Books
Kids Fiction
Swindle
Swindle
Author(s)
Publisher
Genre(s)
Age Range
10+
ISBN
0439903440
Buy This Book
Editor reviews
Griffin is the Man with the Plan. The night before the old Rockford estate is to be demolished, he and his best friend, Ben, decide to spend the night there. Ben will do anything Griffin wants&thats how much he respects the man with the plan. They almost didnt make it out because they fell asleep and the wrecking ball began its swing. Whew!!!! Close call!!!!
While there, Griffin roamed around the house and found an old desk. Pulling out a drawer, he saw something tucked all the way in the back. Reaching in, Griffin pulled out a baseball card of Babe Ruth in a Boston Red Sox uniform. (We all know him as a Yankee.) Thinking it might be rare and worth a lot, and therefore the key to ending his familys financial problems, he and Ben bring the card to S. Wendell (aka Swindle) Palomino, a buyer and seller of memorabilia, who tells Griffin the card is a fake and pays him $100. Better than nothing.
Hours later, Griffin is watching TV and sees Swindle being interviewed about a rare baseball card he has, which at an upcoming auction might sell for $1,000,000. Sure enough, its the Babe Ruth card. Right then and there, Griffin formulates a plan. Hes going to swindle Swindle out of the Babe Ruth card, because no one swindles Griffin Bing and gets away with it.
Swindle is a fun read. Griffin, Ben and their cohorts in crime are great characters. There are twists and turns in this caper&its not easy going. There is suspense, action, drama, vicious guard dogs, double crossing, humor and a surprise ending. Something for everyone. So, if youve got a few hours to kill, try Swindle and find out why crime does not pay.
While there, Griffin roamed around the house and found an old desk. Pulling out a drawer, he saw something tucked all the way in the back. Reaching in, Griffin pulled out a baseball card of Babe Ruth in a Boston Red Sox uniform. (We all know him as a Yankee.) Thinking it might be rare and worth a lot, and therefore the key to ending his familys financial problems, he and Ben bring the card to S. Wendell (aka Swindle) Palomino, a buyer and seller of memorabilia, who tells Griffin the card is a fake and pays him $100. Better than nothing.
Hours later, Griffin is watching TV and sees Swindle being interviewed about a rare baseball card he has, which at an upcoming auction might sell for $1,000,000. Sure enough, its the Babe Ruth card. Right then and there, Griffin formulates a plan. Hes going to swindle Swindle out of the Babe Ruth card, because no one swindles Griffin Bing and gets away with it.
Swindle is a fun read. Griffin, Ben and their cohorts in crime are great characters. There are twists and turns in this caper&its not easy going. There is suspense, action, drama, vicious guard dogs, double crossing, humor and a surprise ending. Something for everyone. So, if youve got a few hours to kill, try Swindle and find out why crime does not pay.
| Overall rating | 4.0 | |
| Plot/Characters/Writing Style | 4.0 | |
| Illustrations/Photos (if applicable) | 0.0 |
Griffin Bing: The Man With the Plan
Griffin is the Man with the Plan. The night before the old Rockford estate is to be demolished, he and his best friend, Ben, decide to spend the night there. Ben will do anything Griffin wants&thats how much he respects the man with the plan. They almost didnt make it out because they fell asleep and the wrecking ball began its swing. Whew!!!! Close call!!!!
While there, Griffin roamed around the house and found an old desk. Pulling out a drawer, he saw something tucked all the way in the back. Reaching in, Griffin pulled out a baseball card of Babe Ruth in a Boston Red Sox uniform. (We all know him as a Yankee.) Thinking it might be rare and worth a lot, and therefore the key to ending his familys financial problems, he and Ben bring the card to S. Wendell (aka Swindle) Palomino, a buyer and seller of memorabilia, who tells Griffin the card is a fake and pays him $100. Better than nothing.
Hours later, Griffin is watching TV and sees Swindle being interviewed about a rare baseball card he has, which at an upcoming auction might sell for $1,000,000. Sure enough, its the Babe Ruth card. Right then and there, Griffin formulates a plan. Hes going to swindle Swindle out of the Babe Ruth card, because no one swindles Griffin Bing and gets away with it.
Swindle is a fun read. Griffin, Ben and their cohorts in crime are great characters. There are twists and turns in this caper&its not easy going. There is suspense, action, drama, vicious guard dogs, double crossing, humor and a surprise ending. Something for everyone. So, if youve got a few hours to kill, try Swindle and find out why crime does not pay.
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User reviews
Average user rating from: 3 user(s)
This book is the best book I read in 2012, with the non-stop action (toward the end of the book) My only complaint is it started out very slow. My conclusion is don't stop reading if you get bored and my favorite part was the heist (end of book) I REPEAT DO NOT STOP READING!
| Overall rating | 5.0 | |
| Plot/Characters/Writing Style | 5.0 | |
| Illustrations/Photos (if applicable) | 5.0 |
Awesome Book
This book is the best book I read in 2012, with the non-stop action (toward the end of the book) My only complaint is it started out very slow. My conclusion is don't stop reading if you get bored and my favorite part was the heist (end of book) I REPEAT DO NOT STOP READING!
Good Points
Great action toward the end.
Bad Points
Slow start.
Do You Recommend?
Yes
Was this review helpful to you?
The Book Swindle by: Gordon Korman. To me this is a great adventure and action book even though some parts include baseball you didn’t need to know anything about baseball other than that the card this kid found when they were in this old mansion was worth more than you it was an original Babe Ruth card the most valuable baseball card in history he is also known as the Great Bambino.
This kid named Griffin and his friends are all dared to go to this old mansion that is known to be haunted Griffin finds this baseball card on the floor and turns his flash light on to see that it was The Legendary Babe Ruth’s card of course when he tells his friends the rumor spreads the Griffin goes to a pawn shop and shows the guy working there named Wendell nicknamed Swindle who tricks him into thinking the card is a fake and the guy says he would give Griffin only 20$ for it Griffin was indeed depressed it wasn’t real (even though it was) and sold it.
The kid a few days later see’s a sign on the pawn shop window saying that their is going to be an auction held in a week saying that the item up for auction is the Babe Ruth baseball car the same one that the kid sold to him. So Griffin fights with the man but the man denies tricking him so Griffin is a man with a plan and gets a group of friends and even 1 or 2 enemies and has to get the card but many things are standing in their way a menacing dog, a high tech security system, a very good hiding place and the fact that none of them are old enough to drive or can drive.
Definition of Swindle: to cheat, steal, trick, deceive, defraud, lie, rob, con, backstab, obtain dishonestly.
This kid named Griffin and his friends are all dared to go to this old mansion that is known to be haunted Griffin finds this baseball card on the floor and turns his flash light on to see that it was The Legendary Babe Ruth’s card of course when he tells his friends the rumor spreads the Griffin goes to a pawn shop and shows the guy working there named Wendell nicknamed Swindle who tricks him into thinking the card is a fake and the guy says he would give Griffin only 20$ for it Griffin was indeed depressed it wasn’t real (even though it was) and sold it.
The kid a few days later see’s a sign on the pawn shop window saying that their is going to be an auction held in a week saying that the item up for auction is the Babe Ruth baseball car the same one that the kid sold to him. So Griffin fights with the man but the man denies tricking him so Griffin is a man with a plan and gets a group of friends and even 1 or 2 enemies and has to get the card but many things are standing in their way a menacing dog, a high tech security system, a very good hiding place and the fact that none of them are old enough to drive or can drive.
Definition of Swindle: to cheat, steal, trick, deceive, defraud, lie, rob, con, backstab, obtain dishonestly.
| Overall rating | 4.0 | |
| Plot/Characters/Writing Style | 4.0 | |
| Illustrations/Photos (if applicable) | N/A |
Swindle
The Book Swindle by: Gordon Korman. To me this is a great adventure and action book even though some parts include baseball you didn’t need to know anything about baseball other than that the card this kid found when they were in this old mansion was worth more than you it was an original Babe Ruth card the most valuable baseball card in history he is also known as the Great Bambino.
This kid named Griffin and his friends are all dared to go to this old mansion that is known to be haunted Griffin finds this baseball card on the floor and turns his flash light on to see that it was The Legendary Babe Ruth’s card of course when he tells his friends the rumor spreads the Griffin goes to a pawn shop and shows the guy working there named Wendell nicknamed Swindle who tricks him into thinking the card is a fake and the guy says he would give Griffin only 20$ for it Griffin was indeed depressed it wasn’t real (even though it was) and sold it.
The kid a few days later see’s a sign on the pawn shop window saying that their is going to be an auction held in a week saying that the item up for auction is the Babe Ruth baseball car the same one that the kid sold to him. So Griffin fights with the man but the man denies tricking him so Griffin is a man with a plan and gets a group of friends and even 1 or 2 enemies and has to get the card but many things are standing in their way a menacing dog, a high tech security system, a very good hiding place and the fact that none of them are old enough to drive or can drive.
Definition of Swindle: to cheat, steal, trick, deceive, defraud, lie, rob, con, backstab, obtain dishonestly.
Good Points
- The characters are around most kids age that would be reading this book so the characters are easy to relate to and understand.
- The vocabulary wasn't to hard to understand or to simple.
- The vocabulary wasn't to hard to understand or to simple.
Bad Points
- Has nothing to do with baseball why except the card so why would it start going into baseball.
Do You Recommend?
Yes
Was this review helpful to you?
I really didn't like this book
Reviewed by
KimmieHeart
February 27, 2012
Last updated: March 06, 2012
Top 500 Reviewer - View all my reviews (6)
Reviewed by
KimmieHeart
February 27, 2012
Last updated: March 06, 2012
Top 500 Reviewer - View all my reviews (6)
I didn't understand it
I really didn't like this book
Bad Points
I really couldn't understand it. I read it twice and the second time it confused even more.
Do You Recommend?
No
Was this review helpful to you?
Reader reviewed by Elise
I asked my friend for a book that has a fantastic beginning that would immediately pull me into the story, and SWITCH was what she placed in my hand. I was not disappointed. After the first paragraph I was transported to Claire's sunny and stormy beach town, and I was perfectly happy to be there.
SWITCH was a completely original idea and Carol Snow pulled off the believability aspect of it wonderfully. The narration of Claire's character is very easy to relate to. She has a bit of every girl's personality in her. She is a likable protagonist, despite the fact that her inner monologue sometimes seems whiny.
The overall theme of the book, to appreciate yourself for who you are, was excellently delivered throughout the novel. Carol Snow's writing creates the characters and situations in a way that the reader will completely empathize for them.
The ending was somewhat unsatisfactory for me. Claire resolved things to my contentment with some characters, but I think that others needed to know more of the truth. It might have changed the outcome. I find myself hoping that there will be a sequel to this story, because there is so much more I want to learn about the characters and their endings.
I asked my friend for a book that has a fantastic beginning that would immediately pull me into the story, and SWITCH was what she placed in my hand. I was not disappointed. After the first paragraph I was transported to Claire's sunny and stormy beach town, and I was perfectly happy to be there.
SWITCH was a completely original idea and Carol Snow pulled off the believability aspect of it wonderfully. The narration of Claire's character is very easy to relate to. She has a bit of every girl's personality in her. She is a likable protagonist, despite the fact that her inner monologue sometimes seems whiny.
The overall theme of the book, to appreciate yourself for who you are, was excellently delivered throughout the novel. Carol Snow's writing creates the characters and situations in a way that the reader will completely empathize for them.
The ending was somewhat unsatisfactory for me. Claire resolved things to my contentment with some characters, but I think that others needed to know more of the truth. It might have changed the outcome. I find myself hoping that there will be a sequel to this story, because there is so much more I want to learn about the characters and their endings.
| Overall rating | 4.0 | |
| Plot/Characters/Writing Style | 4.0 | |
| Illustrations/Photos (if applicable) | 0.0 |
Pulled me in and kept me there
Reader reviewed by Elise
I asked my friend for a book that has a fantastic beginning that would immediately pull me into the story, and SWITCH was what she placed in my hand. I was not disappointed. After the first paragraph I was transported to Claire's sunny and stormy beach town, and I was perfectly happy to be there.
SWITCH was a completely original idea and Carol Snow pulled off the believability aspect of it wonderfully. The narration of Claire's character is very easy to relate to. She has a bit of every girl's personality in her. She is a likable protagonist, despite the fact that her inner monologue sometimes seems whiny.
The overall theme of the book, to appreciate yourself for who you are, was excellently delivered throughout the novel. Carol Snow's writing creates the characters and situations in a way that the reader will completely empathize for them.
The ending was somewhat unsatisfactory for me. Claire resolved things to my contentment with some characters, but I think that others needed to know more of the truth. It might have changed the outcome. I find myself hoping that there will be a sequel to this story, because there is so much more I want to learn about the characters and their endings.
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