Crookhaven

When Gabriel picks the pocket of an old man on the railway station, he gets far more than he bargained for. Instead of returning to Torfalls for Year Nine, he’s offered a position at Crookhaven, a boarding school for ‘wrongdoers, swindlers and thieves’.

Only 48 young teens are accepted into the school that year, and there is something outstanding about them all: while they may have committed crimes, they did it Robin Hood style, eg. those who stole didn’t do it out of greed, but for survival; those who hacked didn’t do it for profit, but to expose corrupt companies or individuals; and those who picked locks or scaled walls only did it to reclaim what once rightfully belonged to them or to another. At their core was honour and goodness: a desire to do the right thing. It was something the school intended to nurture, while also developing their ‘skills’ so they could continue to make a difference in the world.

Those at Crookhaven know that the real criminals don’t wear stripes and balaclavas, instead they masquerade in suits, and most of them are too rich and powerful for the authorities to bring to justice, so the alumni of Crookhaven do it instead.

But not everyone at Crookhaven stayed honourable. Some lose their way, and join what was known as the Nameless—an underground criminal network responsible for major crimes.

It’s not easy for Gabriel to leave his beloved Grandma, but the Principal helps him ensure she is safe and looked after. As he settles into the school and makes friends for the first time, he realises that it’s also time that he found out the truth about his parents.

Grandma isn’t actually related to him and she doesn’t even know his parents real names. The truth is, Gideon was abandoned in a VIP penthouse in the hotel that Grandma was working at and she was the one who found him. She was also the only one who could stop him from crying. The pair adored each other from the moment they met and a police officer—who had grown up in a care home like Grandma had—helped smooth the way to Grandma first being his foster parent, and eventually his adopted parent.

When Gideon discovers that his parents had given false names at the hotel, and were also suspected of involvement in a major casino heist that same night that required major skills, he is certain they must have been students at Crookhaven.

But finding out the truth is more complicated than it seems, and each answer just leads him to more questions. The only way he will find all the answers he seeks is to track down the Nameless, and with the help of his new friends—who also have their own reasons for seeking the Nameless—that is exactly what he is going to do.

A great read with an interesting premise, that clearly draws on Harry Potter tropes without any of the magical elements.

Favourite quotes: “Because it is the outsiders, the forgotten, the ones who’ve always felt like they don’t belong, who end up changing the world.”

“If we all had such dreams—to better the lives of the ones we love–how wonderful a place this world would be.”

identity, belonging, secrets, criminal masterminds, Robin Hood activists, bullying, kindness, choices, good versus evil, friendship, team work, eidetic memory

1. On two occasions Villette bullies Amira, a Muslim girl, at one point pulling off her hijab in front of the class. Gabriel and his friends immediately jump in to hide and protect her Amira (p143, 208-9). 2. Grandma lost her job because of a hat Gabriel had stolen, which also meant she lost her home. She moved in with Mr Hartley (p222).