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Item Barcode | Collection | Call Number | Status | Item Holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33607003116087 | Young Adult | WATSON | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
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Summary
Summary
"LOOT hits the jackpot." -- Rick Riordan, #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling authorOn a foggy night in Amsterdam, a man falls from a rooftop to the wet pavement below. It's Alfie McQuinn, the notorious cat burglar, and he's dying. As sirens wail in the distance, Alfie manages to get out two last words to his young son, March: "Find jewels."But March learns that his father is not talking about a stash of loot. He's talking about Jules, the twin sister March never knew he had. No sooner than the two find each other, they're picked up by the police and sent to the world's worst orphanage. It's not prison, but it feels like it.March and Jules have no intention of staying put. They know their father's business inside and out, and they're tired of being pushed around. Just one good heist, and they'll live the life of riches and freedom most kids only dream about. Watch out! There are wild kids on the loose and a crime spree coming . . .
Author Notes
Judy Blundell, pseudonym Jude Watson, is an American author of books for middle grade, young adult, and adult readers. Jude Watson is primarily known as the author of Star Wars books. Writing for the Star Wars franchise she works with editors from LucasBooks as well as Scholastic. Her debut came when LucasBooks recruited her to write the Star Wars Journal Captive to Evil by Princess Leia Organa, published by Scholastic in 1998. Beside the journals of Princess Leia, Queen Amidala (1999), and Darth Maul (1999), Watson is the author of three series that comprise about forty books: Jedi Apprentice (except for the first book), Jedi Quest, and The Last of the Jedi. She is also a co-author with K. D. Burkett in the Star Wars: Science Adventures series. Her other books include the romance series Brides of Wildcat County, the parapsychic science fictions Premonitions and Disappearance, and three books in the 39 Clues mystery adventure series.
She won the annual National Book Award for Young People's Literature in 2008 for the young-adult novel What I Saw and How I Lied, published under her real name by Scholastic Books. In 2013 she made The New York Times Best Seller List for her title Nowhere to Run.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (2)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-7-Twelve-year-old March McQuin has lived a life that many kids can only dream about-world travel, no school, and exciting hijinks-but it comes at a cost. He has always felt as though something, or someone, was missing from his life. So when his father, the notorious jewel thief Alfie McQuin, falls to his death during a burglary, March is left completely alone. That is, until he is reunited with his long-lost twin sister Jules, who has been traveling with their aunt's street performance group. Following a quick stint in a group home and armed only with street smarts and Alfie's clues, the twins and their friends set out to finish Alfie's last heist before Alfie's rivals do. With well-developed supporting characters and two likable protagonists, Watson has delivered an exciting, clever middle-grade mystery. Although her treatment of death and abandonment sometimes feel a bit too lighthearted, it is in keeping with the fanciful feel of the rest of the story. Throughout, the characters develop organically, and Watson doesn't shy away from real-world consequences. This helps give the book a real sense of urgency during each of the movie-quality action scenes, which makes it a perfect fit for fans of Stuart Gibbs's Belly Up (S. & S., 2011) or Gordon Korman's Swindle (Scholastic, 2009).-Amanda Augsburger, Moline Public Library, IL (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Jewel theft has never been as fun as in 39 Clues contributor Watson's action-packed novel featuring Mission: Impossible-style escapades from two young cat burglars. After world- famous jewel thief Alfie McQuin plunges to his death from an Amsterdam rooftop, his son March, a witness to the accident (or was it murder?), is shocked to learn he has a twin sister, Jules. The reason for the siblings' separation at age two appears to involve seven missing and purportedly cursed moonstones. Led by clues left by their deceased father, the twins try to retrieve the moonstones for a $7 million reward, instead of entering the foster care system ("[March] knew where to go to buy a fake passport in five European capitals and he knew how much it cost. Things he didn't know how to do: Sit in a classroom. Obey authority. Follow rules"). Along with two accomplices, March and Jules use trickery, aerial stunts, and quick thinking to complete their mission and stay ahead of professional thieves. The high level of suspense, ultra-short chapters, and fast pace will hook readers of all stripes. Ages 8-12. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Excerpts
Excerpts
Never trust a guy who says "trust me." Never give your real name to a cop.Never let someone steal your getaway car. It was that last piece of his father's advice that March McQuin found himself contemplating at three in the morning on a picturesque bridge over a dark canal in Amsterdam. Only it wasn't his getaway car, it was his getaway bike, and someone had pinched it.Just about the worst thing you can do to a thief is steal his stuff. March was especially indignant. He'd actually paid for the bike!He checked the time on his cell. He didn't have time to panic. He only had time to steal another mode of transportation. In just about seven minutes, his old man, world-famous cat burglar Archibald McQuin, was going to have a fistful of diamonds and be looking for an exit.Mist curled along the surface of the canal. All the good citizens of Amsterdam were snoring underneath their eiderdowns. The weeping edges of a yellow moon dissolved and re-formed on dark water as the flow of the tide moved through. March intently scanned the row of bicycles chained to the railing, searching for his target. The difference between a million bucks and twenty-five-to-life can come down to thirty seconds. Excerpted from Loot by Jude Watson 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.