about the book
Black, smart, and charming, thirteen-year-old Jackson Greene is also an extremely talented con artist, a detailed schemer, an ingenious prankster, and a die-hard dreamer! The “talents” run in his family.
Unfortunately, four months ago, one of his capers (he called it “The Mid-Day PDA”) went terribly wrong. Now the girl he has on crush on, Gabriela de la Cruz, wants nothing to do with him. Even though he has a reputation to maintain at Maplewood Middle School, Jackson has sworn off breaking any more of the school’s rules. He’s gone straight, kept his nose clean, and been a model student. Really, he’s completely reformed!
That is, until now.
Gaby is in trouble and Jackson is determined to help. Her friends nominated her for school president. Unfortunately spoiled rich kid Keith Sinclair is running too. Once elected, Keith will cut the budget of every afterschool activity except for his own favorite, the Gamer Club. And to rig the election, he bribed the principal, who wants an espresso machine!
Out of retirement and up to his old tricks, Jackson assembles his talented crew: Heshem Larijani, the tech expert and computer genius; Megan Feldman, the cheerleading honey pot and science goddess; Victor Cho, the talented driver and the team’s bankroll; and Charlie de la Cruz, Jackson’s point man, newspaper editor, and Gaby’s brother.
Together they devise an intricate plan that involves seven schemes that have to be carried out in less than three weeks. If they do it right, they will bring Keith down, and who knows, this “Great Greene Heist” may be the school’s best con ever. But even better, if this works, maybe Jackson can win Gaby back!
about the author
Born in 1977, Varian Johnson grew up in Florence, South Carolina, in a neighborhood that was predominately black. That lack of diversity later influenced his decision to make the characters in his books multiethnic.
Varian has talented parents, a younger sister, and a twin brother who was always far more outgoing and popular. In school. Varian excelled at most subjects, especially math and science, but he was the typical “geek”. He enjoyed creative writing, was on the Academic Challenge Team, played the baritone in the marching band, and valued his graphing calculator as his most prized possession. At graduation, he and his brother ended up as co-valedictorians!
Varian studied Civil Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. There he met the woman who would become his wife and finished the first draft of A Red Polka Dot in a World Full of Plaid. It was “an itty-bitty book published by a little-bitty publisher” but it did well. Varian’s second book about a math tutor, My Life as a Rhombus, was named to the Texas Library Association’s Tayshas Reading List. It was followed by Saving Maddie, another award winner.
Varian went on to earn an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine arts. The Great Greene Heist is his first work for younger readers. In his bio on the dust cover, Varian acknowledges that he found inspiration for his story from Ocean’s Eleven, The Thomas Crown Affair, The Westing Game, Sneakers, and Star Trek II; The Wrath of Khan.
Varian currently lives and writes in Austin, Texas, with his wife Crystal. He works as a civil engineer building bridges, and is also a co-founder of The Brown Bookshelf, an organization that promotes awareness of black authors.
Sources :
Author website
Author biography: Wikipedia
Book trailer: The Great Greene Heist
Also by Varian Johnson:
To Catch a Cheat. Arthur A. Levine Books. 2016.
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