Review by Booklist Review
In a gleeful middle-school spin on Ocean's Eleven, 12-year-old ex-wheeler-dealer Darius James reluctantly comes out of retirement to save former sidekick Conor from being declared totally radioactive by menacing school kingpin Lucas "Lucky" Ford. Given just two weeks to come up with an astronomical 100,000 prize tickets from the local video game franchise or see Conor brutally socially exiled, DJ not only has to concoct a scheme to extract the tickets (winning them the conventional way being impossible in the allotted time) without cheating anyone or breaking the law but also assemble a team of classmates with the right talents to pull off an elaborate con under the very nose of the arcade's hostile, suspicious manager. Needless to say, things don't go as planned. But here, Howell has concocted an elegant, suspenseful plot that is just credible enough to carry more than a few uproarious twists and turns. She trots in, too, a smart and vivid cast that will win readers over with its chemistry even as it leaves them, by turns, breathless and cheering as it snatches victory from the verge of humiliating disaster, thanks to quick thinking and coolness in the clutch. Light doses of criminal jargon (notably, references to "the Duck Lemonade," "the Moonwalking Bear," and other classic maneuvers) add flavor to this heady caper.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Months after his last "job" sparked unintended consequences, mastermind DJ, this book's seventh grader narrator, is lying low at his new school, retired from a life of cons, heists, and schemes. That is, until his best friend and former partner-in-crime Conor transfers to be with him, and promptly runs afoul of the lottery kingpin who controls the school's underground economy of Starcade-brand arcade tickets. Now, DJ has two weeks to acquire 100,000 tickets, or both he and Conor will be "rocket boosted"--socially disappeared. To achieve the impossible, DJ goes straight to the source, planning to lift the tickets from the Starcade itself by any means necessary. But even after he recruits actor Audrey Valentine and intimidating but soft-spoken Monty LaCroix to round out his new crew, it'll take every trick in the book to pull off a caper of this caliber. Expertly filtering a bevy of familiar heist elements through a middle school lens while maintaining the genre's spirit and lingo, debut author Howell writes a fast-paced adventure packed with cunning twists. DJ is Black; other protagonists read as white. Ages 8--12. Agent: Emily Mitchell, Wernick & Pratt Agency. (June)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A 12-year-old mastermind concocts a multifaceted plan to thwart the school's underground kingpin. DJ is new to Ella Fitzgerald Middle School and has done a good job of staying off the radar and not running any scams since his transfer. That is, until Conor, the best friend he's ghosted all summer, shows up in his new classroom. In less than a week, Conor has managed to get on the bad side of Lucas "Lucky" Ford and his sidekick, Mariposa Diaz, the two students responsible for every school racket. Now, in order to save Conor from being socially exiled, DJ has agreed to help him procure 100,000 tickets to Starcade, a nearby video game arcade/pizza parlor that is a favorite destination for the students, even if it means returning to the very life he tried to leave behind. The boys set their sights on the Mega Starcade across town. However, a project of that magnitude means putting a crew together. They need to find someone charismatic to provide distraction and another who's imposing for the muscle, as well as plan for every pitfall in case things go awry. DJ's inviting first-person narration will make readers feel like they're in on the action, making this Ocean's Eleven--esque page-turner even more engaging. Clean, straightforward dialogue and charming characters increase the appeal for readers looking for a satisfying story. DJ is Black; Conor and most of the cast are assumed White. An exciting and entertaining heist story. (Adventure. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
