by Varian Johnson (Author)

A Book Review

I found this book in my Little Free Library and decided to read it before another reader grabbed it. The book caught my attention because of the blurb on the back, which read, “A political heist page-turner set in a middle school? Is that even possible? Varian Johnson shows us how it’s done.” 

Haha, and that she does! 

Right now, we in the United States are gearing up for a hot election, a rematch of four years ago, with accusations of “tampering with” the ballot counting still making headlines through various court cases.  I was totally interested in how this author wrote this story of election tampering, set in a Middle School. 

Oh, my!

Jackson Greene, a middle school “con artist,” like his older brother Samuel, now in High School, swears he’s given up scheming. He got into big trouble with his last Con, and even lost his “girlfriend” with something he did for that scheme.  Mr. Kelsey, the school principal, now has the right to search him or his locker at any time, to help him “keep his promise to behave.”

Then the school bully Keith Sinclair announced he was running for Student Council president against Jackson’s former girlfriend Gaby de la Cruz.  Sinclair doesn’t really care about the school, except for “his” after-school gaming club. 

Jackson knows Keith can influence the principal through his wealthy father’s donations, which could win him the election no matter the vote count.  The ballot-counting machine is kept in the principal’s office, which needs a special, bad-boy key to open.

So, our boy Jackson gathers a team, keeping it on the low down.  There is Hashemi, a tech genius, Victor, for the bankroll. Megan, the science goddess, Bradley, point man in Jackson’s place, and Charlie de la Cruz, Gaby’s little brother and school reporter. Jackson, of course, is the planner, the mastermind.

It’s complicated, the author, Varian Johnson, must have drawn a detailed plan and road map in order to create and describe this heist – for that’s what it is; a plan to steal and “mess with” the ballot counter. But on my….. what complications get in the way, complications and quick changes of plans, and panic decisions.  What fun!  And if they can pull it off – SOMEHOW – it will be remembered as the school’s greatest con ever.