Heist Society by Ally Carter (Novel 1):

Amazon paperback: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1423116615/ref=nosim?tag=beyondwordsle-20

Hardcover: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1423116399/ref=nosim?tag=beyondwordsle-20

Overview: This New York Times bestselling series is full of intrigue, adventure, romance, and charm. Kat Bishop can steal anything-including your heart.

For as long as she can remember, Katarina has been a part of the family business-thieving. When Kat tries to leave "the life" for a normal life, her old friend Hale conspires to bring her back into the fold. Why? A mobster's art collection has been stolen, and Kat's father is the only suspect. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat's dad needs her help.

The only solution is to find the paintings and steal them back. Kat's got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family's history-and, with any luck, steal her life back along the way.

Included: This quiz or test is meant as a reading check quiz. It assesses reading comprehension and understanding of character motivation. Key is included.

Age Level and Length: Grade 7 reading Level, grades 7-9 interest level.  It is 337 pages long and should take the average 7^th grader 5-6 hours to read. The quiz should take 20 minutes or less.

Maturity and Political Issues: The plot revolves around a family that has been guilty of stealing works of art before.  Kat, the main character, has resolved not to follow the family trade, bur when her father is in danger she decides to try to steal the paintings back to clear her father’s name.  This may be considered morally ambiguous by some.   There is no sex or politics or bad language. There are dangerous situations but these are usually resolved through cleverness and problem-solving and there is no explicit bloodshed.

Additional Considerations: Though Heist Society is a stand-alone book, there are two other books in the series featuring the same protagonist in different adventures.  These books are Uncommon Criminals and Perfect Scoundrel.