Breaking In

April 1, 2023
Teens try to reclaim what's theirs in the cutthroat world of Hollywood. Since before her father died in a botched bank robbery, 17-year-old aspiring filmmaker Millie Blomquist has dreamed of becoming a famous director of heist films. She finally gets the chance to pursue her dreams at the Manhattan Movie Academy, where she is working with friends Paz, Devin, and Jordan, when her idol, famed director and academy founder Ricky O'Naire, is arrested for embezzlement. The school collapses before her summer program is even over. Seven months later, Millie is back home in Fargo, North Dakota, trying to make movies on her own when she sees the trailer for recently exonerated O'Naire's new project--only to realize it's the film about her father she presented to him at the academy. Desperate to hold him responsible, Millie organizes Paz, Devin, and Jordan to carry out a real-life heist and take O'Naire's materials ransom. But with the stakes ramping up, they don't realize how dangerous things are about to become. Given her personal history with heists gone wrong, Millie's na�vet� is occasionally unbelievable, and readers not deeply familiar with heist films may have trouble with the endless movie references, but overall, this is a compelling read that doesn't shy away from slightly darker content. Main characters are cued White; contextual clues may indicate that Paz is Latine and Jordan is Black. A fast-paced homage to the classic heist film. (Thriller. 14-18)

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September 2, 2023

Gr 10 Up-Millie Blomquist aspires to be a filmmaker and selects the Manhattan Movie Academy's summer program because of the possible prestigious award that is offered to high school students, like her, for their final project. She gathers three others to help make up a crew and begins filming her script based on the sad passing of her father. Millie learns after his tragic death during a bank heist that he was a crook. During a late-night editing session, she meets Ricky O'Naire, a famous director who runs the school's program. His most famous movie was a heist film, which just so happens to be Millie's favorite film genre. Ricky likes the premise of Millie's film, and when a scandal breaks that abruptly ends the summer session, Ricky gets the funding to make a new movie using Millie's script. She is shattered by this and decides to gather her crew together to pull a heist on the director who stole her idea to get the final cut of the film. Millie's diverse crew are high school students. Readers will have to suspend their disbelief that teenagers could travel across the U.S., trick adults, and pull off an intricate heist all on their own. Strong language is used throughout, and the adult crooks who are encountered commit violent acts. VERDICT Recommended only for larger collections where readers seek out crime fiction.-Elizabeth Kahn

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