Devotees of Vin Diesel’s “The Fast and the Furious” film franchise are gearing up for the release of Furious 7 (PG-13) on April 3, an installment which looks to be as punch-packing, engine-revving, and heart-pumping as its predecessors. Teens can check out video trailers, sample the movie’s soundtrack, and take a look back at the earlier episodes at the official website. Other crime-based films include the recently released Focus (R), which stars Will Smith as a veteran con man whose latest high-stakes job becomes complicated by his onetime protégé—and inamorata—Jess (Margot Robbie), and Masterminds (not yet rated), a bank heist action/comedy starring Zack Galifianakis, Owen Wilson, Kristen Wiig, and Jason Sudeikis scheduled for release in August.
Steal a Great Read
Fans of these films as well as book series such as Ally Carter’s “Heist Society” (Disney/Hyperion) and other thrillers about teen criminals will be captivated by these action-packed tales of caper-filled cons and bodacious burglaries.
Sporting his trademark red tie, jacket, and self-assured attitude, Jackson Greene is well-known at Maplewood Middle School as a talented troublemaker, but he has sworn off breaking the rules since his last effort resulted in disaster—and a breach with longtime friend (and maybe more) Gabriela de la Cruz. However, when he learns that his nemesis Keith Sinclair is planning to derail Gaby’s bid for Student Council President by bribing the principal and rigging the upcoming vote, Jackson decides it’s time to get back in the game. It will take all of his know-how (and code of con man conduct gleaned from his grifter grandfather), a carefully assembled crew (the playfully named “Gang Greene” includes his best friend—and Gaby’s twin—Charlie, tech-man/“Star Trek” nerd Hashemi Larijani, and other students), and a balance of brilliant planning and dumb luck to pull off The Great Greene Heist (Scholastic,2014; Gr 5–8) and steal the election back for Gaby. Varian Johnson’s well-plotted novel features a multicultural cast with a wide range of interests and motivations, snappy dialogue, plenty of humor and high jinks, and just a dab of blossoming romance.
Since his mother died when he was two, it’s always been March McQuin and his dad together against the world. The details of their particular world are unique, because Alfie McQuin is a notorious international cat bugler and the almost-13-year-old has spent more time living on the lam than attending school. When his father takes a bad fall from a rooftop during a job-gone-wrong, he instructs March with his dying breath to “find jewels.” As events unfold, it quickly becomes clear that Alfie did not mean a hidden-away stash of Loot (Scholastic, 2014; Gr 5–8), but Jules, the twin sister March never knew he had.
Combining forces with two unforgettable young cohorts they meet at a group home (before all four run away), the siblings are swept into an adventure that involves stealing a set of much-sought-after moonstones for a cool $7 million, deciphering a complex string of clues left by their father, and finding a way to avoid the effects of a fatal curse (laid upon said moonstones and activated when they turn 13), while staying one step ahead of a rogue’s gallery of adults. Powered by breathless action and taught suspense, Jude Watson’s thriller moves at full throttle, barely slowing for the occasional double-cross, entertaining chuckle, or cleverly integrated plot twist.
Cool, confident, and quick-thinking under pressure, 15-year-old Ashley and her more cautious best friend Benjamin have been working for 18 months as professional thieves when they decide it’s time to make a real Money Run (Scholastic, 2013; Gr 6–10 Up). The target is none less than the world’s richest man, Hammond Buckland; the location is his newly renovated high-security corporate headquarters; and the payoff is $200 million hidden somewhere on the premises. Ash gains legitimate entry with a scheduled visit to collect a $10,000 prize for an essay contest (written by Benjamin), and, with her friend providing off-site tech support when needed, begins the search.
Unbeknownst to the teens, Michael Peachey, number two on the list of deadliest hitman, is also in the building and has his sights set on Buckland. Meanwhile, the millionaire has a few tricks—and assassin-catching traps—up his sleeve. Jack Heath’s enjoyably head-spinning plot plays an elaborate game of cat and mouse as Ash tries to pull off the heist without getting killed. Bantering dialogue, cool gadgets, imaginative means of deception, and gleefully choreographed action sequences take precedence over in-depth characterization or strict believability, but readers will be hooked immediately and revel in the high-speed ride.
Almost 16, Julep Dupree manages to swing tuition for a swanky Chicago private school by offering her services as “fixer”—meaning she fixes problems for other students at St. Aggie’s by utilizing her fine-tuned skills as “a grifter, a con artist, and a master of disguise.” In fact, as the convincing narrator of Trust Me, I’m Lying (Delacorte, 2014; Gr 8 Up) confides, she learned her trade from the best in the business, her dad Joe. However, Julep is forced to focus on solving her own problems when she returns to their neighborhood in the West Side slums to find their apartment ransacked, her father missing, and—carefully concealed beneath the trash can lid—an envelope containing a cryptic message from Dad…and a gun.
Relying on the help of best friend and co-schemer Sam and Tyler Richland, the senior “with a hotness factor that approaches solar levels” who has suddenly taken an interest in her, she’s determined to unravel a trail of clues and find her father, even if it means taking on the mob, a Russian hit woman, and the FBI. Mary Elizabeth Summer’s superbly plotted series starter stars a protagonist who is tough as nails and endearingly naïve, walks a complex line between scam-running shady and morally honorable, and is a total blast to follow in and out of trouble.
Utilizing forged documents and a pathetic backstory, high-school-age scammer Will Shea bamboozles his way into Connaughton Academy, only to discover that he is not the only con artist to inhabit the hallowed halls of one of the nation’s most prestigious prep schools. Andrea Dufresne has already set up shop and quickly makes it clear that the place just isn’t big enough for the two of them. Each has enough dirt to rat the other out, so they agree to a con-test—the first person to snooker the designated mark out of 50 grand gets to stay and the loser hits the road. Will has no qualms about fleecing fellow-student Brant Rush—the heir to a retail fortune who is egotistical, entitled, and downright mean—and is committed to pulling of a meticulously planned online poker swindle, but Gatsby, the girl he has just met and can’t stop thinking about, suddenly has him reconsidering his way of life. Marked by well-drawn characters, an enticing blend of action and humor, and a twist-turning plot, Joe Schreiber’s Conacademy (Houghton Harcourt, Aug. 2015; Gr 8 Up) consistently charms before pulling off the ultimate con—on readers—with a surprising and satisfying ending.
Adopted out of the foster care system as a young teen, Grace, now 16, and her also-adopted older brother Parker have been carefully trained by their “parents” in the art of the con, worming their way into the lives of well-to-do neighbors, running the swindle like clockwork, and hanging around just long enough to avoid suspicion before moving on to the next job. However, something seems different when they move to Playa Hermosa, an affluent community on an isolated peninsula in Southern California, where the extremely wealthy but mentally unbalanced Warren Fairchild has apparently stashed millions in gold bars somewhere on his property. Succeeding all too well with her assigned task of ingratiating herself into the social group of Warren’s son (the better to case his home and plan the heist), she finds herself liking these new friends and falling deeply and wildly in love with the kind and caring Logan.
In a searingly honest first-person narrative, Grace freely acknowledges the Lies I Told (HarperTeen, 2015; Gr 9 Up), making her at once sympathetic (harrowingly, this is the most secure and loving situation she has ever known and she will do almost anything to keep her family together), likable (her excitement about making a first-ever bestie—one that’s not about the con—is endearing), and despicable (she moves forward despite doubts and guilt). Infusing the action with thoughtful metaphor a powerful sense of place—and some scenes of heady romance—Michelle Zink builds the tension and suspense, as Grace struggles with defining her identity and the idea of betraying the boy she loves. The surprise ending will leave readers eager for the sequel, which pubs in the fall of 2015.
Publication Information
HEATH, Jack. Money Run. Scholastic. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780545512664.
JOHNSON, Varian. The Great Greene Heist. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Bks. 2014. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780545525527; pap. $6.99. ISBN 9780545525534.
SCHREIBER, Joe. Conacademy. Houghton Harcourt. Aug. 2015. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780544320208; ebook $17.99. ISBN 9780544320222.
SUMMER, Mary Elizabeth. Trust Me, I’m Lying. Delacorte. 2014. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780385744065; lib. ed. $20.99. ISBN 9780375991516; ebook $10.99. ISBN 9780385382885.
WATSON, Jude. Loot. Scholastic. 2014. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780545468022; pap. $6.99. ISBN 9780545468039.
ZINK, Michelle. Lies I Told. HarperCollins/HarperTeen. 2015. Tr $19.99. ISBN 9780062327123; ebook $10.99. ISBN 9780062327147.