The Great Greene Heist

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2014

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-10

Chapters 11-21

Chapters 22-35

Chapters 36-45

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Themes

The Experience of Middle School Adolescents

By setting the story in a middle school, the landscape provides natural sources for plot devices in the kid versus kid conflict, kids versus adults in power conflict, and kids versus themselves internal conflict. Jackson Greene and his crew set out to pull off a monumental heist and steal back the class election from Keith Sinclair, all the while dealing with the real-life struggles of an adolescent, such as the search for belonging, romantic entanglements, and self-doubt.

Maplewood Students are still young but exude a burgeoning sense of their transition to fully fledged young adults. Lynne notes, “Last year we were children […] We’re older now. More sophisticated. We’re practically women” (8). Jackson and his classmates gripe about the lunchroom food quality, but they are also concerned about fair representation on the Student Council, ensuring their beloved clubs receive the necessary funds to operate. Keith harbors a grudge over a basketball match, yet he also bullies Victor Cho by flushing his homework down the toilet. A student council election may appear frivolous, but to the middle school students, everything is amplified, including the onset of romantic feelings. Gaby and Jackson’s friendship becomes complicated when their feelings change: “He smiled at Gaby, but this was a new smile. A different smile. A smile as soft as clouds and cotton candy and everything sweet in the world” (81). Middle school is a time of profound physical, emotional, and spiritual change in young people, and Johnson explores these tectonic shifts through the lives of his characters in both humorous and serious situations where they discover who they like, how to be a better friend, and how to overcome difficult situations.

The author also examines the motivations of adolescents, particularly through humiliation. For a middle student, the fear of humiliation is a powerful force. Keith Sinclair still harbors a grudge four months after his embarrassment on the basketball court. Since he cannot change the past, he chooses revenge in the future and hopes to regain his status by winning the Student Council presidency. However, he still feels the imminent fear of crushing humiliation if Gaby defeats him. Despite Jackson’s unwavering confidence, when he reveals his motivation for the Kelsey Job, which turned into the Mid-Day PDA, the reader sees a more vulnerable side of him as he feared his lack of skill on the dance floor would humiliate him in front of Gaby. By understanding the motivations for their behavior, Johnson’s characters prompt readers to examine their motivations and fears in the spaces they live and learn.

The Complications of Power and Politics

From the onset of the novel, Maplewood Middle School is in the grips of an overly powerful Executive Council, where a small majority of three members can make irreversible decisions about the lunchroom menu and funding for school organizations. “Maplewood has some crazy rules when it came to the way student organizations were run—all designed to ‘empower students to make their own responsible choices’” (21). Additionally, the school is led by a corrupt principal who is willing to overlook the needs of his student body to fulfill his greedy desires, such as adding an espresso machine to his office.

During the Student Council election, Jackson and his friends experience slander, power shifts, bribery, and unfair treatment; all elements found in adult systems of power and politics. Keith is allowed to enter the election after the deadline passes; his father bribes Dr. Kelsey to fix the election; and Carmen along with her SAKS group, defaces Keith’s posters slandering his reputation. Gaby must learn how to maintain her integrity and stay true to her campaign promises despite the corruption infiltrating the election. Jackson’s crew must be ready to pivot in the face of turncoats, theft, and threats. Through the experience of a contentious middle school political race, the characters learn skills that will help them navigate the injustices they will face in adulthood.

While the novel tackles favoritism and unfairness in the student governing body, the author does not shy away from tackling systemic racism through the character of Ms. Appleton, Dr. Kelsey’s administrative assistant. When Jackson enters the office for his weekly meeting with the principal, she assumes he is there because of misbehavior and comments: “Boys like you are always up to one thing or another” (51). Through her racist comment, Jackson realizes she has racially profiled him. The author creates a poignant moment as the middle schooler thinks, “Jackson looked at his skinny brown hands. He never quite knew what Ms. Appleton meant when she said, ‘boys like you.’ He hoped she meant something like 'boys named Jackson’ or ‘boys who are tall,’ but he suspected her generalizations implied something else” (51). The moment, though brief, exposes the reader to the reality of Jackson’s experience as a young Black person living in America where people make assumptions and default to stereotypes based on the color of his skin.

Identity is Not Defined by One Element

The characters illustrate the novel’s theme of diversity as they are displayed in cover art created by Kali Ciesemier. The bold, colorful illustrations reveal Black protagonist Jackson flanked by his crew, varied in gender and ethnicity. Having loved heist films his entire life, Johnson realized the casts often lacked diversity, so he set out to write The Great Greene Heist, to feature a Black character in the lead role. Joining Jackson are Charlie and Gaby de la Garza, Puerto Rican twins, Hashemi who is Middle Eastern, Victor who is Asian, Bradley who is white, and Megan who is Jewish. Though the cast is ethnically diverse, none of the characters are defined by their skin color or ethnicity, and it exists only as one part of their identity. Gaby she is an excellent basketball player and is passionate about politics, and sometimes speaks in Spanish. Johnson writes a story where readers can see characters in the pages who look like them living and existing in normal life.

The multi-faceted characters of Maplewood Middle provide not only a diverse cast, but also a dynamic one where the characters defy stereotypes, asserting the truth that a person is never defined by just one part of themselves. When Keith calls the Tech Club a bunch of losers, his right-hand man, Wilton responds, “I actually like Gamer Club […] I also liked Tech Club….” (13), illustrating his desire to be more than just an athlete. Keith also has a difficult time believing that a cheerleader like Megan could also be good at chemistry and robotics. Megan shocks everyone when she begins spouting Klingon, revealing her affinity for Star Trek. Megan’s manifold interests not only make her a more interesting person, but also allow her to associate with many other types of people, widening her friend circle. By creating characters with layered personalities, the author highlights the importance of celebrating the infinite possibilities for the way a person exists in the world and the opportunities for friendship and connection it can create.