Pretty Sly (Pretty Crooked Series #2)

by Elisa Ludwig

Overview

Pretty Sly is Elisa Ludwig's heart-pounding sequel to Pretty Crooked and the second book in a trilogy perfect for fans of Sarah Mlynowski, Ally Carter, or Sara Shepard.

Willa Fox was ordered to stay out of trouble by a juvenile court judge. But that was before her house was ransacked . . . and her mother went missing. Now Willa and her sexy crush, Aidan, must violate her probation and hit the California highway in search of her mom.

When Willa and Aidan wind up being the focus of a national manhunt, their journey becomes dangerously criminal. Soon Willa realizes it's easier to escape the law than the truth. And everything she thought she knew about her mom—and her life—was wrong.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062066107
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	02/17/2015
Series:	Pretty Crooked Series , #2
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	5.31(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.79(d)
Age Range:	13 Years

About the Author

Elisa Ludwig enjoys writing about teen outlaws, even though she herself has never been one. Pretty Wanted is the final novel in the Pretty Crooked trilogy. Elisa lives in Philadelphia.

Editorial Reviews

Tantalizing. For fans of Sara Shepard’s Pretty Little Liars books.

ALA Booklist

Praise for Pretty Crooked: “A pretty twisted, modern-day Robin Hood story.

Melissa de la Cruz

Packed with romance, humor, and adventure, Pretty Crooked will steal your heart.

Sarah Mlynowski

Filled with mystery, high-tension heists, and flirting with an enigmatic bad boy, Pretty Crooked kept me hooked right up to the action-packed ending.

Tera Lynn Childs

Tantalizing....[for] fans of Sara Shepard’s Pretty Little Liars books.

Booklist

Willa "Sly" Fox is repenting from her Robin Hood-esque crime spree, stealing from her rich friends to give to the poor kids in their highly divided high school. Fresh out of juvie, she comes home to find her house ransacked and her mother gone. A mysterious email from her mom leads Willa on a treasure hunt across state lines in a stolen car with Aiden, her not-so-trustworthy crush in tow. The two must evade the FBI and then the group of thugs who are also trying to find where Willa's mom is hiding. When the couple makes national news old friends Tre and Cherise show up to give their assistance and encourage Willa not to give up on her mom and finding the truth. She's led, instead, to a decades-old murder and more questions about her family and where she came from. The book closes with Willa and Aiden on their way to Wichita for the trilogy's conclusion. Entertaining, if a bit far-fetched, fans of Sara Shepard or Ally Carter will enjoy this theft-ridden romp. Parents, on the other hand, may have some qualms about the constant mentions of Willa's rush and enjoyment of stealing and the lack of any real consequences. Reviewer: Amy McMillan

Children's Literature - Amy McMillan

Pretty Sly continues the story of Willa Fox and her want-to-be boyfriend, Aidan. Lots of adventure and plenty of excitement make the second book of the Pretty Crooked series a great read. Teens who enjoy a mystery and romance will look forward to the next book. This series will appeal more to female readers since the book is mostly about the Willa’s feelings, especially towards Aidan. Reviewer: Gwen Amborski, Teen Reviewer; Ages 12 to 18.

Voya Reviews, April 2014 (Vol. 36, No. 1) - Gwen Amborski

A modern twist on the Bonnie and Clyde folklore, Pretty Sly continues the exploits of Willa Fox and her rich, bad-boy love interest, Aidan Murphy. Beginning with the first book in the series, Pretty Crooked (HarperCollins, 2012/Voya December 2011), Willa attempts to correct social and economic injustice as a new student at the elite and exclusive private school, Valley Prep. She learns the art of thievery to steal from the rich and shallow students of the “Glitterati” clique to provide name-dropping fashions to the disadvantaged scholarship students. Willa garners media attention and sparks a firestorm of controversy when she is caught and sentenced. In Pretty Sly, Willa who is now known by the media-driven moniker Sly Fox, returns to a life of crime to find her missing mother. Aiden agrees to escort fifteen-year-old Willa as they travel from Arizona to California, following clues to her missing mother’s whereabouts. Staying only one step ahead of the law, Willa and Aidan are also being chased by two murderers who are also searching for Willa’s mother. Full of red herrings and romance, Pretty Sly takes readers on a wild ride with questions to be answered in an anticipated third book. Fans of mystery and suspense will enjoy the fast-paced style of the Pretty Crooked series. Readers who enjoyed Ally Carter’s Heist Society and love romantic tension will relish this second entry and look forward to the conclusion in the last book. With a strong female character, the series will have direct appeal to teen girls. Hopefully in the next installment, Willa’s laissez faire attitude toward stealing will dissipate and her moral compass will right itself. Reviewer: Adrienne Amborski; Ages 12 to 18.

Voya Reviews, April 2014 (Vol. 36, No. 1) - Adrienne Amborski

02/01/2014
Gr 7–10—Willa Fox likes to steal things. She just got out of juvie for pilfering items from the rich, mean girls at Valley Prep High School, where she earned the nickname Sly Fox. That story was told in Pretty Crooked (HarperCollins, 2012), and this novel refers back to those events. As the story opens, instead of getting ready for her first day back at school, Willa is standing in the middle of her ransacked house looking for some trace of her artist mom. A cryptic email and a stash of cash are all she has to get her started. Along with her hunky friend Aidan, who has his own shady past; Tre, who is trying hard to walk the straight and narrow; and Cherise, who has become her ex-best friend, Willa determines to find out what has happened to her mother. She tries to follow her trail, but along the way loses the money, fights with Aidan, and runs into the seriously bad guys who are chasing her mom. Willa is a strong but impulsive character, more than willing to jump into the middle of the action before thinking through the consequences. The story moves quickly, with barely a break for readers to catch their breath. Fans of Ally Carter's "Heist Society" series (Hyperion) will enjoy this book. Be prepared to purchase the final installment in the trilogy as well.—Diana Pierce, formerly at Leander High School, TX

School Library Journal

2012-12-12
Suspense rules in this sequel to Pretty Crooked (2012), as Willa goes on the lam to find her missing mother. This fast-moving chase picks up in the middle of the action as Willa, on probation and fresh from juvie after her thefts in the first book, discovers that her mother has gone missing and an intruder has ransacked her home. The safe stands empty of her mother's money, and Willa finds hidden away the paintings that her mom had said she sold. Despite her probation, she and almost-boyfriend Aidan steal a car and take off in search of her mother. Willa uses her housebreaking expertise to find accommodations. They promise to repay everything they take, but Willa finds that successfully pulling off crimes gives her a rush that has become an addiction. Soon, she and Aidan learn that they have become the lead story in the national news; young people are rooting for them, but the police are closing in. Ludwig tries to mitigate the fun of Willa's crime spree by having Willa frequently reflect on its wrongness, but the emphasis is on action, not morals. The rapid-fire sequence of near misses and clever capers easily sets up the next sequel. Crackling-good adventure. (Thriller. 12-16)

Kirkus Reviews