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christiana's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars for me. I liked this pretty well, but I think it helps that I am a sucker for heist books. I agree with Gabrielle-the times this book mentioned anything related to the Columbus, Ohio setting seemed forced ("Even though the neighborhood of Short North was mostly galleries..." and "[he] waited in the Whetstone Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library System") and like someone just mad libbed for "hip neighborhood" or "library branch".
Also, I kind of wish it had just been a nameless city when the administrative assistants kept confusing people of color for one another. I wish that behavior hadn't been assigned to a city (particularly, my city), because it makes me feel like Columbus is being called out as a racially insensitive city, when that hasn't really been my experience.
However, I think the heist was crafted well. I liked the background and the way it was set up (and all the names for the different parts of the job). I thought Gaby was a strong girl character, although the whole cast was pretty great (and a great mix of POC without it being A Thing).
Also, I kind of wish it had just been a nameless city when the administrative assistants kept confusing people of color for one another. I wish that behavior hadn't been assigned to a city (particularly, my city), because it makes me feel like Columbus is being called out as a racially insensitive city, when that hasn't really been my experience.
However, I think the heist was crafted well. I liked the background and the way it was set up (and all the names for the different parts of the job). I thought Gaby was a strong girl character, although the whole cast was pretty great (and a great mix of POC without it being A Thing).
bickie's review against another edition
4.0
Fun caper book with a twist only careful readers will have anticipated. Star Wars, Star Trek, and other references will be relatable to various types of "geeks." Some readers may be surprised at the blatant corruption of the school principal.
jwinchell's review against another edition
3.0
Well, I'm glad I know about this book to rec it to the right reader--one who is motivated and savvy. The thing is, 3rd person omniscient, especially when we are jumping into the minds of at least 4 characters, all of whom have a gaggle of friends around them, is really tiring and confusing. At 660 Lexile and with a cast of diverse characters who are thoroughly in their middle school years, this is a good one to have on hand--but not one I'm willing to spend time with myself.
kelleemoye's review against another edition
4.0
I love heist books and movies because the characters are always so smart, and I can never figure out how they did what they did (i.e., Heist Society, Oceans 11, Unusual Suspects, etc.). The Great Greene Heist fits right into this category. Jackson Greene is a bit cocky but so easy to love! This book will keep you guessing and reading. To show you how much I liked it: As soon as I was done, I grabbed the sequel and devoured it too!
http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=10887
http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=10887
brandypainter's review against another edition
5.0
Review originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
The Great Greene Heist by Varian Johnson is one of those books that had a lot of excitement and promotion leading up to its release. Those books always make me wary. While I really wanted to read it, I worried about it not living up to my expectations. Well, that was a groundless worry. I LOVED this book and my only regret is I'm not teaching in the fall and won't have a roomful of MG kids to book-talk it to.
This is a realistic fiction book that has absolutely no grounding in reality, which is not at all a bad thing, because readers love those books. I was going to say kid readers but decided that was condescending and untrue. I love those sort of books too (and not just ones written for kids) as do a number of other adults. The romance and mystery genres make the money they do because people love this type of book so much. I don't think the MG category has nearly enough of them that are as well written as this one is.
The concept is basically Ocean's Eleven for kids and it is all kinds of fun. There is a corrupt principal and cocky popular kid to take down and the school's clubs to save. It will take a crack team of super-smart friends to save the school's election from being stolen from the students. Does this middle school actually exist anywhere? One that has this many actively participated in funded extracurriculars and a student government with actual power? No. No it doesn't, not in the realm of public schools anyway. HOWEVER, it is the middle school every kid fantasizes about going to. One where there will be a place for them somewhere and they will be able to practice agency over their own lives. And what kid doesn't love a story where the kids get to outsmart the principal? Johnson clearly gets his audience.
The cast is diverse, which is obvious from the cover, but I don't just mean that it is racially diverse. These kids all have distinct interests and personalities. Leading them all is Jackson Greene, president of the Botany club, basketball super-star, and Earl Grey tea drinker. His grandfather was an excellent con-man, and armed with his wits and his grandfather's rules for staging a con, Jackson has perpetrated some schemes that the entire school population still talks about despite his new course on the straight and narrow. After his last job resulted in losing one of his best friend's, the girl he also happened to have a crush on, he is staying out of it. But Gaby is the one who will lose if he doesn't intervene, and for her he is willing to take on a new job. Even if she doesn't want him to. Gaby is a brilliant leader and amazing basketball player. I really liked how she balanced out Jackson and how she handled the many tricky situations she found herself in from confronting jerks to being honest with a boy about her feelings, to telling her friends what she thinks. Gaby never betrays or backs down from who she is. Each member of the team Jackson assembles to run the heist are equally distinct and rounded. Charlie is Gaby's brother, Jackson's best friend, and the editor of the school paper. Bradley is the eager, excited, office helper who is the inside man. Hash is a tech geek, Star Trek fan, and highly nervous around girls. Megan, the pretty cheerleader, is also a tech genius who is a passionate gamer and also speaks fluent Klingon. I appreciated what the author did with all these characters. While Hash is fairly stereotypical for a tech geek he still has a distinct personality and is foiled by Megan, who is not a stereotypical tech geek or cheerleader. The subtle message that comes across is that each person is not one thing, but total of all things that make them who they are. Each character highlights this in their own way but never in a manner that makes it THE MESSAGE.
Interspersed through the book are also some clever commentaries on society. Some of these kids will get and some will go over their heads, but the way Johnson wove them in to the narrative was smart. From how easy it is to corrupt an election process, to the school secretary who can't tell students in any non-white race apart, to the power brokering of the kids with money in the school, Johnson has brought out some interesting issues. The truly miraculous thing? He does all this character development, plotting, and theme building in 226 engaging pages. How? He has pretty much mastered the art of showing and not telling.
The Great Greene Heist is a perfect read for anyone who loves con stories, school stories, friendship stories, or just stories in general.
The Great Greene Heist by Varian Johnson is one of those books that had a lot of excitement and promotion leading up to its release. Those books always make me wary. While I really wanted to read it, I worried about it not living up to my expectations. Well, that was a groundless worry. I LOVED this book and my only regret is I'm not teaching in the fall and won't have a roomful of MG kids to book-talk it to.
This is a realistic fiction book that has absolutely no grounding in reality, which is not at all a bad thing, because readers love those books. I was going to say kid readers but decided that was condescending and untrue. I love those sort of books too (and not just ones written for kids) as do a number of other adults. The romance and mystery genres make the money they do because people love this type of book so much. I don't think the MG category has nearly enough of them that are as well written as this one is.
The concept is basically Ocean's Eleven for kids and it is all kinds of fun. There is a corrupt principal and cocky popular kid to take down and the school's clubs to save. It will take a crack team of super-smart friends to save the school's election from being stolen from the students. Does this middle school actually exist anywhere? One that has this many actively participated in funded extracurriculars and a student government with actual power? No. No it doesn't, not in the realm of public schools anyway. HOWEVER, it is the middle school every kid fantasizes about going to. One where there will be a place for them somewhere and they will be able to practice agency over their own lives. And what kid doesn't love a story where the kids get to outsmart the principal? Johnson clearly gets his audience.
The cast is diverse, which is obvious from the cover, but I don't just mean that it is racially diverse. These kids all have distinct interests and personalities. Leading them all is Jackson Greene, president of the Botany club, basketball super-star, and Earl Grey tea drinker. His grandfather was an excellent con-man, and armed with his wits and his grandfather's rules for staging a con, Jackson has perpetrated some schemes that the entire school population still talks about despite his new course on the straight and narrow. After his last job resulted in losing one of his best friend's, the girl he also happened to have a crush on, he is staying out of it. But Gaby is the one who will lose if he doesn't intervene, and for her he is willing to take on a new job. Even if she doesn't want him to. Gaby is a brilliant leader and amazing basketball player. I really liked how she balanced out Jackson and how she handled the many tricky situations she found herself in from confronting jerks to being honest with a boy about her feelings, to telling her friends what she thinks. Gaby never betrays or backs down from who she is. Each member of the team Jackson assembles to run the heist are equally distinct and rounded. Charlie is Gaby's brother, Jackson's best friend, and the editor of the school paper. Bradley is the eager, excited, office helper who is the inside man. Hash is a tech geek, Star Trek fan, and highly nervous around girls. Megan, the pretty cheerleader, is also a tech genius who is a passionate gamer and also speaks fluent Klingon. I appreciated what the author did with all these characters. While Hash is fairly stereotypical for a tech geek he still has a distinct personality and is foiled by Megan, who is not a stereotypical tech geek or cheerleader. The subtle message that comes across is that each person is not one thing, but total of all things that make them who they are. Each character highlights this in their own way but never in a manner that makes it THE MESSAGE.
Interspersed through the book are also some clever commentaries on society. Some of these kids will get and some will go over their heads, but the way Johnson wove them in to the narrative was smart. From how easy it is to corrupt an election process, to the school secretary who can't tell students in any non-white race apart, to the power brokering of the kids with money in the school, Johnson has brought out some interesting issues. The truly miraculous thing? He does all this character development, plotting, and theme building in 226 engaging pages. How? He has pretty much mastered the art of showing and not telling.
The Great Greene Heist is a perfect read for anyone who loves con stories, school stories, friendship stories, or just stories in general.
kawarwick's review against another edition
3.0
Should be 3.5 stars. It's a fun adventure filled story that middle school boys will like. Think Ocean Eleven with a bunch of middle school nerds as the cast.
saidtheraina's review against another edition
4.0
It took me WAAAAYYYY too long to get past the first page of this book!
No, seriously, this has been on my potential-middle-school-booktalk list ever since it came out, but I cracked it more than once and couldn't get past the first paragraph. There's a run-on sentence in there that felt awkward and like I'd be irritated by the writing all the way through.
Fortunately, I finally got past it, and discovered that the stylized writing here was something I could get used to. Don't get me wrong - it's not super stylized - just enough to put me off at first glance. But I am very happy I revisited this book.
I love twisty-turny stories, so have a weakness for capers in general. I love being surprised a clever plot.
This book does that, but in a YA book set in a middle school, with a notably, realistically diverse cast. It was particularly poignant to bring this one out to local middle schools in 2019, with all its talk of stealing elections and corrupt authority figures.
Great stuff. Give it a chance, even if the first page turns you off.
No, seriously, this has been on my potential-middle-school-booktalk list ever since it came out, but I cracked it more than once and couldn't get past the first paragraph. There's a run-on sentence in there that felt awkward and like I'd be irritated by the writing all the way through.
Fortunately, I finally got past it, and discovered that the stylized writing here was something I could get used to. Don't get me wrong - it's not super stylized - just enough to put me off at first glance. But I am very happy I revisited this book.
I love twisty-turny stories, so have a weakness for capers in general. I love being surprised a clever plot.
This book does that, but in a YA book set in a middle school, with a notably, realistically diverse cast. It was particularly poignant to bring this one out to local middle schools in 2019, with all its talk of stealing elections and corrupt authority figures.
Great stuff. Give it a chance, even if the first page turns you off.
heatherday916's review against another edition
5.0
A thoroughly enjoyable read. Oceans Eleven in middle school may seem far-fetched but Varian Johnson pulls it off with style. I flew through this book. I also enjoyed that it was set in my old stomping grounds of Columbus, Ohio and the geek in me loved all the Star Trek references. This was a very fun book.
smarquardt9's review against another edition
5.0
I LOVED this book! I loved everything about it--the characters, the writing style, the content, the way it ended. It was a fun and feel good read from start to finish!
midnightwritelight's review against another edition
4.0
The Great Greene Heist is super entertaining!! I reread it in about four hours one night and enjoyed it!
I think Jackson Greene was my favorite character. He has some of the charm of Flynn Rider, but he’s already been burned once and starts off trying to be good. I liked his friends and their group interactions, and Jackson and Gaby’s love story is super cute!
I do find it a little hard to believe that the principal of a school would willingly interfere in a student election just to gain money. However, it made for a good plot point and helped move the story along.
If you’re looking for a fun, plot-twist filled story, The Great Greene Heist is for you!
I think Jackson Greene was my favorite character. He has some of the charm of Flynn Rider, but he’s already been burned once and starts off trying to be good. I liked his friends and their group interactions, and Jackson and Gaby’s love story is super cute!
I do find it a little hard to believe that the principal of a school would willingly interfere in a student election just to gain money. However, it made for a good plot point and helped move the story along.
If you’re looking for a fun, plot-twist filled story, The Great Greene Heist is for you!