Customer Reviews

Swindle

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Griffin Bing had a plan. He invited everyone he could think of to a sleepover at the Old Rockford House. It was scheduled to be demolished the next day, but Griffin hoped to use the sleepover as a protest of sorts. He was very disappointed that only his best friend, Ben, showed up.

A group of the kids had the idea that the city could build a skate park on the property when the creepy old house was torn down, but the city officials had other ideas. They thought a museum was a better idea. Griffin had organized the sleepover hoping to get the attention their plan deserved. Instead, all he got was a night in his sleeping bag listening to his friend Ben snore.

Before leaving the old house, the boys did a little exploring. Griffin accidentally discovered a secret drawer, and tucked in that drawer was a card - an old baseball card with a picture of Babe Ruth. He was sure it was valuable and would help solve his parents' financial problems.

After a narrow escape from the wrecking ball, Griffin and Ben hurry to Palomino's Emporium of Collectibles and Memorabilia to get the opinion of an expert. Much to their disappointment, S. Wendell Palomino gives them bad news. The card is a reproduction and worth very little. He offers them $120, and they take the money and run.

Imagine their surprise and fury when the nightly news is carrying the story of one S. Wendell Palomino and his incredible discovery of a valuable baseball trading card valued at $1,000,000. What follows is Griffin's new plan to get back the card he believes is rightfully his.

Gordon Korman has once again created a story sure to captivate middle grade audiences. His adventurous characters, great use of humor, and non-stop action make SWINDLE great fun to read. The easy, fast-moving pace will hold the attention of readers of all levels and will also work well as a read-aloud in many classrooms.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

When Griffin Bing, "The Man With the Plan," invites some of his buddies to spend the night at the Old Rockford House --- which is reported to be haunted and is slated for demolition the following day --- only his best friend Ben Slovak shows up.

After Ben falls asleep, Griffin is left alone with his thoughts --- and worries. Lately his parents have been talking about selling the house and moving to a less expensive neighborhood. Griffin will do anything to stay in his home and not leave his friends.

To pass time until morning, Griffin decides to investigate the old house. When he does, he stumbles across an old-fashioned desk with a tiny drawer that won't budge. But when he finds a small button and presses it, the locked drawer pops open. Wedged in the back of the drawer is a faded old card with a baseball player named GEORGE HERMAN (BABE) RUTH. Griffin immediately realizes that the card is valuable, and he hopes that by selling it, he can solve his family's financial problems.

The next morning, after avoiding disaster with a wrecking ball, he shows the card to Ben, who questions if it belongs to Griffin or the owner of the old house. After some discussion, the boys decide to take it to "Palomino's Emporium of Collectibles and Memorabilia" for appraisal.

The Emporium owner, S. Wendell (Swindle) Palomino, examines the card and convinces the boys that it's a replica --- a 40-year-old reproduction of an original Babe Ruth baseball card --- and not worth much. He gives them $120 for the card. After the transaction, Griffin watches Swindle lock the card in a portable safe behind the counter. Griffin suspects that it's worth much more, but Swindle has an explanation for everything.

Griffin gives half the money from Swindle to Ben and pockets the remainder. Later, Griffin sees Swindle on television holding up the Babe Ruth card. On camera, Swindle lies about how he it got it and announces that it will be sold to the highest bidder, estimating that the rare collectible could bring $1 million at auction.

Griffin realizes that he has been lied to, tricked and cheated, and he vows to get the card back from Swindle. He can't tell his parents, because he lied to them about where he was on the night he spent in the old house. So he has to come up with a plan to break into the store and retrieve the card. Standing in his way are a vicious Doberman guard dog, a sophisticated security system, a hidden safe, and his best friend, Ben, who has serious reservations about Griffin's scheme.

Without being overly preachy, author Gordon Korman presents some thoughtful moral dilemmas for preteens to consider. Who is the rightful owner of the card? To what lengths will Griffin go to get it back? Will he lie and steal?

SWINDLE is a novel about standing up to bullies and cheats, regardless of who they are, and accepting responsibility for one's behavior, no matter how well intentioned. More importantly, it's about loyalty, trust and consequences. While a couple of passages of dialogue sound more like adults talking than preteens, the overall message of the book is presented convincingly.

--- Reviewed by Donna Volkenannt

The second my 9 year-old son opened the book he could not put it down. VERY age appropriate. He absolutely loved it and after reading it he has told people about the story. We will read everything by this author if it is all as good as this book. Best purchase yet.

It's difficult to find a book that entertains the parent reading the bedtime story as well as the child listening. We've found just a few: Charlotte's Web, The Hobbit, and Swindle. We start a lot of books, but one or the other of us lose interest. Swindle was exciting, engaging and had surprising twists.

I'll bet this one gets turned into a movie. (If it does, let's hope it's as good as the book.)

Here is a great book that I read this year that will blow you away. Swindle, by Gordon Korman, a fiction, mystery that takes place in Rockford is about an 11 year old boy named Griffin who plans a spooky sleepover at a creepy house but is disappointed because only one person shows up, Ben, his best friend. While Griffin was searching the house that night, he finds a valuable, rare baseball card that he takes to a mean collector, named Swindle. Swindle buys it from the boys for $120 but Griffin later learns that it is really worth $1,000,000. Griffin thinks he stole it from him and tries to get back, with a little help from his friends. You'll have to read this to see what gets in their way. My favorite character was Griffin because he always had a good plan in his mind.

Ben reminded me of me because he was really intense to know things, just like me sometimes when I want to know something for a test. Also I have connection, text to self: my best friend nearly moved away because of family problems just like Griffin nearly moving away.

I liked this book because it was very interesting to find out the mystery of this book and I love mysteries. My favorite part was when Ben, Griffin, and all the others were in the house trying to get the card back. I also wish I could change in this book that Swindle was arrested because he was mean and he stole the hidden valuable card. Boys ages 9-12 in grades 4-6 would enjoy this book because it has a lot of action and stealing back and forth in it. So any boy, who likes action out there, READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Robberies, baseball cards, and action, all in the book Swindle! What a spectacular book Swindle is!

Swindle is about two kids, Griffin and Ben, who find a rare Babe Ruth 1920 baseball card, which is the first year for the Yankees. They take it to Palomino's Emporium where S. Wendell Palomino (a.k.a. Swindle) tricks them out of the card! It was supposed to sell for one million dollars, but instead, Griffin sold it for one hundred dollars! How will they get it back? Read Swindle and find out!

I admire this book because I am a huge collector of baseball cards, I like action, and I am the biggest Yankees fan of all time!

I recommend Swindle for people who like books with action, baseball cards, and robberies. Read Swindle, the best book ever!

This book is great for sports buffs and action searchers. The story moves along quickly and is interesting. I never had baseball cards growing up, but loved my Beatle cards. I could have done 'what needed to be done' to get my cards back and that would include breaking and entering.

It would have been nice to have a few more of the characters be further developed.

Fun read for boys... and girls. I suggest they take in a game after the read and buy some Topps, too.

Eleven-year old Griffin Bing had heard enough of his parents' arguments about too many bills and not enough money. If only his father had kept his engineering job and not risked everything with that silly new invention, the SmartPick fruit picking device of the future. Now the family might even need to sell their house and move to a more affordable location. All these worries seemed to melt away when Griffin found a rare Babe Ruth baseball card in a deserted old house slated for demolition. He had a hunch that card could be worth a lot of money.

Initial disappointment that the local collectibles dealer, S. Wendell Palomino, purchased the card for only $120 led to outrage when Griffin discovered that Palomino had lied about its true value. The Babe Ruth card could fetch close to a million dollars at the auction where Palomino planned to sell it. Griffin, always "the Man With a Plan," needed his best plan ever to get the card back. He would also need a team of friends to help him deal with a ferocious guard dog, high-tech security, watchful eyes, a locked safe, and those inevitable surprises.

Hold onto your hats and get ready for a fast ride. Swindle is a hilarious novel that provides a clever story and could even leave a racing heart and sweaty palms. Reading about how economic incentives can lead to some truly extraordinary behaviors has never been so much fun.

When I am looking for a book for my 8 year old son, I am typically pulled towards a baseball theme. The cover of this book caught my attention and the description on the jacket sealed the deal. A story involving a Babe Ruth baseball card, a con man and a plan mixed in with friendship and consequences sounded like it could keep my son's attention. I read Swindle by Gordon Korman out loud to my son and we both really enjoyed it. Instead of our typical one chapter a night, we would read two or three and only stopped when he had fallen asleep or I was too tired to read more. We always looked forward to reading each night and we loved to talk about what might happen.

Several themes run through the book that make it a great candidate for a Book Club book. My son and I had some great discussions about doing the right thing, friendship, loyalty and consequences. It was an entertaining book to read aloud filled with enough adventure and suspense to appeal to girls and adults too.

I ordered this book for my 12 year old son. The day i received it we had an appointment and i began reading while i waited. I was interested from the very beginning. The story is great. I couldn't wait to finish it!