Swindle
Swindle, Gordon Korman; Hyperion Books, 2008.
Grade Level: 3-5
ISBN-13 HB 9780439903448; $16.99
ISBN-10 HB 0439903440; $16.99
ISBN-13 PB 9780439903455; $
ISBN-10 PB 0439903459; $
© 2008, used by permission of publisher.
Synopsis:
After being conned out of his valuable baseball card, sixth grader Griffin Bing devises a plan to break in to the store and steal the card back with the help of his misfit friends and enemies.
General Review:
Outraged at having been “swindled” out of a valuable baseball card, sixth grader Griffin Bing has to get the card back no matter what the obstacles. And there are obstacles: a large fence, a high-tech security system, and a ferocious guard dog. Griffin, the man with a plan, knows that he is going to need help. He enlists an expert climber, an electronics whiz, an aspiring actor and an animal lover. A page-turning adventure full of suspense, great characters, humor and a surprise ending. Great for a read aloud that will have the students begging for more.
Themes: Crime, Baseball Cards, Swindlers and swindling, Adventure and adventurers.
Author Information:
hyperionbooksforchildren.com
Literature Resource Center @ www.kslib.info
Continuum Encyclopedia of Children's Literature
Major Authors and Illustrators for Children and Young Adults
Writers for Young Adults
Discussion Questions (Standard 3; Benchmark 3)
• Why does Griffin organize the sleep over in the Old Rockford House? What does he hope to accomplish?
• How does Griffin discover that he had been swindled? Is he justified in stealing the baseball card back?
• For Griffin, developing a plan is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Why did he choose each member for the team? Why can Griffin trust them?
• What do you think about Griffin's advice for getting around adult rules? Good advice or not?
• Describe Darren Vader and his role in the story.
Activities:
• Go to the official web site ( www.cesarmillaninc.com/dogwhisperer/ ) of the television show about a “dog whisperer”. Compare what he does to what Savannah does with the guard dog. (Standard 9; Benchmark 1)
• Design a prop (show & tell item) related to the story. (Standard 3; Benchmark 4)
• Design a scrapbook for one of the classmates recruited for the team. Have the theme of the scrapbook be centered around Operation Baseball Card Rescue. (Standard 3; Benchmark 4)
• Outline the events in the story by developing a timeline. (Standard 3; Benchmark 4)
• Pretend you are a news reporter. Write an article for the newspaper about the story as if it really happened. (Standard 3; Benchmark 4)
Similar Books for Further Reading:
• Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
• Honus and Me by Dan Gutman
• Case of the Stolen Baseball Cards by James Preller