Teen Tuesday: Thieves Gambit by Kayvion Lewis

I can't believe I did it again! I posted to my school's learning platform and forget to upload. 

Image: Penguin Random House

Thieves Gambit by Kayvion Lewis. 296 p. Nancy Paulsen Books/ Penguin Random House, September 26, 2023. 9780593625361. (Review of a bound manuscript courtesy of publisher.)

Happy Tuesday and Happy Independence Day! Teen Tuesday features Thieves Gambit by Kayvion Lewis. Seventeen-year-old Ross Quest is an accomplished thief. She works in the family business. The Quest family, led by Ross' mother, are international thieves and Ross' particular talent is planning escape routes. The family motto is "trust no one." Ross planned her own escape from the family, at least for the summer, so that she could be a normal teen for once. She almost got out, but the heist went south and now her mother is being held captive and her ransom is 1 billion dollars. The only chance she has of raising that kind of money is by entering the Thieves Gambit, a heist competition where the winner gets one wish. All she has to do is win and ask for the billion. Easy, right?

If you are a teen or know a teen who enjoys heist novels, put this one on your radar. It's due out on September 26. I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy. Thieves Gambit is a pulse-pounding page-turner with enough twists and turns to give you whiplash. Ross is a smart and snarky narrator whose nemises include her former best friend and a guy whose good looks and smooth demeanor are so disarming, Ross begins to doubt everything she's been taught.

Arc Review: Don't Get Caught by Kurt Dinan

Don't Get Caught by Kurt Dinan. 326 p. Sourcebooks Fire, April 1, 2016. 9781492630142. (Review from arc courtesy of publisher)

Max Cobb is coasting through high school, bland and invisible with his 2.5 GPA and zero social life. He's a huge fan of heist movies and admires the pranks of the Chaos Club, a legendary, secret club famous for epic pranks at his high school. So when he receives an invitation from them, he can't believe his luck. But he can't help wondering, why him? Why Just Max? Should he become Not-Max and go for it?

He does but instead of glory, he and four other "invitees" were set up as the patsies. And their fail was epic. The entire school was talking about it. Unfortunately for the Chaos Club, Max isn't going to take this sitting down. Not-Max may have been duped but Not-Max is someone he kind of likes. He and his fellow dupes form an unlikely alliance with one mission. Take down the Chaos Club.

Ordinarily, I don't particularly enjoy heist or prank themed movies. The suspense of the heist makes me too antsy and I am not fond of pranks. If I do find the prank funny, I always feel guilty because pranks usually rely on humor at someone's expense. But pranks and heists have hit children's and YA literature hard the last year or so starting with Varian Johnson's The Great Greene Heist and Jude Watson's Loot. Both authors are due to drop sequels in the coming year. And I did enjoy both. I also ended up enjoying The Tapper Twins Go to War (with each other) by Geoff Rodkey and The Terrible Two by Mac Barnett and Jory John. When I learned of this debut during a Sourcebooks Preview webinar, I just had to request an arc.

It is totally apropos that the book birthday for Don't Get Caught is April Fool's Day. Teens looking for a fast-paced romp narrated by a snarky, smart, wry high school boy will swallow this whole and eagerly await/ hope for a sequel. The laughs come fast and furious. The pages of my arc are dog-eared to mark not only all the hilarious moments, but also moments of pure teenage truth with all its blemishes from the shark-tank social hierarchy through hard-ass teachers through unrequited love. The characters are smart but not in that overly twee way that sometimes dominates popular YA novels. These characters sound real. These characters have depth.

The story twists and turns as the capers unfold prompting quite a few, "Wait! What?" moments where I needed to stop to go back and reread. And that ending? Never saw it coming. Bloody brilliant. 

Don't Get Caught might be a tad mature for my crowd. I'll be rereading it to try to make it work. I'm considering the eighth grade only shelf. I highly recommend it for high school and public library collections, as well as LA classroom collections. Teen boys and girls will enjoy this equally; as will reluctant and enthusiastic readers, fans of Andrew Smith and fans of heist movies. Don't miss out.

Two Heist Novels from Scholastic

It's tough to pull off a great heist, be it in real life, in the movies or in a book. Careful plotting and unbearable suspense are required in all three, which is why I usually read heist books in one sitting and can't watch heist movies in theaters because I get jittery and have to move around. This past summer, Scholastic released two from authors whose work I have enjoyed.

Loot by Jude Watson. 266 p. Scholastic Press, June, 2014. 9780545468022. (Finished copy courtesy of publisher for review.)

Even though the book opens with the main character's father plunging to his death and real menace threatens him, his sister and two cohorts at every turn, the tone is almost flippant or jaunty. I was tempted to tag the book humorous. I guess that's due to March and his gang's bravado. They truly responded poorly to adult authority. The dialogue was often laugh-out-loud funny but the suspense and the mystery kept a certain level of tension that slowly ratcheted up. That, and the non-stop action keeps the reader riveted and turning the pages as fast as possible. There's a curse, nefarious adults, nightmares involving falling from a cliff, and a cliff. Irresistible.

March's dad's dying words were, "Find jewels." Leading March to believe that he needed to find, you know, jewels. After all, Alfie was a jewel thief of international stature. March rarely attended school what with all the need to leave a variety of countries quickly. He's shocked to learn that it isn't jewels he needs to find, but Jewels, the twin sister he never knew he had. And she's none to pleased to learn about him. Nor does she mince words about her feelings for their dad. It seems that when they were small, Alfie, his wife and another partner in crime stole some cursed moonstones. Alfie's wife drowned, the partner was nabbed and imprisoned and Alfie got away, only something terrible would happen to the twins before their thirteenth birthday.

The Great Greene Heist by Varian Johnson. 240 p. Scholastic Inc. May, 2014. 9780545525527. (Finished copy courtesy of publisher for review.)

Jackson Greene is the king of the con at his school. Only, this year, he's gone straight after executing a legendary con the previous spring. His principal knows he's the culprit but has no proof and it's just killing him. To say he's gunning for Jackson is an understatement.

Jackson may have to come out of retirement though. He gets wind that his arch-nemisis, Keith Sinclair, Mr. Sinclair and Principal Kelsey are conspiring to rig the student council election. Since his former, almost girlfriend, Gaby is running and has some great ideas, Jackson can't just stand by and do nothing. 

It's all a bit over-the-top but it's pure fun with memorable characters, whip-fast dialogue and plenty of hilarity. Sure to please most middle grade readers but definitely seek out those dreaded reluctant readers and offer this one.

I book talked both these titles on Friday and have a waiting list as long as my arm so I'll be purchasing more copies.