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Summary
Summary
When a video frames Jackson Greene and his friends for a crime they didn't commit, Gang Greene battles the blackmailers in this sequel to the acclaimed The Great Greene Heist .Jackson Greene is riding high. He is officially retired from conning, so Principal Kelsey is (mostly) off his back. His friends have great new projects of their own. And he's been hanging out a lot with Gaby de la Cruz, so he thinks maybe, just maybe, they'll soon have their first kiss.Then Jackson receives a link to a faked security video that seems to show him and the rest of Gang Greene flooding the school gym. The jerks behind the video threaten to pass it to the principal -- unless Jackson steals an advance copy of the school's toughest exam. So Gang Greene reunites for their biggest job yet. To get the test adn clear their names, they'll have to outrun the school's security cameras, outwit a nosy member of the Honor Board, and outmaneuver the blackmailers while setting a trap for them in turn. And as they execute another exciting caper full of twists and turns, they'll prove that sometimes it takes a thief to catch a cheat.
Author Notes
Varian Johnson is the author of several novels for children and young adults, including The Parker Inheritance , which won both Coretta Scott King Author Honor and Boston Globe / Horn Book Honor awards, The Great Greene Heist , an ALA Notable Children's book, a Kirkus Reviews Best Book, and a Texas Library Association Lone Star List selection, and the graphic novel Twins co-created with Shannon Wright, an NPR Best Book. He lives with his family near Austin, Texas. You can visit him on the web at varianjohnson.com and @varianjohnson.
Reviews (4)
Horn Book Review
After his crew succeeded at foiling a corrupt student council election in The Great Greene Heist (rev. 7/14), Jackson Greene retired from his con-man antics. Untilsomeone floods the Maplewood Middle School bathrooms and hallways, and a video surfaces incriminating Jackson and his diverse set of friends. Blackmail? Revenge? Who needs this distraction when things are going so well with Gaby de la Cruz, student council president and potential girlfriend? (Jackson, the master middle-school strategist, has yet to figure out the logistics of a first kiss.) To clear their names, Jackson and Gang Greene are back in action. The smart, complicated mystery caper, reminiscent of the Oceans Eleven movies, Mission: Impossible, and The Westing Game (to which Johnson slyly alludes later in the tale), involves outwitting the schools ultra-high-tech security system, stealing a final exam, and defeating an unknown mastermind. Back matter explains the novels various allusions to The Princess Bride, Star Wars, the Fantastic Four, Oceans Twelve, and other pop-culture references to geek out about. Sheer fun. dean schneider (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Jackson Greene wants to put his career as a middle-school con artist to rest, but his reputation is much harder to shake. He and his best friend are accused of flooding the school over the weekend, and there's security footage to prove it. No one believes him, but he is sure there's something fishy going on. The great Jackson Greene wouldn't stoop to mere destructive pranks, after all. With his team at his side, Jackson builds an elaborate flimflam to dupe his accusers, draw out the brains of the outfit, and make sure justice is properly served though not without his own share of justified rule breaking. With cinematic pacing and a sweet touch of romance, this caper is just as satisfying as Johnson's series opener, The Great Greene Heist (2014), and its schemes are even flashier. The gambits are occasionally tricky to follow, but it's all part of the fun, and Johnson even provides a key to his more obscure references. Fast-paced antics, clever writing, and a diverse cast of characters give this ample broad appeal.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2016 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-9-Jackson Greene claims to have sworn off heists once and for all, but he keeps getting blamed for them. When the school gets flooded, he and his friends are accused of pulling a prank. Soon after, a group of students from their school claim that they have proof that Jackson and his friends did it. In order to keep the video from being leaked to the principal, Jackson and his friends have to pull off the impossible: they must break into Mrs. Clark's room and steal a copy of her infamously hard end-of-term test. Will Jackson and his friends succeed or get caught red-handed? Who is blackmailing them? What is the blackmailer really after? This sequel is even better than the first book, The Great Greene Heist (Scholastic, 2014). It has more depth and character development, and the plot is complex and engaging. Although it is recommended that kids read the first one, this book can also be enjoyed as a stand-alone. VERDICT Those who enjoy realistic fiction with action, mystery, and humor will have a hard time putting this novel down.-Kira Moody, Whitmore Public Library, Salt Lake City, UT © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A doctored video showing Jackson Greene and his eighth-grade friends sneaking in to clog Maplewood Middle School toilets pulls the former prankster and his crew into an elaborate set of strategies to catch the perpetrator and foil a couple of would-be cheaters in the process. When two classmates use the video to enlist them in their quest to obtain the answers to their history teacher's dreaded final exam, Jackson and best friend Charlie de la Cruz have to resolve simmering differences and cooperate to puzzle out the point of the scheme and nail the schemer. At the same time, Jackson is trying to work up the courage (and set an elaborate stage) to kiss Charlie's twin sister, Gaby, now formally Jackson's girlfriend. An intricate plot, fast-paced action, short chapters, and changing perspectives characterize this smartly structured tale, a follow-up to Johnson's original caper, The Great Greene Heist (2014). The author smoothly introduces the main characters and back story. With plentiful references to Star Wars and other movies, cartoons, and esoteric trivia (helpfully explained in the backmatter), as well as cutting-edge technology, he also offers a convincing portrayal of a likable and highly diverse group of geeky middle school students, eager to outwit the bad guys, authority, and sometimes one another. A satisfying stand-alone sequel; new readers and old friends will be hoping for further adventures. (Fiction. 10-15) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Excerpts
Excerpts
From To Catch a Cheat :"Tell me, where were you on Saturday evening?" Jackson sat down on the other side of the principal's desk. "Saturday? Mr. James said the prank happened on Sunday.""Mr. James should focus on security, not plumbing," Dr. Kelsey replied. "No, given the amount of damage, we suspect that the toilets were clogged on Saturday evening, after the boys' basketball practice. The faucets were turned on as well. So I'll ask again--where were you on Saturday between five and eight o'clock?""At the library. Studying." Jackson focused on Dr. Kelsey's nose. He told himself not to blink, not to hesitate. "My dad dropped me off. I checked out books and everything." "Did anyone else see you there?""I don't know. Maybe.""Then you don't have an alibi.""Dr. Kelsey, I promise--I did not pull this prank."Dr. Kelsey grinned. No. He smirked . "That's fine. You don't have to talk. I'm sure I can eventually convince Charlie de la Cruz to speak up. Or maybe I'll chat with Hashemi Larijani. Or Charlie's new best friend, Bradley Boardman. It's funny how students start talking once you take away some of their perks.""They don't have anything to do with this.""And you do?" Dr. Kelsey's face stiffened. "If you don't confess now, you're looking at a two-week suspension, plus you'll be responsible for repairing all the damage to the gym and hallway floors."Jackson straightened his tie. This was pointless. As far as Dr. Kelsey was concerned, he was guilty. He was sure the principal would march him in front of the Honor Board today if he could. And Jackson couldn't tell him what he'd actually been doing Saturday night-not without getting Gaby in trouble too. It was time to bring in the big guns."Can I use the phone?" Jackson asked, already sliding forward in his chair. "I need to call my dad." Excerpted from To Catch a Cheat by Varian Johnson All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
