UNDER LOCKER & KEY, by Allison K. Hymas

The story: Jeremy Wilderson is NOT a thief--he's a "retrieval specialist", and he only takes things that someone else took first. So when one of his ventures goes bad, Jeremy feels obligated to fix it, even when it attracts the attention of the school's self-appointed policewoman and do-gooder, Becca Mills. She wants to see Jeremy punished for his crimes, but he has other plans--plans that include getting her to work with him to bring down the real villain. (He never said it would be easy.)

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse G; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (thievery and breaking of school rules, acts of breaking and entering and other delinquent activity) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: Hand this one to any kid who enjoyed Varian Johnson's "The Great Greene Heist". The characters talk more like 8th graders than 6th graders, but the snappy dialog is part of the story's charm, so kids aren't likely to complain. Fun for any kid who likes a caper story, and even the dreaded Becca grows a little as a character by story's end.