Bird describes this as a sort of fantasy book, and that is definitely the case. When I explained it to my daughter, she questioned if the author had been in an actual middle school lately. This is set in a suburb of Columbus, Ohio, which is where I am, so I had a hard time believing all of the following: A rich parent was bribing the principal; the secretary could get away with such racist comments; club funding was dependent on student input at all; there was funding for student clubs; children were able to break into the school; children were able to break into the office; the office had a super special lock; the office blindly agrees to accept a new scantron machine and have the old one taken away without any identification or notification from the "company"; there was a school president, and the election was a big deal; there was a formal dance at a middle school for which girls got formals and boys rented tuxes.
To me, this didn't have the tongue-in-cheek humor of The Fourth Stall, there were a lot of characters, and they were hard to keep straight, and there was an odd sense that I was missing a huge amount of back story. I really looked forward to seeing this one, but it was such a tough go. Am I the only one who felt that way? I feel like a traitor disliking it at all! View all 7 comments.
Aug 17, Liviania rated it really liked it. Varian Johnson is a local Austin author, so I saw him speak several times back when I lived there. He's been talking the talk and walking the walk about diversity in children's books since before it was trendy. I'm happy to see him make the jump to middle grade and reach a new group of readers. This book is clearly positioned to be the start of a series, Varian Johnson is a local Austin author, so I saw him speak several times back when I lived there.
This book is clearly positioned to be the start of a series, but it doesn't waste time. At first I felt like I'd missed a book, but then I caught on. There's very little talking down to the reader. Jackson Greene is known around school for getting things done, but he's decided to stop interfering ever since his last caper ended up destroying his relationship with his best friend, Gaby. But now his rival and the richest kid in school, Frank Sinclair, is running against Gaby for Student Council President, and Jackson just knows he isn't going to play fair.
If you just go with it, it's fun. It's very much a homage to OCEAN'S 11 and other heist films, with a crackerjack team of nerds who each have their own specialties. The technology is fake, but the cleverness and scheming are real.
This quick-paced novel will appeal to readers looking for an adventure set in the present day. Everything is kept on an age appropriate level, from kissing just a peck! Most of the characters a broad types, but Jackson himself is well rounded. It's a fun book. May 01, Beth rated it it was ok Shelves: The central conceit of The Great Greene Heist is a middle school principal taking bribes to rig a student council president election.
That's not a spoiler, by the way. That's something presented immediately. The rest of the book continues in that vein, but it lacks the verve, the levity, the deft touch to sell that kind of overblown con story. Instead, it tries to be plausible, and as a result it never succeeds at convincing on any level.
From a plot level: Ocean's Eleven is listed as an influence, but Ocean's Eleven works because it lets viewers witness everything and then reveals the truth. This novel's perspective is much more limited, and so the con never succeeded for me. From a setting level: I'd buy the racist secretary if she was grounded more in the plot, but she strikes an odd tone in the middle of the "Blitz at the Fitz" angle of the story.
The Great Greene Heist would need to contain more truth for her character to work. There is one truth contained in The Great Greene Heist, and that's its diversity. I don't want to downplay that. And yet it feels like this story does its characters a disservice, because it never succeeds in making its cast real. I found the writing stilted and the voice alternatively too slick or unconvincing, the characters flat because their motivations seemed insufficient. It doesn't succeed because it tries to be both. Creo que necesitaba una buena historia, sencilla, fresca y un poco infantil, pero no por eso menos original.
Nada se queda corto.
See a Problem?
Todos son tremendamente inteligentes y audaces, sobre todo Jackson, que es el protagonista. Aunque, claro, ellos no utilizan sus capacidades para hacer el mal. Pero bueno, volvamos al libro. May 12, Watch Books rated it it was ok Shelves: I was really excited to read this book.
Not that its anything wrong with it, but with the majority of black literature for children usually being about civil rights, or slavery, or serious life topics, I thought it would be cool that there was a book with a AA character just doing "normal" things. Sometimes, the serious topics can be a little heavy, and I was excited that this book could be a cool, fun, lighthearted, and the main character just so happens to be AA. The book was good and the conc I was really excited to read this book.
The book was good and the concept was very interesting. I think kids and adults alike will enjoy reading it. My only disappointment was that I felt like the story was bogged down with characters a little. Also, I was let down that the story line so heavily surrounded around the characters love interest big no no for me, especially in kids books. Gaby was a goody goody in my opinion, and I didn't find anything to like about her.
Scholastic Canada | The Great Greene Heist
I also felt like Jackson could have been so much cooler, if most of his thoughts weren't taken up about her. I personally walked away feeling let down, but that may have been because before reading it, I had painted the picture of the story a little differently in my mind. Overall, It was a good book, not sure if I would recommend mainly because the love-interest-plot-turned-main-plot - Zoe Jul 22, Dawn Teresa rated it really liked it Shelves: Originally published on my blog, ReadLove. Jackson Greene has swagger. First, as the cover makes boldly clear, this a deeply diverse cast of characters led by an African-American boy.
This in and of itself is no small feat in middle grade fiction. The kids who make up this book are lovably atypical. Their distinctiveness goes beyond their skin color. They are smart kids who dare to be different. Megan, the beautiful cheerleader, also happens to know how to program code and speak Klingon! There are Star Trek references a-plenty! Varian Johnson tips his hat to Trek, and makes other popular culture references including Star Wars and Oceans Eleven.
Saying The Great Greene Heist is implausible is like pointing out that no group of sane adults could be as dysfunctional and wacko as the cast of Seinfeld. Sit back and remember what it was like to be a kid with a head full of dreams and schemes. And enjoy watching a grand plan play out!
Varian Johnson takes on politics in The Great Greene Heist
Readers who like mystery, suspense, and humor, with a dash of comeuppance, will gobble this up. I would like to thank Arthur A. Levine Books and NetGalley for allowing me access to the title. Aug 31, Zanye rated it it was amazing Shelves: There's this feeling you get in a good caper novel, like you're there with the crew. Varian Johnson is a genius with this book. Everything is so well put together, and it all fits together at the end like all the good heist volumes. It's like the book version of The Sting and Ocean's Eleven put together. And oh yeah, it's all set in middle school.
Somehow Johnson pulls it off. Jackson Greene is known as a con artist at Maplewood Middle School. The Shakedown at Shimmering Hills, The Blitz at the There's this feeling you get in a good caper novel, like you're there with the crew. But after he got caught in a heist later dubbed the Mid-Day PDA in spite of Greene's attempts to get the name 'The Kelsey Job' to stick, the label remains , Greene promises to his sort-of-girlfriend Gaby de la Cruz that he'll stop with the cons and heists.
It was all part of the heist, but Gaby doesn't believe him. The story picks up four months into this promise, and he has yet to break it. Gaby is running for school president, but her opponent, Keith Sinclair, the mark of the Shakedown at Shimmering Hills and the Blitz at the Fitz, has paid off the principal, and is guaranteed to win.
This is where Jackson Greene and his gang of merry con artists steps in. He recruits Victor Cho, the bankroll. Bradley Boardman, the inside man. Hashemi Larijani, the tech support. Megan Feldman, the White Rabbit and the tech goddess. And Charlie de la Cruz, Gaby's brother and Jackson's right hand man. Together, they hatch a plan to tip the ballot in Gaby's favor. The only challenge is that the ballot is tipped in Keith's favor in the first place. And Jackson has to get back on Gaby's good side. So yeah, they have their work cut out for them.
- Le Miroir des Limbes (Tome 2) - La corde et les souris (French Edition);
- Quick & Easy Crochet Pattern Baby Evelyn Blanket.
- Los inadaptados de Tim Burton (Spanish Edition).
- My Thoughts on the Book!
- Human Performance on the Flight Deck!
The book is so fast-paced but makes sense throughout. The only complaint I have is that the story picks up after all his cons, and though the cons are referenced throughout, Johnson never fully explains them. Hilarious, and so fun! A lovely diverse cast try to rig the school elections, not for nefarious purposes, but because the PRINCIPAL is rigging it himself, in order to appease a wealthy parent who has been bribing him! What's a kind of reformed young con artist to do? The honest and best candidate is the girl he's crushing on, and she's the sister of his right hand man.
Obviously he has to help, even though he's under strict orders from his parents, the principal, and even some of his more sensible friends NOT to get into trouble again. But is it really trouble, if you're in the right? I loved the kids, and their families, and the way everyone interacted.
Even though we're talking about a middle school age con artist with many famous "capers" under his belt, he felt real, and so did his family and friends. I really loved it. The one thing I did have a problem with is that the principal is well. And everyone seems to know it. As a parent of school-aged children, I found that rather alarming. Here's hoping that my kids' principal doesn't take bribes!
May 24, Ann rated it it was amazing Shelves: I love cons and heist books and films. While some of what was going on, particularly in the technical details, seemed like it was probably a bit beyond middle school students, the motivations and actual carrying out of the plan seemed more or less realistic. I'm not entirely sure that an eighth grader would have the psychological savvy to anticipate everyone's reactions as well as Jackson does, but I'm willing to allow it. I loved that the president of the tech club spoke Klingon and was a cheer I love cons and heist books and films.
I loved that the president of the tech club spoke Klingon and was a cheerleader. Though most of the middle school nerds I know are more Whovians that Trekkies. For the most part the characters behaved like real people, with multiple motivations and realistically immature decisions. Kelsey and Keith seemed like stock villains in comparison. But I guess that in order to root for the con to work, we have to really hate the "victim".
Jun 13, Sarah Hannah added it Shelves: Ultimately, I am more pleased with the existence of this book heist for kids! Also, it got better when I learned that it's a read-in-one-sitting type of book, not pick up, put down. But also, there was something about it that just kept me from being super into it.
Again, really pleased with the cast of characters - they were well fle Ultimately, I am more pleased with the existence of this book heist for kids! Again, really pleased with the cast of characters - they were well fleshed out, not just "diverse," and a lot of fun for the most part - but I wasn't totally invested in the story. This is a fabulously fun caper you won't want to miss. To pull off a great heist, you need a good crew - which often involves a lot of characters.
This means a lot of set up at the start to establish characters and their relationships as well as their talents. Varian Johnson does this well, but for those not used to this type of extensive s This is a fabulously fun caper you won't want to miss. Varian Johnson does this well, but for those not used to this type of extensive set up, it can seem like a lot of characters right up front. Don't worry, push on - the pay off is worth it. I loved nearly everything about this book. The diversity in characters was very appealing, the caper style plot was fantastic.
Hoping their might be at least one more adventure with Gang Greene. Jul 29, Martha rated it really liked it Recommends it for: If the ultimate child fantasy is to be in charge, the logical extension of that is to be the kind of person who is also a good leader. With that in mind, this book is poised to make a whole lotta kids very happy. Normal, that is, before he gets wind that something shady is going on and it involves the upcoming school election.
Gabriela de la Cruz a. Gabby , the girl he inadvertently betrayed, is running for Class President against the ruthless Keith Sinclair. To write a good con novel you have to be a writer confident in your own abilities. Johnson exudes that confidence, particularly when he takes risks.
Since, at its essence, this is the story about a boy tricking a girl into doing what he wants, it would be easy for Johnson to slip up at any time and make the storyline either condescending or downright offensive. That he manages not to do this is nothing short of a minor miracle of modern writing. To do this in a book for kids is risky.
Review of the Day: The Great Greene Heist by Varian Johnson
One takeaway I took from this novel was the fact that Johnson really knows his age bracket. More to the point, he knows what kids today are really like. Big plot points in this book focus on the bribing of other kids with video games. The lines are blurring and at no point does anyone, even a bully, call another kid a nerd or geek. Last year I tried to count as many middle grade books starring African-American boys and I topped out at around six or seven and most of those were written by celebrities. Author Varian Johnson also does a dandy job at avoiding certain tropes that librarians and teachers have grown to detest.
Johnson, for his part, is straightforward. How hard is that? He also tackles casual racism with great skill and aplomb. Racism lives on long and strong in the modern world, but few authors for kids think it necessary to point out the fact. All good con films have a twist. Sometimes the twist is good. I am therefore happy to report that not only does The Great Greene Heist keep you from remembering that twist is coming, when it does come adult readers will be just as flummoxed by it as the kids.
If I were to change one thing about the book, it would be to include something additional.
- The Great Greene Heist.
- The Gospel According to Mark.
- .
For some readers, keeping characters straight can be difficult. I read this book in an early galley edition, so perhaps this problem will be changed by the time the book reaches publication, but if not then be aware that some readers may need a bit of help parsing the who is who right at the beginning. That quickly changed when I realized a student council election would carry more weight—at least in the world I created. Every time we turn on the news, we hear about some type of voter fraud or bribery or corruption in politics, and I wanted to explore that—lightly—in this novel.
Second, can you name one or two other books that fall into this category that are personal favorites of yours? When I was a younger, I wanted to see myself reflected in the world I knew—a world that was sometimes scary, but a world also influenced by the normalcy of suburbia. I wanted to see myself in mysteries, thrillers, love stories and science fiction—basically, I wanted to see myself in everything. On the one hand, this serves as a really great plot device within the story, since the kids are then able to fool her in necessary ways; but on the other hand, you must have consciously and deliberately chosen to include this.