4/5 stars

Loot by Jude Watson

When the bad guys are really the good guys…

Welcome to the wonderful world of books, where kids can steal jewelry, be good at it, get away with it, avoid any consequences for breaking the law, and still be considered the good guys!

That’s what happens in Loot–and I loved it! There’s much fun to be had in this one, and the action and plot strike a perfect balance between plausible and ridiculous that I won’t hesitate for a second to recommend it to my kids.

Twists, sneaky heists, reunited twins, clever ideas, mysteries to solve, surprises, learning to trust, taking initiative, making plans. I especially appreciated that the writing was smart. It doesn’t assume the kids reading it need to have it all spelled out for them–some thinking will be required! There’s some good stuff here.

Could have been longer. I would have liked to see the characters develop more and more time spent on the heists. But, I think it will play perfectly well for its target audience. Should be enjoyable for all ages as a read-aloud or a read-alone as soon as they want to tackle it.

Happy Reading!