A Million to One
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
2024 Rainbow Book List
Adiba Jaigirdar, author of one of Time's Best YA books of all time, gives Titanic an Ocean’s 8 makeover in this nail-biting heist set onboard the infamous ship.
Josefa is an unapologetic and charismatic thief who loves the thrill of the chase. She has her eye on her biggest mark yet—the RMS Titanic, the most luxurious ship in the world. But she isn’t interested in stealing from wealthy first-class passengers onboard. No, she’s out for the ultimate prize: the Rubiyat, a one-of-a-kind book encrusted with gems that’s worth millions.
Josefa can’t score it alone, so she enlists a team of girls with unique talents: Hinnah, a daring acrobat and contortionist; Violet, an actress and expert dissembler; and Emilie, an artist who can replicate any drawing by hand.
They couldn’t be more different and yet they have one very important thing in common: their lives depend on breaking into the vault and capturing the Rubiyat. But careless mistakes, old grudges, and new romance threaten to jeopardize everything they’ve worked for and put them in incredible danger when tragedy strikes.
While the odds of pulling off the heist are slim, the odds of survival are even slimmer…
Perfect for fans of Stalking Jack the Ripper and Girl in the Blue Coat, this high-seas heist from the author of The Henna Wars is an immersive story that makes readers forget one important detail—the ship sinks.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this fast-paced historical heist novel by Jaigirdar (Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating), four teenagers board the Titanic to steal a priceless artifact. It's April 1912, a handful of days before the ship is due to set sail, and Irish thief Josefa has just procured a coveted ticket for passage. She's hatched a plot to steal a bejeweled copy of Rubaiyat, a book of Persian poetry that will be transported aboard the ship, but she can't do it alone. The crew she assembles each has their own motive: actor Violet yearns to reunite with her brother; Hinnah, an Indian acrobat, is eager to leave her job at the circus; and Emilie, a French and Haitian artist, plans to use her cut to visit family in Haiti. But even as the group schemes, unexpected setbacks and missteps imperil their operation. While historical description sometimes feels shallow, an underlying sapphic romance and a racially and ethnically diverse cast lend a refreshing dynamic to the familiar backdrop. The girls' four alternating perspectives aid in the narrative's propulsive storytelling, and chapter headers counting down to the Titanic'sinevitable fate impart suspense and immediacy. Ages 13–up.
