Twelve-year-old March is the son of international jewel thief Alfie McQuin. When Alfie falls from a rooftop during a heist, he lives long enough to give March a cryptic message and the moonstone he was stealing. March knows how to make a quick getaway and he knows how to run a good con. But nothing prepares him for the discovery that he has a twin sister, Jules, until he encounters her while following his father’s mysterious clues. March and Jules try to figure out whether they can trust each other while joining forces with two other kids, Darius and Izzy. The foursome decides to complete the job Alfie was working on: Recover all seven moonstones that were part of a heist he was involved in years before — the heist that led to their family unraveling. Alfie believed the stones were cursed with a deadly prophecy that he was trying to outsmart to save his children — a prophecy that suggests March and Jules’s lives are in danger as their thirteenth birthday approaches. Meanwhile the stones’ original owner, Carlotta Grimstone, offers the kids $7 million for the gems’ return. The bad guys are drawn with broad strokes and the four kids are skilled beyond belief in Jude Watson’s novel, but it’s all in good fun. The quick-paced, highly entertaining heist story also offers surprising depth in the midst of all the action as it movingly reflects on grief, loss, and what makes a family. These small, meaningful moments are wonderfully woven into the larger adventure penned by Watson, a pen name of author Judy Blundell. (Ages 9–12)

"LOOT hits the jackpot." -- Rick Riordan, #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author

On a foggy night in Amsterdam, a man falls from a rooftop to the wet pavement below. It's Archibald McQuinn, the notorious cat burglar, and he's dying. As sirens wail in the distance, Archie manages to get out two last words to his young son, March: "Find jewels."But March learns that his father is not talking about hidden loot. He's talking about Jules, the twin sister March never knew he had. No sooner than the two find each other, they're picked up by the police and sent to the world's worst orphanage. It's not hard time, but it feels like it.March and Jules have no intention of staying put. They know their father's business inside and out, and they're tired of being pushed around. Just one good heist, and they'll live the life of riches and freedom that most kids only dream about. . . . .Hold on to your pearls, because this summer, the world's youngest criminal masterminds are coming for you.