Hmmmm, ok, so I liked the crew in this book, and I appreciate a good heist, of which there were several interlocking elements in this book. Also, I think dropping us in medius res to begin with is excellent, although it did make me wonder a few times if there was a previous book. That said, this isn't so much a mile-a-minute plot -- it's an intricate read, that proceeds at a measured pace. Also, since it is ALL about elections, tampering with elections, buying elections, etc, it's a bit upsetting to me given the current political climate. Finally, holy hiccups but these kids take their elections and themselves very seriously. I mean, come on, it's a middle school student body election -- do people really care that much? I went to a non traditional school, so I'm honestly perplexed. Anyway, still a great, clever crew and a solid heist book. ( )

I have to admit that one of the reasons I wasn’t that fond of The Great Greene Heist may be because I’m reading it because as part of the 2019 March Book Madness middle-reader sweet 16 bracket, and it just doesn’t rise to the high level of writing that I’ve experienced with the other books.
But... the good things:
—diverse cast of characters in a non-heavy setting, as in, it is not about poverty, civil rights, overt discrimination, and the characters seem middle-class or rich. Sometimes I think kids enjoy a book like this because it is a real break from the heavy lit they are required to read.
—the author’s other books are highly lauded

The meh things:
—It’s hard to get into. Many characters are introduced in the space of a few pages, some characters don’t have a lot to do with forwarding the plot. In one case, I could never remember the beef Jackson Greene had with the character, and I was too underwhelmed to go back and figure it out. Like in a heist movie, I think you are supposed to be so intrigued that your curiosity propels you to continue watching. Didn’t really work for me.
—The plot is really outlandish and ridiculous. The core problem is that, the reader has to believe in the god-like powers of the 8th grade student council president as a motivating factor in the heist. I was in student council in middle school, and I’m pretty sure student councils have little consequential power anywhere.
—The school, the teachers, the students are all just a little too unbelievable. I kept asking myself if it was a private or public school? One thing about writing about wealthy kids is that they risk not having much underdog status, and not being terribly interesting or likable, which is true for the main characters. The driving force behind the heist just isn’t that compelling.
( )

Jackson Greene lost his best friend, Gabriela de la Cruz when he was caught sort of kissing another girl. After four months of no communication with Gaby, Jackson vows to help her win the student council presidential election against the hated Keith, who Jackson knows will cheat to win. Jackson recruits Victor, Bradley, Megan, and Charlie, all with their own specialties, to help with the election and develops a plan, but several thing go wrong before they can even get started.

The Great Greene Heist is truly a middle school equivalent of Ocean's 11 with Jackson filling the role of planner, Danny Ocean. The con Jackson proposes has several layers and all of them build into a twist and turn filled last couple of chapters that make this book wildly entertaining. My only complaint with the story is that the staff members of the school are all generalized as being, prejudiced cheats, but overall, The Great Greene Heist is a fun story well worth the read. 4 1/2 stars. ( )

What's not to like? The tone of the book is perfect -- light and affectionate. Fun characters, a zippy plot, a heist for all the right reasons, nerdy yet cool middle school kids, a racially diverse cast. My only quibble is that it relies too heavily on boys-like-girls-like boys tropes leading it to gender stereotypes and some hackneyed moments. The characters in no way seemed like 8th graders either, but who cares? I'm really glad this book exists. ( )