap labor. Soon it was sending thousands of engineers across the Pacific, training millions of workers, and spending hundreds of billions of dollars to create the world’s most sophisticated supply chain. These capabilities enabled Apple to build the 21st century’s most iconic products—in staggering volume and for enormous profit.

Without explicitly intending to, Apple built an advanced electronics industry within China, only to discover that its massive investments in technology upgrades had inadvertently given Beijing a power that could be weaponized.

In Apple in China, journalist Patrick McGee draws on more than two hundred interviews with former executives and engineers, supplementing their stories with unreported meetings held by Steve Jobs, emails between top executives, and internal memos regarding threats from Chinese competition. The book highlights the unknown characters who were instrumental in Apple’s ascent and who tried to forge a different path, including the Mormon missionary who established the Apple Store in China; the “Gang of Eight” executives tasked with placating Beijing; and an idealistic veteran whose hopes of improving the lives of factory workers were crushed by both Cupertino’s operational demands and Xi Jinping’s war on civil society.

Apple in China is the sometimes disturbing and always revelatory story of how an outspoken, proud company that once praised “rebels” and “troublemakers”—the company that encouraged us all to “Think Different”—devolved into passively cooperating with a belligerent regime that increasingly controls its fate.

The Good Father by Liam McIlvanney

Gordon and Sarah Rutherford are normal, happy people with successful fulfilling lives. A son they adore, a house on the beach, a safe, friendly and honest community in a picture-postcard town on the Ayrshire coast. Until one day Bonnie the lab comes in from the beach alone. Their son Rory has just gone - the only trace left is a single black Adidas slider.

Their lives don't fall apart immediately - while there's still hope (and no body) they can dig deep and try to carry on. Rather it's a process of abrasion, a wearing away of that happiness and normality; a slow degradation, a gradual breakdown - until they'll never be the people they were before. This sort of tragedy impacts a whole town - does the community still feel the same after? What are folk saying about you? Who are your friends? Who can you trust? When the worst thing has happened and you've lost everything, you either go under or you rebuild, start again. What could be worse than your child disappearing?

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Parkinson's is one of the most common neurological conditions for those over the age of 60 - Michael J Fox very famously has early onset Parkinson's, and is now a champion for awareness of the disease.

So what is Parkinson's?

• A degenerative disease of the nervous system causing movement problems.
• Affects 1:100 over the age of 60. Occasionally it’s early onset like with Michael J Fox.
• Nerve cells in the brain break down, we lose a chemical messenger called dopamine.
• There’s no simple test to diagnose, diagnosis comes from symptoms.

How do you recognise it?

• It’s often very slow to develop and initially can be difficult to diagnose.
• Everyone’s journey with Parkinson's is different.
• It’s common to notice tremors at rest, often on one side. You may notice it gets better when moving or doing something – it can fluctuate.
• Over time: Slow movements become difficult, stiff muscles, loss of balance.
• Can be associated with depression, anxiety, poor sleep, and lack of motivation.
• Loss of smell, difficulty with speech, fatigue, cramping muscles.

What causes it?

• We don’t know the cause.
• However, risk factors include age, family history, and it’s more common in men.
• Other factors: Traumatic brain injuries, exposure to toxins, certain pesticides, and some illegal drugs.

Can we treat it?

• It can’t be cured and does tend to be progressive.
• However, there are a range of medications that can help: medication that either replaces dopamine, or stops the breakdown of dopamine in brain can alleviate symptoms.
• Lifestyle: exercise to improve muscle strength, preventing falls; not rushing, use of walking aids, massage.
• Occupational therapists to teach how to help with daily activities
• Support organisations such as Parkinson's New Zealand.

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The Dead Cow Gully Backyard Marathon in Queensland is not for the faint of heart.

Billed as a race with no finish line, the Backyard Ultra format has no predefined length or time, but requires runners to complete a 6.7km loop every hour.

Kevin Milne was following the race, and thinks it's a good thing he didn’t manage to get his entry in on time.

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"Don’t downplay Quito as merely a stepping stone to the rainforest or the Galapagos. It is a superlative destination in its own right. The crowning jewel is Quito’s 17th-century Old Town, a heaving historical quarter so impeccably preserved that it was the first city in the world to be accorded UNESCO World Heritage Status."

Read Mike's full article here.

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Although it’s convenient, cloud storage and email inboxes have a bigger carbon footprint than one might think.

To combat this, Kate Hall has been unsubscribing, deleting, and cleaning up her digital clutter.

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On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 28th June 2025, young adult author Robert Muchamore talks to Jack about his new series - Robin Hood: Fury, Fire and Frost - a twist on the classic Robin Hood tales.

Jack reflects on the Venice extravaganza that is the Jeff Bezos wedding.

Francesca Rudkin has two great movie recommendations if you're looking for something to do over the school holidays.

And Estelle Clifford gives us her thoughts on the much-anticipated Lorde album, Virgin: "Raw, angsty, growing as an artist. 10/10"

Get the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast every Saturday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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