Loot

This book is a very good one, to be honest with you. The beginning is suspenseful, the events are exciting, and the characters are amazing. I recommend not spoiling the book for yourself. I’d not even reading the back of the book until you’re done with the whole thing. It gives too much away and that’s part of the fun of the book. Even my Mom read only the first few pages and she was ready to sit back and read the rest. The book is an automatic recommendation for anybody out there who likes mysteries. The story starts off in Amsterdam, which is the capital of the Netherlands and goes to the United States and on from there. March, the main character, is out with his dad at night on a jewel heist. Then, out of nowhere, his dad, Archie McQuin, falls off of a rooftop and dies. Stranded, with only one thing to keep him going, he heads home and packs up to leave. It turns out his dad left a note in his bag telling March to find “Jewels”. Please stop reading here if you want everything to be a surprise. Those jewels actually are not gems, but his twin sister Jules that he never knew he had. He wasn’t as alone as he thought without either of his parents. March tracks down his sister and although he doesn’t like her too much at first they embark on the journey to continue with their father’s business and collect the cursed moonstones. I can't tell you what they are for, because I don’t want to give too much away. Then the antagonists of the story, Archie’s rivals in crime, who also want the moonstones, try to get the moonstones first. The quest to get to the moonstones make for lots of action. The story then goes on to explain how the race for the moonstones went down and trust me you’ll want to read it. One thing that makes this book different from other “kids” books is that the main character, March, isn’t really a good kid. He’s a thief just like his dad. He’s stolen from people and has no problem doing it. He was even in the process of helping his Dad as a lookout when he died. It’s cool that the author of the book makes you feel bad and even cheer for someone who has lived a life of crime, even if he is only a twelve year old kid. March, may not be a typical hero, but he is a good person at heart who loved his father enough to continue his work, even if it isn’t really the best thing to do. He stands up to the grownups in the story, many of which were not to be trusted, and he and his sister escape the foster home in the United States and well, the rest you’ll have to read for yourself. I’m hoping there will be a second book. -E.G.

March McQuin was shocked. Right before his eyes, his own father had fallen off a roof, and was dying. Of course, some would say the man deserved it, as his dad was Alfie McQuin, infamous burglar, and March was his lesser known partner-in-crime. His dad handed him a strange stone, and gave him these final words – “Find jewels”. When March is at the airport being sent to an orphanage (his mother had passed away when he was young), he meets Jules McQuin (his long-lost sister that he didn’t know he had) who was going to the orphanage with him. They soon realize that the orphanage is not much better than a prison. At the orphanage they meet Darius and Izzy, who also hate the place, and they all break out. March realizes the stone his dad gave him as he was dying is much more than it seems and the jewels he told him to find was really Jules his sister. Soon the gang of kids find themselves not only evading the juvenile authorities but also going on a crime spree to “recover” more of the strange stones. The original owner (the one who March’s dad stole the stones from) offered the kids 7 million dollars for the return of all the stones. Sounds simple? Not really. The kids have to compete with an old associate of Alfie’s, a detective turned TV Show-Host, and time. The McQuins and friends have their work cut out for them. This. Was. An. AWESOME BOOK!!! Ms. Watson has written an amazing, thrilling, and completely action-packed book that kept me on the edge of my seat at all times. Gordon Korman (on the back of the book) wrote that is has “more twists than a pretzel factory” and he is totally right – in a good way! Ms. Watson has a way of drawing you in, and not letting you go until that final period. Just when I thought I had things figured out, the story took another turn. I loved that I never really knew who to trust in the plot. March is a great character and not even a bad guy (for the son of a thief). He hurts no one, and makes theft an art- form. The book is appropriate for all ages but the scene where Alfie dies may be a bit much for some young kids (nothing too graphic). The first ten pages of the story had me wondering. They were a bit slower than I am used to with Ms. Watson’s books, but then **BAM** she grabs you by the nose and doesn’t let it out of the book until the end. After I got done reading the book, I realized how much of the story was set up in those first ten pages. Ms. Watson is a masterful author. *NOTE* I got an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

Obviously, this book is geared for teenagers, but I enjoyed it. I liked the story of how the son of a thief is thrust into being a thief after his father's death during a job. The son, March, is now forced into a life of thievery as he continues to look for the 7 jewels that would reverse a curse he didn't know had been put on his life until his dad died. In the time, he finds out he has a twin sister, Jules, who he is not sure he can trust. He then builds up his own team of thieves to help him out, all from a juvenile detention center he was placed in after his father's death. They set out to capture the jewels, and the adventure starts as he figures out who he can trust and why. Were this a book for adults, I think the storyline could have remained close to the same, but I believe the detail surrounding some of the heists and emotional aspects of the story would have received more play. This was a good book for what it was for, and the audience it is targeted at. I really felt like an easier read in this one, and that is what this provided me with: an enjoyable easy read.

I’m a 4th grader, and I’m going to review the book, Loot: How to Steal A Fortune. This story is about a kid’s dad who fall off a building and is dying, so he tells his son to find jewels. The son figures out that “jewels” is his twin sister, Jules. He finds her and they try to pull off a heist to steal moonstones. They hitch up a team, but there are bad guys who want to steal the moonstones too. The moonstones can tell the future, which I think is exceptionally cool. I thought this book was exciting, but kind of scary in some moments, such as when March keeps seeing this cloaked figure, which scared me a little. But otherwise, it’s a fun, exciting book that I couldn’t put down!! I would recommend this book to kids who like suspenseful and mystery books. The end of each chapter ended in a cliffhanger and there were lots of questions to be answered about Jules and March’s past. —ABrown

Hermoso

This is a perfect book for middle grade readers! It's exciting, incredibly well-written, moving (in both senses of the word), and truly fun! It should be at the top of every parent's list to give to a child! Inveterate readers will love it, as well as reluctant readers. I could see LOOT starting a child off on a reading journey for life. Teachers should buy class sets--it's a crowd pleaser and also would be a great book to use as a springboard for writing exercises! I can't say enough about this book--in fact, I know a number of adults who read it and loved it. It would make a great movie!

My sons are reluctant readers. Over the years, I've read books out loud with them for school assignments. My 10-year-old listened to at least 6 chapters while he was wading in a creek near our home. He wanted me to keep going! When he spotted the sequel, Sting, he was excited out of his mind to start it that he just about begged. We each had a copy and "read" it on Audible. We could actually read it much faster, but the Audible book is a great way give a great book to a kid who doesn't feel comfortable reading. Since we follow along with the text, I think the entire experience is very rich. The story is mystery/suspence/action. I liked it just as much as my son. BTW, Jude Watson is an author of several 39 clues books. Thank you, Jude, for this gift to tweeny kids!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book aimed at about 4th -8th grade readers. It's genre is akin to the old tv show "it takes a thief" but the main characters are children. It does not have mature language or mature descriptions of violence which was refreshing. It held my attention well as the children struggled to be jewel thieves with the expressed purpose of supporting themselves after being forced to live independently. I would be cautious suggesting this to students who have lost a parent. It reads as a lively mystery with both male and female leads.

this book was really good.and if you have I long journey I recommend it.please buy this book you will love I hope you enjoy it!

Score bigtime with this pageturner!

It is the second novel I've read and I swear this one is written in the finest and understandable form

It's one of my unforgettable reading. It's super smart, funny , thrilling, and adventurous. I will always remember it. I loved it...

Brandnew! Love it!