Carter, Ally. Heist Society.
Disney Hyperion Books; 2010,
ISBN: 0439785960.
Reader’s Annotation
Kat has two weeks to find the five paintings that her father is accused of having stolen, so with the help of her friends, Kat has arranged a heist of her own.
Plot Summary
You can take girl out of the family, but you can’t take the family out of the girl—at least that’s what Katarina Bishop finds out after she gets fed up with years of her family’s illicit activities and forges her way into a prestigious New England boarding school. So she is seriously irritated when her 16-year-old millionaire friend Hale arranges for her to be kicked out. Five priceless paintings have been stolen from the frightening Arturo Taccone, and Kat’s father is his prime suspect. To prove her dad’s innocence, Kat decides to find the paintings and arrange her biggest heist ever with the help of her teenage friends. Taccone gives Kat a two-week deadline. Her plans become complicated though, when Kat finds out that the paintings are not really Taccone’s, but were Nazi plunder. Kat comes to understand and appreciate her family and her place in it, as well as bounding with her friends (Hale in particular).
Critical Evaluation
A little like The Italian Job meets a Nancy Drew, The Heist Society brings the fun elements of a great action/adventure with light-heartedness of teen romance. Kat’s character develops throughout the story as she progresses from being a rebellious girl, determined to distance herself from her family, to a smart, resolute, and brave young woman coming to the rescue of her father. Kat’s capacity for planning and coordinating the heist makes for an entertaining read, and the romantic tension between her and Hale adds the excitement. The gritty strength and determination of Kat’s character was a refreshing antidote to some teenage girl heroines who wait around to be rescued.
Information about the Author
Ally Carter doesn’t like to release too much information about herself because as she admits, “Well, I’m paranoid that way!” However, she was born and raised in Oklahoma, graduated from both Oklahoma State University and Cornell University. Her first book, Cheating at Solataire was published in 2005, and was then closely followed by her first book for young adults in 2006, I’d Tell You But I’d Have to Kill You. For more information, go to http://www.allycarter.com/
Genre
Action, Mystery, Adventure
Curriculum Tie-ins
None
Booktalk Ideas
- How do our families influence who we become?
- What should museums or private owners do if they discover that their pieces were stolen from their rightful owners?
Reading level/Interest age
Young Adult (ages 12+)
Challenge Issues/Challenge Response Ideas
No significant challenge issues likely.
Refer to the following awards:
2011 Texas Lone Star Reasing List (Heist Society)
2010 YALSA Teens Top Ten Book (Heist Society)
North Carolina Book Award Booklist, 2010-2011 (Heist Society)
Teens Top 10 Finalist, 2010 (Heist Society)
Why I included this work
I was ready for something fun!
Great Quote from the Book:
“He seemed impossibly close as he whispered, ‘And I didn't choose it, Kat. I chose you.’”
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