Book Blurb #6: Heist Society by Ally Carter

          Welcome back to The Apple!  I just finished reading the book Heist Society by author Ally Carter and I really enjoyed it.  It was one of those books that you could just get lost in!  You may be thinking that the name Ally Carter sounds familiar and if you are, you are correct!  Ally Carter is also the author of the acclaimed series Gallagher Girls.  Though, I have never actually read that series, I hear they are pretty good.  If you have read any of the Gallagher Girls books, then you can attest to the awesome-ness that Ally Carter creates in her writing!  Before I blab more about the book I just read, I wanted to share this interview I found on YouTube.  Ally Carter talks about moving on from the Gallagher Girls series, how she came up with the idea for writing Heist Society, and even the potential of a movie!  Enjoy!

       

            Heist Society is an action packed, young-adult novel, staring main character and con artist, Katarina (Kat) Bishop.  In an effort to escape her criminal past and live a normal life, Katarina sneaks her way into boarding school.  Unfortunately, her efforts to achieve normalcy end quickly once Hale arrives. Hale, a con man himself, gets Katarina kicked out of school because he needs her help.  Apparently, Katarina’s father has, ironically enough, been framed for committing a crime that he actually did not commit.  It is up to Kat and Hale to steal back the missing paintings and prove her father’s innocence.

            I very much enjoyed the book, Heist Society.  I loved Kat’s character.  I also liked witnessing the relationship between Kat and Hale develop throughout the story. I feel that many teenage girls and boy would love this book because it is action packed and has a unique plot.  Heist Society has received several awards including the Texas Lone Star Reading List (2011); YALSA Teens Top Ten Book (2010); North Carolina Book Award Booklist (2010-2011); Teens Top 10 Finalist;

           I think this book would be a great book to use for classroom book clubs.  I could see many students being interested in this text.  It is interesting and contains unexpected twits that would engage boys and girls alike. During classroom book clubs students could really analyze the text structure, identify cause and effect relationships in the text, and conduct character analysis activities.

          More specifically, I think it would be a lot of fun for students to write alternate endings to this story.  After reading the text, students could brainstorm alternate endings as a while class.  Using the generated ideas, students could go through the writing process to compose the alternate ending.  After, students could complete a “gallery walk” and vote on their favorite alternate ending based on its level of accuracy relating to the text, practicality, and inventiveness.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jamie