Heist Society by Ally Carter

When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre...to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria...to steal the crown jewels.

Now at 15, Kat is in the middle of the biggest con she has ever attemped... she's attending boarding school (using a fake identity, of course), but nonetheless, she has broken free of her family and their thieving ways and is striving to be a "normal" girl.

But all her dreams of normalcy are ripped away from her when she is framed as the perpetrator of a prank at school and eventually ends up expelled... their goes that dream. But even worse then getting expelled is the fact that her father has also been framed. If the 5 paintings that he is rumored to have stolen are not returned within the allotted he will suffer a greater punishment then just a mere expulsion.

It is up to Kat (who makes a deal with the evil man who owns said paintings) to return them even though her father did not commit the crime of stealing them. She rounds up her own crew to get the job done (including her Lolita-esque cousin who looks innocent and sweet with her mini skirts and high heels; the billionaire boy next door and the computer nerd that can hack into any system). But can a bunch of teens pull off an Ocean's 11 worthy heist or will their plans land them in the slammer?

This is fast-paced, full of unpredictable plot turns, danger, adventure, some great characters and a little romance sprinkled in for good measure. It really is just perfect.

I think the plot was just brilliant - I found it to be original and well-orchestrated, unbelievable at times, but that's what made it so great. Ms. Carter's writing style is witty, funny and she definitely has a way of connecting with the reader. I loved the various twists and turns that always had you on your toes. Who was Visily Romani? What happened to the paintings? Will these kids actually get away with this? Everything was a mystery and just when you thought you had it figured out, you'd be thrown for another loop.

I enjoyed Heist Society so much! I loved all the shenanigans that Kat and her ragtag crew have to go through. Ms. Carter made Kat such a strong young woman - she was the perfect female lead. Her crew brought the perfect amount of comedy and techy geekiness as well as the villain brought the perfect amount of villainy/creepiness.

Overall this is one that can be enjoyed by everyone no matter what the age. I can't wait to see where we will go to next.