Rating: 
(5 reviews)
Author: Gordon Korman
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Product Description
After a mean collector named Swindle cons him out of his most valuable baseball card, Griffin Bing must put together a band of misfits to break into Swindle’s compound and recapture the card. There are many things standing in their way — a menacing guard dog, a high-tech security system, a very secret hiding place, and their general inability to drive — but Griffin and his team are going to get back what’s rightfully his . . . even if hijinks ensue.
This is Gordon Korman at his crowd-pleasing best, perfect for readers who like to hoot, howl, and heist.
5 Comments
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”
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.
When did Gordon Korman lose it? His last good book was “Son of Interflux” and that was in 1986!!!!
He’s been writing these lousy stories, all one after one another and they are all bad.
‘Cmon, we all miss the old Gordon Korman magic. Write another B & B book.
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.)
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 ended up getting 2 more books by the author (diary of a wimpy kid - the first 2 books) and he pretty much inhaled them reading them in 1 day each. Best purchase yet.