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allysw's review against another edition
5.0
Here's the thing about Alison Cherry that everyone should understand: she is hilarious. Her wit and cleverness definitely shine through in her excellent YA titles, but her absolutely over-the-top funniness comes to fruition in this madcap middle-grade romp about a kid who finds out that her grandmother plans and executes heists in her spare time. AJ is incredibly relatable as a soccer-loving middle-schooler who suddenly finds herself in an absolutely bizarre situation. Between the exotic birds, taxidermied animals, lock-picking, hunky chauffeurs, and eccentric old ladies, there's something here for everyone. And it's all amazing.
s_hay's review against another edition
3.0
When her parents leave to do medical work in the jungle 12 year old AJ is left with her very prim and proper grandmother. AJ is not happy about the situation at all - AJ is a tomboy who likes soccer and skateboarding while her grandmother insists she sip tea and learn needlepoint. When AJ discovers that her grandmother is actually part of a granny criminal club she finds her stay at grandma's house it about to get a lot more exciting.
Cute story about friendship, morals, and family relationships.
Good for ages 11 and up.
Cute story about friendship, morals, and family relationships.
Good for ages 11 and up.
charlotteleah25's review against another edition
4.0
A good book with a relatable main character. It's funny, but there is a dark plot twist that was completely unexpected.
lenni_loves_literature's review
3.0
Grandmas are sweet. They care for their grandchildren; spoiling the kids rotten. Or at least, that's what you'd think.
AJ REALLY doesn't want to go to her Grandmother Jo's house for a month while her parents go to another country. Her grandmother hates her!!! And it starts off just as bad as AJ expected. But her grandmother is not quite the grump AJ thought she was. Grandma Jo liberates abused animals along with other things with a group of friends. And now, they want AJ to join their mission. At first, AJ has A LOT of fun breaking into houses to "liberate" certain objects. But it soon becomes clear to AJ their motives aren't just and AJ battles with herself to do the right thing.
I REALLY liked the title of this book and the summary sounded great. I was satisfied with this book and recommend it to people who like Sammy Keyes. A lot about AJ reminded me of Sammy Keyes, even if Sammy busts people who steal and AJ is a person that steals. I had a lot of fun reading this book and I feel that a part of me will always remember it.
AJ REALLY doesn't want to go to her Grandmother Jo's house for a month while her parents go to another country. Her grandmother hates her!!! And it starts off just as bad as AJ expected. But her grandmother is not quite the grump AJ thought she was. Grandma Jo liberates abused animals along with other things with a group of friends. And now, they want AJ to join their mission. At first, AJ has A LOT of fun breaking into houses to "liberate" certain objects. But it soon becomes clear to AJ their motives aren't just and AJ battles with herself to do the right thing.
I REALLY liked the title of this book and the summary sounded great. I was satisfied with this book and recommend it to people who like Sammy Keyes. A lot about AJ reminded me of Sammy Keyes, even if Sammy busts people who steal and AJ is a person that steals. I had a lot of fun reading this book and I feel that a part of me will always remember it.
elevetha's review
*DNF at 126 pages*
Here's the thing...this wasn't what I was expecting and it just wasn't good enough as it was for me to spend another hour or two finishing. It wasn't bad per se, but here's why I ultimately dropped it:
- The heist part of it, the part why I was reading, was more boring than I hoped.
- AJ is kinda a brat.
- Grandma Jo comes across as kinda a....
- A heist book should have a certain vibe to it, an atmosphere. This was definitely lacking in that department.
I did like Grandma Jo's partners in crime, unfortunately much more than our main characters. Also, I am sure that by the end, AJ will be significantly less bratty and Grandma Jo will be shown to be loving and her previous actions misconstrued, but I am not willing to sit through another 200 pages to get there.
Here's the thing...this wasn't what I was expecting and it just wasn't good enough as it was for me to spend another hour or two finishing. It wasn't bad per se, but here's why I ultimately dropped it:
- The heist part of it, the part why I was reading, was more boring than I hoped.
Spoiler
It was all about stealing exotic animals, mostly birds, from cruel or simply hapless owners. And I don't know...I just wasn't getting into it.- AJ is kinda a brat.
- Grandma Jo comes across as kinda a....
Spoiler
*whispers* bitch.- A heist book should have a certain vibe to it, an atmosphere. This was definitely lacking in that department.
I did like Grandma Jo's partners in crime, unfortunately much more than our main characters. Also, I am sure that by the end, AJ will be significantly less bratty and Grandma Jo will be shown to be loving and her previous actions misconstrued, but I am not willing to sit through another 200 pages to get there.
naomiysl's review
3.0
Sweet story with some light suspense and intrigue. I prefer a bit odder and more intrigue, but this was well done.
darkrootscreations's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really cute middle grade book. I really enjoyed the story!
natep's review
3.0
This book is wonderful on the second run, making you see how all the set up really works super well into showing AJ's life and how morality is subjective.
******
the book is a relatively light novel with some deeper delvings into the gray areas of morality. the book escalates very quickly at the end. AJ is a realistic and flawed character who makes mistakes
******
the book is a relatively light novel with some deeper delvings into the gray areas of morality. the book escalates very quickly at the end. AJ is a realistic and flawed character who makes mistakes
mrskatiefitz's review
5.0
I was attracted to the cover of this book when I saw it on the shelf at the library, but I was skeptical of the premise and nearly didn't check it out. In the end, though, I went back and picked it up, and I am so glad I did. I was expecting a sweet and cozy mystery story, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much depth there was to this story. Though the premise is far-fetched, the author uses it to tackle very real questions and issues. AJ must deal with the usual middle school problems: a crush on an older boy, a best friend who misunderstands her motives, a mean girl who tries to make her life miserable, but she is also faced with an ethical dilemma when she realizes that she doesn't want to participate in a heist that may hurt a classmate, and must stand up to her grandmother and risk losing her hard-won approval. There is also a completely unexpected and totally exciting turn of events in the last quarter of the book that I did not see coming, but which worked really well and clinched my 5-star rating.