6/10, what was that novel? After picking this novel up from one of the two libraries I go to and reading it I thought to myself, why was this so underwhelming, this book is 8 years old and it doesn't hold up compared to other books I've read since then that have a better concept and execution than this so where do I even begin? I couldn't root for the main character, he did some pretty shady stuff, like stealing a fake Gutenberg Bible as part of a cult assignment, but worst of all was putting up a manipulative façade of him being an orphan after his parents died in the Balkan Wars (unbelievable, who would believe that, but everyone fell for it) and he was an exchange student from the Marshall Islands, however he was just a boy from New Jersey.
Some other subtle things that made my blood boil were the money sent to the Marshall Islands as part of the con's plan, students singing the Marshall Islands anthem, but the lyrics were all wrong, and a quirky detail about a boy's shoulders being the size of "Soviet republics", what do you mean by that? There are fifteen of them, please specify! The ending fizzled out as well, with a fake shooting. Go read Two Wolves, by Tristan Bancks, for a better mystery novel. ( )

Con Academy by Joe Schreiber is a mysterious Young Adult novel that keeps the readers on it's toes!

Con Academy is a novel following Will Shea who is a young con artist. He makes his way into Connaughton Academy and plans to make some cash quickly before leaving the Academy behind. When he enters into a competition for who can get cash the quickest with another young scamming con artist, things begin to go every direction but the one Will planned.

First of all, the pun of the academy's name is priceless. Connaughton Academy? It's a great pun!

The novel starts out slow and boring as it explains the basic information about the characters. Despite almost putting it down in the first few chapters I kept going. There seems to be no clear plot movement in the first few chapters and I wasn't entirely sure where the novel was going to go. Once I was about halfway into the book, the plot movement changed drastically from slow to addicting. It's almost like a different author picked it up and changed the pace. The pace changed was great and it's what had me hooked and eager to find out what the scammer characters had in mind.

All of the characters didn't have much growth. I found the characters to stay the same the entire novel, almost like it is for the younger generation of Young Adult. Despite the minor character growth, the characters are still fun and amusing to read about. The hi jinks the characters get in is thrilling.

The novel is definitely aimed towards the younger end of Young Adult. I felt like the readers the original Harry Potter was made for, the preteens, would love this sort of novel. Constant movement in the plot, funny situations and silly hi jinks.

Overall, it was a cute novel! I liked to read it and I would suggest it to anyone who wants a quick read with a surprise ending! A Young Adult ending similar to something that Gillian Flynn would do - unexpected and one you won't see coming.

Four out of five stars!

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. ( )

This review originally published at The Children's Book and Media Review

Will Shea is attending an elite boarding school, but what no one else knows is that he conned his way in. At least, not until he meets Andrea who discovers his secret because she is a con herself. They think that the school is too small for both of them to be in, so they make a bet. The first one to con the rich Brandt Rush out of fifty thousand dollars gets to stay at the school. The other has to leave. Will sets up a poker scam with his uncle, but while he’s at school he discovers a secret society that might finally give him a place that he belongs. One scam after another follows until it is difficult to see who is conning whom.

Con Academy is full of twists, cons, and revenge. Will’s motives for going to this school are interesting (everyone who goes to school there becomes a millionaire), but there is a question about ethics in scamming to get to the good life. Will is a believable teenager with occasional bad, impulsive decisions, but he is still likable. His slow relationship with Gatsby is a nice change from many YA novels where the romance can become more important than the plot. This is a fast-paced book that many readers will enjoy. ( )

FROM AMAZON: It's his senior year and Will Shea has conned his way into one of the country's most elite prep schools. But he soon runs into Andrea, a fellow con-artist. With the school not big enough for the both of them, they make a bet that whoever can con Brandt Rush, the richest, most privileged student in the school out of $50K, gets to stay at the school. Will starts setting up his con (an online poker scam) with his uncle who's one of the best grifters in the business, but also with the unwanted help of his father.. The plot thickens as Will starts falling for fellow student Gatsby, and some of Will's lies start to catch up with him.
In this twisty tale of scams, secrets, lies and deception, it hard to figure out who's conning who!

Could have been better, but was still a good time filler. ( )