The Great Greene Heist by Varian Johnson, Paperback

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Praise for The Great Greene Heist:
"A delightful and diverse cast of middle school students with a wide range of backgrounds and interest concocts a series of elaborate schemes . . . The elaborate bait-and-switch of this fast-paced, funny caper novel will surprise its readers as much as the victims." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"A political heist page-turner set in middle school? Is that even possible? Varian Johnson shows us how it's done, expertly walking the tightrope between true-to-life school experiences and belly laughs." – Gordon Korman, author of Swindle and The Hypnotists

"Pay attention! This terrific story speeds ahead on every page, but the lively characters will make you care enough to keep up. Do yourself a favor and start reading immediately.” – Rebecca Stead, Newbery-winning author of When You Reach Me and Liar and Spy

“This fast, funny heist novel takes the reader on a ride full of twists and turns. I'm a sucker for a good scam, and Jackson and his gang work one of the best in the business. Nice pull, Varian Johnson!” – Jude Watson, author of Loot and The 39 Clues: In Too Deep

"The Great Greene Heist is one crazy cool caper!" – Rita Williams-Garcia, Newbery Honor-winning author of One Crazy Summer and P.S. Be 11
"A smart, charming, and hilarious novel featuring one of my favorite protagonists in years. I'd follow Jackson Greene anywhere, and The Great Greene Heist is a fantastic ride." – Matt de la Pena, author of The Living and Mexican Whiteboy

The New York Times - Brianna Albanese

In his first novel for middle-grade readers, Johnson cleverly integrates familiar issues like cafeteria food, gossip and first crushes with dashes of politics and race. His cast of characters is refreshingly diverse, both in ethnicity…and skill set…It's a thrilling ride that may con reluctant readers into settling down on the couch with books like The Great Greene Heist instead of the remote control.

Publishers Weekly

04/14/2014
Jackson Greene, 13, has exhibited “four months of model behavior,” an amazing feat considering that he naturally tends toward scheming, pranking, and dreaming (it runs in the family). After a kissing incident that’s been dubbed “Mid-Day PDA,” Jackson’s friend Gabriela de la Cruz isn’t speaking to him. Now Gaby’s friends have nominated her for school president, and conniving classmate Keith Sinclair is determined to win the election by any means necessary. Without a second thought, Jackson rounds up computer whiz Hashemi, Gaby’s newspaper editor brother Charlie, and several others in an attempt to revive his friendship (and maybe more?) with Gaby and save school clubs that could be cut if Keith is elected. Johnson (Saving Maddie) delivers an exciting Ocean’s Eleven–style caper for the middle-school crowd, with third-person narration jumping between the various plotters, who concoct an impressive seven schemes in less than three weeks. While in the big picture, the stakes are low, it’s easy to get swept up in the exploits of Johnson’s entertaining and diverse crew. Ages 10–14. Agent: Sara Crowe, Harvey Klinger. (June)

VOYA, October 2014 (Vol. 37, No. 4) - Kelly Czarnecki

Reminiscent of Ocean’s 11, where a great heist is pulled off by seemingly mismatched characters, Jackson Greene assembles a team of his own to right what he thinks is wrong in the middle school presidential election. While robbing casinos is not involved, outsmarting the principal, making copies of keys to the room where the election ballots are counted, and reprogramming the machine that tallies the ballots are all part of the grand plan. Even though these actions, if pulled off, could result in expulsion or worse, Jackson does have a good reason for going to such extremes. Keith Sinclair is Jackson’s nemesis as he got conned by his classmate. Keith is also partnering with Dr. Kelsey, the principal, to help secure his win of the election by having his dad donate a large sum of money to the school in exchange for being president. Jackson’s ex-girlfriend, Gaby, is also in the running for president. While she does not want anything to do with Jackson, he is ready to do anything to help her win—especially because Keith’s victory would give him control over funding of student council and every non-sport student activity, like Chess Team and Tech Club. This could spell disaster for much of Maplewood Middle. Readers will enjoy this fast-paced book and will stick with it to see how everything turns out in the end. Reviewer: Kelly Czarnecki; Ages 11 to 14.

Children's Literature - Jill Walton

Jackson believes in following rules, at least the rules he learned from his grandfather Greene. It is time for Rule 15: If you’re going to pull a con, know how to pull a con in style. Jackson already has a reputation; he’s allegedly behind a few masterful plots at Maplewood Middle School. The last one went a little awry. Now Jackson Greene is/was going straight, he is more than a con and he has to regain a girl’s respect even if she does not want anything to do with him. That girl, Gaby is running for school president and she seems to not need his help. But the principal and a rich student are in cahoots Those two don’t seem to have any morals. Jackson can see it is going to be complicated and the stakes are high. The learning curves are challenging. See rule 12: Do your homework. Secondhand research yields D-minus results. Jackson needs is a crack team to help. Will he find them in time? This author knows his audience and doesn’t let them down. Middle readers will like the humor and recognize good cons when they see them. The characters are memorable and the dialogue is smooth. Reviewer: Jill Walton; Ages 10 to 14.

School Library Journal

03/01/2014
Gr 5–8—After his last heist went bad and he lost Gaby, the girl he liked, Jackson Greene swore off breaking the rules. But when his old nemesis, Keith Sinclair, plans to steal the school election from Gaby and cut the budget for every afterschool activity except the Gamer Club, Jackson decides to use his con-man skills yet again. Jackson does a little digging and discovers that Keith plans on rigging the election by bribing the principal with a large donation from his father. Can Jackson save the day by stealing the election back for his friend or will his nemesis beat him at his own game? The characters are likable, if a bit thin. Although the premise is implausible, the plot is fast paced, well developed, and has a lot of unique twists and turns that will draw readers in from start to finish. Hand this unique book to kids who like mystery, adventure, and Robin Hood-esque stories.—Kira Moody, Whitmore Public Library, Salt Lake City, UT

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2014-02-26
Trying to go straight, troublemaker Jackson Greene succumbs to the lure of the con when it appears Maplewood Middle School's student-council election is being rigged against his friend Gaby de la Cruz. Although Gaby's been angry at Jackson for more than four months, the two could be more than just friends. And her twin brother, Charlie, Jackson's best friend, is worried about her electoral chances. So Jackson breaks rule No. 3 of the Greene Code of Conduct: "Never con for love. Or even like." During the week before the election, a delightful and diverse cast of middle school students with a wide range of backgrounds and interests concocts a series of elaborate schemes to make sure the Scantron-counted ballots will produce honest results. While all this is going on, Gaby is busily campaigning and rethinking her love life. References to previous escapades are so common readers may think this is a sequel, and the cast of characters is dizzying. But the results are worth it. Allusions to Star Trek abound. There is a helpful appended explanation of the cons and their shorthand references as well as the Greene Code. The elaborate bait and switch of this fast-paced, funny caper novel will surprise its readers as much as the victims. They'll want to reread immediately so they can admire the setup. (Fiction. 10-15)

The Great Greene Heist

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