Dan Gemeinhart knows how to set up protagonists to appeal to middle schoolers. In “Busted,” main character Oscar, lives with his grandfather at a retirement community. The death of the owner starts the story action. Oscar and his grandfather will be forced out due to the financial issues of the new owner who has arrived with his irritating daughter, Natasha. Oscar is a verified goody two-shoes having spent his entire life around elderly people. But when mobster Jimmy Deluca wants help, Oscar sees his opportunity to make money so he and his granddad can stay at the retirement community. Complications ensue when Natasha insists on being included.

In an action-filled 24-hour period, Jimmy ticks items off his bucket list –eating authentic Italian food, visiting a treehouse he built for his daughter, and playing in a poker game.

Not every activity is legit, giving Oscar plenty of opportunity, with Natasha’s scoffing encouragement, to participate in riskier parts of life. And Oscar even gets to sing karaoke to his favorite: Frank Sinatra. Most young readers will not know who that is. In a way, that characterization felt like a connection to the Gennifer Choldenko’s “Al Capone Does My Shirts.”

Busted moves along at a quick pace as Oscar also learns how to forgive his dad, in prison, and wants to establish a new life with him. And Natasha admits she’s recovering from cancer and wants a little fun in her life. {The boy character in Gemeinhart’s The Honest Trust also has cancer – an interesting parallel}

Jimmy grows weaker as the long day and night blend into a sunrise he wants to see at the beach. Oscar helps him die, an event that is sensitively handled for this age group.

He and Natasha face plenty of penalties for their life on the lam. But with the help of the senior community, Oscar also finds the money Jimmy promised and ensures that he and his grandfather stay at their retirement community. This story was light-hearted compared to some of Gemeinhart’s other tales, especially “The Honest Truth.” But it covers themes of death, bravery and friendship in a most appealing way.