MG Heist Novel Boasts Plenty of Humor and Heart

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

No matter what you might hear on the street, Jeremy Wilderson is not a thief.  He's a retrieval specialist—Scottsville Middle School's one and only.  Did a teacher confiscate your cell phone?  An upperclassman steal your lunch money?  A rival student disappear your homework?  No matter how tough the job, Jeremy's the man to recover your lost item.  He won't even charge you for it (although he'll accept chocolate cake as a thank you); he's in the business for fame, not fortune.  

Jeremy's never been caught while on the job, not even by Becca Mills, a Nancy Drew wannabe who'd like nothing more than to see him get detention for life.  When one of Jeremy's heists goes horribly wrong, however, he'll have to beg Becca for help.  The janitor's pass key, which opens everyone's locker, has landed in the hands of an aspiring criminal mastermind who wants Jeremy's glory for his own.  If Jeremy and Becca can't stop him, every student at their school will have important items stolen—and they'll all be blaming their friendly neighborhood retrieval specialist.  With both his reputation and his future on the line, Jeremy has to use every trick he can think of (plus everything Becca's got up her sleeve) to catch a thief.  Before Jeremy loses everything that matters to him.

Under Locker and Key—a debut novel by Allison K. Hymas—is the first installment in a new middle grade series starring the intrepid Jeremy Wilderson.  It features a fun, exciting adventure that will grab readers' attention and not let it go.  With plenty of action, humor, and heart, the tale should especially appeal to boys and reluctant readers.  Jeremy's antics definitely get far-fetched, but that's part of the tale's allure.  Character development is not this novel's strength, true.  Still, overall, Under Locker and Key is an enjoyable story that will hook kids' interest and keep them engaged until the last page.  

(Readalikes:  other books in the Jeremy Wilderson series, including Arts and Thefts)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for mild violence

To the FTC, with love:  I received a copy of Under Locker and Key from the generous folks at Simon & Schuster.  Thank you!