CCBC Booklists

CCBC booklist are compiled from books we have recommended in various editions of CCBC Choices. Most of these booklists are updated annually. You can also select books from one or more booklists to create a custom list, which can also include additional books from the CCBC-Recommended Book Search.

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To Catch A Cheat

by Varian Johnson

CCBC Review:

Jackson Greene has sworn off con games since successfully thwarting an attempt to rig the 8th grade presidential election. Then he’s sent a video that implicates members of Gang Greene, the team he put together, in school vandalism. The anonymous sender gives him a choice: Steal the answers to an upcoming social studies test or the video will be sent to the principal. African American Jackson knows the video was doctored but it was a skillful job; proving it won’t be easy. Jackson, Charlie (struggling with jealousy over all the attention Jackson got for the election scam heist), Gaby, and the other members of Gang Greene agree to the job, but part of Jackson’s plan is a double-cross: He’s determined to catch the blackmailers, expose the real vandals, and foil the cheating attempt. In this welcome follow-up to The Great Greene Heist, the characters are still interesting, the diversity is still effortless, and the fun of a con job in a middle school setting, to serve the greater good, no less, still delights. ©2016 Cooperative Children's Book Center

CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 9-13
Age Range: Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10) Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Format: Novel
Subjects: Action/Adventure African Americans Collaboration Ethical/Moral Choices Moving Mysteries School Spies and Intrigue
Diversity subjects: Black/African Multicultural General
On CCBC Booklist: School Stories: Selected PreK-12 Literature about the School Experience

Publishers: Arthur A. Levine Books, Scholastic
Publish Year: 2016
Pages: 241
ISBN: 9780545722391
CCBC Location: Fiction, Johnson

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