Tag: heist

REVIEW: The Rembrandt Conspiracy by Deron Hicks

REVIEW: The Rembrandt Conspiracy by Deron Hicks

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

An iced mocha and 42 steps.

Those were the things that convinced Art that something was wrong and the National Portrait Gallery was going to be robbed. Art had grown up around and in art museums. His dad worked at the Portrait Gallery. And after a week of watching, Art knew something was up. But his hunch was going to be hard to prove.

Art remembered another robbery – one from before he was born. The Gardner Museum. The thieves had explicit inside information. Major pieces of art were stolen – and never seen again. This could be something similar. And it would be devastating – to the art world and to Art’s dad and his co-workers at the Gallery.

So Art and his best friend Camille team up to track down the would-be thieves.

Review

Another fun art-based mystery in the Lost Art Mystery series after The Van Gogh Deception.

Art is brilliant, and Camille is clever and bold, making them a good team to work together and try to thwart a heist. Their parents are appropriately involved and typical parents. There’s an interesting epilogue to this one. I am curious to see where it leads for a third book.

Once again, the use of QR codes that take readers to pictures of the art being discussed is brilliant. My QR reader didn’t care for the ARC on my tablet, but when it worked, it was great. I think this feature will be perfect in print versions of the book.

The mystery here – with ties to an actual real-life heist – was twisty and engaging. Mystery fans and art lovers should be sure to check this series out.

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good +

REVIEW: The Great Pet Heist by Emily Ecton

REVIEW: The Great Pet Heist by Emily Ecton

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Atheneum Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

The pets enjoyed their life with “Mrs. Food.” It was Butterbean the dog, Walt the Cat, Oliver the bird, and the two rats, Marco and Polo.

The animals’ routine is upended when Mrs. Food slips on a mess Butterbean left on the floor. Paramedics come and take Mrs. Food away. The animals start to panic about who will take care of them. Then a girl named Madison arrives with the building manager to be their pet sitter.

The girl means they will get fed and Butterbean will get walked. But at some point the animals will either need to get jobs or find some money to buy food and supplies.

When all of the animals pool their personal treasures, they don’t have much to work with. But Butterbean does have a coin she found in the elevator. If the animals can find the human who dropped the gold coin, maybe they can find more of them. That would keep them all in kibble and litter and newspaper until Mrs. Food comes back home.

Review

This was a hoot! The different animal characters have fantastic voices. I adored them. The premise is wacky, and it helps to have it anchored by these great personalities.

The heist is pretty intricate. The author does a great job of keeping the story within the realms of pet fantasy stories (not reality, but in keeping with some of the basic ideas for the genre) with what fantasy pets are “capable” of.

There’s a bonus mystery to this of a secret that Madison the pet sitter is keeping. It dovetails perfectly into the story and adds a layer of satisfaction to the ending of the book.

This was fantastically fun to read! It’s funny and engaging. There are no slow spots. I hope there will be more books with these characters in the future. Do NOT miss this one!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: The Thief Knot by Kate Milford

REVIEW: The Thief Knot by Kate Milford

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Clarion Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

A girl has been kidnapped and the police have come to the Liberty of Gammerbund, and Marzana’s parents, for help. Marzanna’s parents have had “adventurous” lives, and they have contacts in the Liberty who might not respond to police questions, but would answer theirs. So her parents start working their contacts, investigating the crime.

Marzana and her best friend Nialla have been looking for an adventure of their own, so they decide to follow their own leads to try to find the missing girl. Teaming up with a ghost named Meddy, a girl from school named Emilia, and two boys, Ciro and JJ, they form the Thief Knot. And together they start looking for the kidnappers.

Review

I know that’s a pretty short summary, and it doesn’t say a whole lot, but this is a hard book to explain. It’s really best read for itself. This was terrific! I didn’t realize it was part of a larger story until I started digging into the book. It’s not a series, necessarily, but maybe more of a spinoff of the Greenglass books. And I loved it. Some of the history of the characters and the magic of the world was missing for me because I haven’t read any of the other stories. But I was able to follow this without those details with no issue (other than wondering about the stories I have missed).

I love ensemble stories like this. The Thief Knot crew is terrific – with interesting connections and skills they bring to the adventure. The mystery was top notch. Lots of great twists – one big one I only half predicted and another big one I didn’t see coming at all. It was so fun to read! I don’t know that I’ll go back to read the other books in this world – I can only read so many things – but I will absolutely read more books with these characters if this becomes a series of its own. I loved these kids!

This would be a fascinating read aloud for a classroom or a family. Terrific for mystery fans. There’s a slight “heist novel” feel to this that I loved, too. This might also appeal to fans of books like The Great Greene Heist (♥♥♥♥), and other heist stories. This book is targeted to older middle grade readers (ages 10-12+).

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Camp Shady Crook by Lee Gjertsen Malone

REVIEW: Camp Shady Crook by Lee Gjertsen Malone

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this from Netgalley and Aladdin in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Archie Drake has been attending Camp Shady Brook for three years. It’s probably the WORST camp in Vermont. The camp director is abrasive and hyper-strict. The cabins are rundown and falling apart. Art supplies are locked away so no one can actually use them. And the grounds look nothing like the flashy brochure that lures families in.

Archie loves Camp Shady Brook. But that’s because Archie has developed a system – a series of cons he can play on the weekly kids that leaves him richer when his six weeks of camp are over. But Archie has never had Vivian at camp before.

Vivian is only at Camp Shady Brook because of some trouble at school last year. Her parents don’t think they can trust her, so she’s stuck at camp for six weeks. She has some ideas to make her summer more pleasant, maybe scam some treats from fellow campers. That sort of thing. But Archie, sensing a rival con artist, tries to psych her out. Now the battle of wills – and cons – has begun.

Review

For me, a heist/con story only works when I feel the characters have a compelling reason for the scheming. Otherwise it’s just dishonest and wrong. The real world has so much of that already. Early on, it was hard for me to like Archie or Vivian. Neither had a good reason for conning. They pretty much did things because they could get away with it and because they wanted to.

When the rivalry blows up in their faces – as it inevitably does – Archie and Vivian are forced to take a closer look at their behavior. They have to decide what kind of people they want to be.

And that’s where the story becomes magic. By the end, I wanted to stand up and cheer. I loved how Archie and Vivian grew up over the summer. And I loved how they decided to use their “powers” for the greater good!

I think this would work for a class read aloud or a book group. There’s a lot to unpack in this story about what it means to be a friend and what you have to do to make and keep friends. Check out this fun summer-themed story!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

BONUS REVIEW: The Deceivers by Kristen Simmons

BONUS REVIEW: The Deceivers by Kristen Simmons

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Brynn feels trapped in her life. She lives on the “wrong” side of town. Her mom’s boyfriend Pete is a drug dealer. He’s even pulled Brynn’s childhood best friend into his cut throat life. Her only chance to escape is to chunk her way through high school and save up enough money to break free. She’s resorted to hustles and cons to squirrel away money for college. But Pete finds her cash, accuses her of stealing from him, and Brynne is left feeling even more trapped than ever.

Vale Hall could be her ticket out. Brynne feels so fortunate to have lucked into a chance at the exclusive prep school. And it turns out she has just the right skills for Vale’s mission. The headmaster, Dr. David Odin, offers his charges free room and board, a first class education, and money for college. In exchange, the students are trained to dig up secrets that Dr. Odin can use.

But as desperately as Brynne wants her Vale life to deliver all it promises, her past isn’t ready to let her go. And when it crashes into her attempt at a new life, Brynne could end up losing everything.

Review

The set up for this with Brynne’s home life is grim. This is brilliant because it makes the reader sympathetic when Brynne starts using her scamming skills to help  out Dr. Odin on his plan. In fact, when Brynne gets into Vale, I felt like it was a reward for the reader – sure, there are questionable ethics involved, but at least she was out of her home situation. Her home life was stressful!

The book clicked for me when Brynne was auditioning for a spot at Vale. I had so many questions, I couldn’t read fast enough. I loved the way Brynne used her skills to read people. She’s got great instincts and intuition. If only she had the freedom to use her powers for good. The school was interesting, but the characters there were my favorite part of the story. I’d love more stories with these characters!

The book feels like a classic heist story, but with higher stakes. The author does a great job of twisting all of the pieces together. I loved the whole Vale journey for Brynne and the others. If you enjoy heist books, suspense, or boarding school stories, don’t miss this one!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Snazzy Cat Capers by Deanna Kent

REVIEW: Snazzy Cat Capers by Deanna Kent

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Ophelia Von Hairball V of Burglaria is the premiere cat burglar in the world. And she could prove it once again by winning the Furry Feline Burglary Institute’s (FFBI) 5th Annual Purr-fect Heist Competition – if she had any idea it was happening.

But Ophelia’s nemesis has gone all out to keep Ophelia out of the competition. Thanks to her new inventor/sidekick, Oscar F. Gold, though, Ophelia still has a chance. She just has to get all the way to Paris, sneak into the Belle Mew-seum, and steal the rare Himalayan Diamond without being seen by her nemesis. Then she has to get to Belgium with the diamond by the deadline which is in less than two days.

How hard could it be?

Review

This was fun! Lots of cat puns, but the overall story was solid. Ophelia is a bit of a diva when it comes to her cat burglaring (but she is still like-able). Her partner, Oscar, is earnest and clever. They make a great team when Ophelia deigns to let Oscar help.

The illustrations in the book – pictures, letters, comic panels – are integral to the story telling. You can’t skip past them. With the exception of a couple times when the integration or transition was clunky, this worked really nicely.

No worries that this book will turn readers into criminals. The cat burglars return the things they steal – at least, eventually. The heist is really more about the challenge than about the spoils.

The age range on this one is 7-10 which makes this either a transitional chapter book or a young middle grade. It’s over 200 pages, and while illustrated, there are fewer illustrations than say a Bad Kitty book. So I would lean towards a younger middle grade audience. (2nd-4th grade, and maybe higher) This fun book is the kick off of a new series. Book two – The Fast and the Furriest – will release in 2019.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Arts and Thefts by Allison K. Hymas

REVIEW: Arts and Thefts by Allison K. Hymas

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Jeremy, Case and Hack are heading to an art show for the day. Case has entered a painting in the show. Of course his best friends are there to back him up!

But trouble is brewing. Someone stole paint and paintbrushes from another artist. Jeremy’s sometimes-nemesis/sometimes-partner, Becca, is on the case. Even though they worked together once before, Becca is determined to catch Jeremy at something and see him in detention forever. But Jeremy isn’t a thief. Sure, he takes “retrieval” jobs, but it’s always to right wrongs.

Becca and Jeremy realize the thief could use the stolen items to sabotage the art show. If they work together, they could solve the case and protect Case’s painting and the others from the saboteur. Jeremy is a righter-of-wrongs after all. But he can’t let Case or Hack know he’s working with Becca. They would never understand.

Review

In preparation for reading this book, I read the first book, Under Locker and Key, a book that has been on my wishlist since it published. I loved it and gave it 4.5 stars in my (non-blog) reviews. This second book, while different, is just as terrific. Book one is more of a heist/con story (like The Great Greene Heist – which I loved – but with a much smaller crew) while this is a more traditional mystery. The characters are fantastic. Becca and Jeremy like to think they are on opposite sides of the law, but their intentions are similar – to right wrongs.

I loved that this story took place almost entirely over one day at the art show. It gave the story a nice, quick pace. The secondary characters for this one were a lot of fun. I hope there’s going to be a book 3 because I’d love to see how the new characters could factor in. I’m also hoping for more of Case and Hack. I feel like they are going to make a huge contribution to a later story. They have the skills, but we haven’t gotten to see much of them. Yet.

These are some of my favorite middle grade mysteries. I highly recommend both books – and that you watch for more from this series! Many, many thanks to Netgalley and Aladdin for an electronic review copy of this book for review purposes. That pushed me to get the first book off of my TBR list so I could enjoy this one fully.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½