A million to one

Title:

A million to one

Author:

Summary:

Josefa is an unapologetic and charismatic thief, who loves the thrill of the chase. She has her eye on her biggest mark yet—the RMS Titanic, the most luxurious ship in the world. But she isn’t interested in stealing from wealthy first-class passengers onboard. No, she’s out for the ultimate prize: the Rubiyat, a one of a kind book encrusted with gems that’s worth millions. Josefa can’t score it alone, so she enlists a team of girls with unique talents: Hinnah, a daring acrobat and contortionist; Violet, an actress and expert dissembler; and Emilie, an artist who can replicate any drawing by hand. They couldn’t be more different and yet they have one very important thing in common: their lives depend on breaking into the vault and capturing the Rubiyat. But careless mistakes, old grudges, and new romance threaten to jeopardize everything they’ve worked for and put them in incredible danger when tragedy strikes. While the odds of pulling off the heist are slim, the odds of survival are even slimmer… -- Amazon.

Audience:

Ages 13 up Harper Teen, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Grades 10-12 Harper Teen, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

362 pages ; 22 cm

Genre:

Historical fiction.

Corporate Subject:

Titanic (Steamship) -- Fiction.

Subject Term:

Swindlers and swindling -- Fiction.

Rare books -- Fiction.

Sexual minorities -- Fiction.

Publisher:

Harper Teen, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers,

Publication Date:

2022

ISBN:

9780062916327

Publication Information:

New York : Harper Teen, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2022.

Call Number:

YA JAIGIRDAR

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003687509	New Young Adult	JAIGIRDAR	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

2024 Rainbow Book List

Adiba Jaigirdar, author of one of Time's Best YA books of all time, gives Titanic an Ocean's 8 makeover in this nail-biting heist set onboard the infamous ship.

Josefa is an unapologetic and charismatic thief who loves the thrill of the chase. She has her eye on her biggest mark yet--the RMS Titanic, the most luxurious ship in the world. But she isn't interested in stealing from wealthy first-class passengers onboard. No, she's out for the ultimate prize: the Rubiyat, a one-of-a-kind book encrusted with gems that's worth millions.

Josefa can't score it alone, so she enlists a team of girls with unique talents: Hinnah, a daring acrobat and contortionist; Violet, an actress and expert dissembler; and Emilie, an artist who can replicate any drawing by hand.

They couldn't be more different and yet they have one very important thing in common: their lives depend on breaking into the vault and capturing the Rubiyat. But careless mistakes, old grudges, and new romance threaten to jeopardize everything they've worked for and put them in incredible danger when tragedy strikes.

While the odds of pulling off the heist are slim, the odds of survival are even slimmer...

Perfect for fans of Stalking Jack the Ripper and Girl in the Blue Coat, this high-seas heist from the author of The Henna Wars is an immersive story that makes readers forget one important detail--the ship sinks.

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 8 Up--An ordinary boardinghouse in Dublin hides four extraordinary young women. And while they end up on the Titanic, this diverse crew is the real star of the show: Josefa, an Irish petty thief and mastermind of the heist to steal the Rubaiyat once aboard; Violet, a Croatian actress working to reunite with her brother but unwilling to return home; Hinnah, an Indian acrobat eager to leave the circus for a new adventure; and Emilie, a French Haitian artist who recently lost her father and her life of luxury, whose doubts about the heist are suppressed by her desire to meet her family in Haiti and her growing attraction to Josefa. Heart-pounding tension and pure adrenaline-fueled fun, along with an urgent countdown in the chapter headings, keep this heist novel on its toes, as accidental setbacks and unexpected faces in the second half force the plan to change, sometimes literally, in midair. It is particularly rewarding and refreshing to see the girls, through multiple-POV narration, actively work through those changes, and work to understand one another and their differences. Even as they grapple with motives, mistakes, and secrets within their own crew, the four also grapple with obstacles from the outside world: sexism, racism, parental abuse, parental loss, and being underestimated and taken advantage of for those reasons and many others. VERDICT Dramatic, moving, and energetic, this diverse historical novel about found family and choices at the end of the world is a YA must-have from the author of Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating.--Madeline Newquist

Publisher's Weekly Review

In this fast-paced historical heist novel by Jaigirdar (Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating), four teenagers board the Titanic to steal a priceless artifact. It's April 1912, a handful of days before the ship is due to set sail, and Irish thief Josefa has just procured a coveted ticket for passage. She's hatched a plot to steal a bejeweled copy of Rubaiyat, a book of Persian poetry that will be transported aboard the ship, but she can't do it alone. The crew she assembles each has their own motive: actor Violet yearns to reunite with her brother; Hinnah, an Indian acrobat, is eager to leave her job at the circus; and Emilie, a French and Haitian artist, plans to use her cut to visit family in Haiti. But even as the group schemes, unexpected setbacks and missteps imperil their operation. While historical description sometimes feels shallow, an underlying sapphic romance and a racially and ethnically diverse cast lend a refreshing dynamic to the familiar backdrop. The girls' four alternating perspectives aid in the narrative's propulsive storytelling, and chapter headers counting down to the Titanic's inevitable fate impart suspense and immediacy. Ages 13--up. Agent: Uwe Stender, Triada US. (Dec.)