Loot

In trying to get the touchstone right, I accidentally discovered that this book is written by Judy Blundell, an author I really like. Huh. No wonder I liked it so much! This is another 2016 Colorado Children's Book Award nominee, and it's a good one! 12 year-old March lives with his father Alfie, a professional thief. There are downsides to this type of parent (he's a thief, they move a lot), but there are upsides too (they move around to pretty great places -- the book begins in Amsterdam -- they can spend a few months in the Seychelles after a big heist, and his father imparts some valuable life lessons). After Alfie dies in the opening pages, March must go it alone -- first reuniting with a long-lost twin, then teaming up with other show more "delinquents" to escape a horrid group home, steal some jewels, and break a curse. Improbable? Definitely. Fun? Absolutely. I read this in nearly one sitting, cheering for the four throwaway kids who become a family of sorts and go after the loot. Fun read! show less

Ocean's Eleven for the middle school crowd!
Fast-paced, short chapters tell the story of March McQuinn and his quest to fulfill his dying father's last wish. Adventure and mystery fans will find much to like about this group of smart kid criminals forced to deal with some unsavory adults as they pull off a series of jewel heists. Plot twists aplenty, with lots of action and suspense, readers will be pulled along in the excitement of discovering just who's conning who!

This is a novel about criminal behavior and murder, so there may be some (parents) who won't appreciate the mostly appealing way these kids come off, especially since they end up quite well in the end. Pair this with The Great Green Heist for another take on middle school show more con games--less criminally inclined but just as fun! AR 4.2, pts. 8.0 -JF show less

When March McQuinn's father Alfie, a notorious jewel thief, falls from a roof in Amsterdam, he leaves his almost thirteen-year old son with a valuable moonstone and some instructions: "find jewels." Except what he really said was "Find Jules," March's twin sister he didn't know about and hasn't seen since the two of them were babies. But the other instructions he gives before dying might as well have been "find jewels," since his clues lead him to continue the family business.

Loot will no doubt please a lot of readers. It's got two long-lost twins who are now orphans and team up with Darius and Izzy, two kids they meet in a Social Services group home, and embark on a high-stakes quest to retrieve the seven moonstones stolen by their show more father years earlier. They pull off improbable heists in New York and San Francisco, always staying a step ahead of the cops through their ingenuity and street smarts. But other, more dangerous thieves are also after the moonstones, and they only have until the next blue moon in order to break a prophecy. So, if you were to make a list of plot elements expected to be in such a book, this one would probably have all of them.

It's fairly fun and fast-paced but also quite formulaic (kind of Dan Brown for MG readers). But while I thought the story was okay, I'm bothered by the questionable morality. Stealing is portrayed as fun and honorable despite the dangers, and the victims as deserving: "He thought of his father, who had a strange sense of honor about his targets. He had moved through the world of the wealthy but never been part of it. He stole from those who had been rich so long, they had forgotten ordinary cares. He stole from those who lived in houses... plump with silk cushions and bursting with too much of everything. He stole from those who wrecked the lives of others and dusted off their hands and said, 'It's business.' March had seen it again and again, in fancy restaurants and hotels, so often, he could smell it: the ease of privilege inherited and unearned" (from page 182 of the advance copy). I guess it's kind of fun if you can look past all that without bothering your conscience about such sticky questions. show less

Loot begins with a foreboding prophecy regarding stolen semiprecious moonstones:

You will be caught tonight and made to pay.
Death by water, before the moon is set.
Before the passage of thirteen years, the two birthed together will die together.

Two of the prophecies have already come true. Two thieves are dead.

Now, 12-year-old March, son of a thief, must figure out the mystery with no other assets than a getaway bag, some cryptic clues, and remembered advice from his deceased father,

Never trust a guy who says, "Trust me."
Never give your real name to a cop.
Never let someone steal your getaway car.
If you think nothing can go wrong, you'd better think again.

March, his twin sister, and fellow foster home escapees, Izzy and Darius, will match show more wits with jewel thieves, fences, cops, and millionaires in a desperate search for answers and the mysterious moonstones. This is a fast-paced, action-packed thriller with plenty of plot twists and intrigue—a globe-trotting trek with its roots in the underbelly of New York City.

For grades 3-7
272 pages

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A high 3.5 stars. This review is also available on my blog, Read Till Dawn.

I have to say that when I picked Loot off of the library shelf I had no idea what it was about. I read the tab, thought it really did sound good, and slipped it into my (already full - it's well established that I'm a hopeless book hoarder) bag of books to check out. I read it a few days later, while I was really tired, and started skimming so badly I swear I almost want to go back and read the whole thing over.

Almost. But not really. Because it's really not that complicated, that I could miss too much nuance if I skip a line here or there. I do like the story idea, and it makes a very exciting plot (lots of daring heist scenes) while still maintaining a lot of show more emotions and heart. It's a story about thievery and lost jewels and mysterious curses, but it's also about friendship and family. And I really liked that.

What I didn't like so much was the fact that thievery is placed in such a good light throughout the book. Yes I realize that the kids don't have much choice, and that they make a point of only stealing from people who "won't be harmed" because they're so rich they'll barely notice, but that doesn't change the fact that March spent his entire life learning the "art" of stealing, and that he's very, very good at it. And I can be impressed with his scheming, but I'm also a little wary of being all gungho behind him as he steals from people - no matter how much money those people will still have in their bank accounts.

Other than that, I did like that Loot was a deeper novel than I was expecting for this sort of MG adventure novel. Jules has some legitimate anger towards the father who dumped her on his sister-in-law in favor of her twin, and at first she's really not very happy about being back with March. As they slowly grow closer, I appreciated that she learned to comfort March when he mourned for their father, even as she couldn't mourn for a man she'd never really known. This level of complexity in relationships isn't always achieved in middle grade, and it was done well here.

All in all, Loot is a great middle grade book that I probably won't be reading again any time soon (because really, I think I'm just not the target audience), but which I'd definitely recommend to a middle schooler looking for a book down this particular alley. My only hesitation in recommending Loot would be if the kid in question seemed easily swayed by what he read: I wouldn't want him to adopt the attitude of the characters in the book, in which thievery can actually count as a valid form of employment as long as you only steal from the rich. show less

Twelve-year-old March McQuinn has spent a life on the run, with his famous cat burglar father, Alfie. He’s learned a lot from his dad and has even played a role in some of the heists. Of course, March doesn’t do the planning, or the actual breaking and entering, or the stealing. But, when he shows up to help his father at the end of a big robbery, he is surprised that his father is falling from a roof. Before his father passes on, he says a few seemingly random words to March and gives him a moonstone from a famous heist he had been involved in years before. Now March is alone in Amsterdam and worried that someone is watching him. After taking the important things he needs and some notes his father had written, March follows one of show more the clues to an underground event and watches in amazement as a woman named Blue and a girl do some fascinating music, ribbon and tumbling work. The police break it up though, and this leads to March being taken into custody. The girl doing the ribbon work turns out to be his long lost twin sister, Jules. Neither of them knew the other existed. What other mysteries had Alfie hidden? Jules and March are sent back to America and put in a home for children. They meet two other kids who quickly become their friends. When Jules goes missing, and March recognizes her on tv in the footage of a major jewel heist, he wonders whose side Jules is on and why. Now March is determined to find the rest of the moonstones hinted at in the note his father left him. Even more enticing is the reward of millions of dollars promised to him by the woman whose cursed moonstones were stolen by March’s dad and fellow thieves years before. Unfortunately, there are other people who want those gems. Will March and Jules work together or stay on separate sides? Will he and his friends be able to travel around the county in less than a week rounding up all the gems in time for the full moon? Are the stones really cursed and will the prophecy his father was told years before come true? Read this fast paced book to find out!

Loot is the first book I’ve read by Jude Watson. Looking at the cover I knew it was bound to be a book filled with action. I liked March and the other main characters. While they all had their flaws- they also had their strengths. The danger and excitement definitely kept me turning the pages. I couldn’t help but wonder if the kids would be successful on their quest for the moonstones, and if the lady on the other end of the deal would keep her promise and reward them with money. I like the threat of the curse and the magical moonstones were intriguing. They sounded beautiful. I would recommend this book to people ages nine and up who like a good adventure, and are okay with some of the action and stunts being unbelievable. It reminded me of the action movies my older brother likes to watch- very entertaining, even if you can’t picture it all really happening in real life. This is the first book in the series and I look forward to reading the next one. show less

Loot is a fast paced heist book with charm and suspense. March and his father are con artists and thieves. March's father is killed at the beginning of the book during a heist, but leaves March enough clues to lead him to a treasure that will set him up for life. Along the way, March ends up in a group home, makes new friends, and finds a sister he didn't know he had. The suspense comes when March and his friends start to go after the seven "moonstones" that may have the ability to predict the future. Lots of people want those stones including an eccentric millionaire, an unscrupulous thief, and a crooked cop.

This story is a high stakes adventure with thrills and twists throughout. A good book for a quick, enjoyable read.