Reviews

Swindle by Gordon Korman

mindfullibrarian's review against another edition

4.0

A madcap heist story that has held up incredibly well over the past 13 years. Yet again, a middle grade story that I would never necessarily choose to read as a 40 yo school librarian with my own very particular tastes, but since it’s on our Battle of the Books list for the second time, I really had to. I’ve been recommending it over the years because kids love it, and now I’ll definitely be continuing to do so. Realistic? Not at all. But there’s a lot of adventure, a missing baseball card, and vengeance against a dishonest adult. Perfect for grades 4-6. Korman is a master at writing for kids, not adults, and that’s the sign of an amazing kid lit author. I’m not supposed to be the target audience ~ my students are.

jayoder16's review against another edition

4.0

I read Zoobreak before this one. You can read them out of order, but it makes more sense n makes the story more colorful now that i know some of the background.

This was a pleasant read with a few unexpected twists and turns. Would recommend it to kiddos who like mystery, animals, and fun adventure.

crystal_reading's review against another edition

3.0

A little bit of mystery, a lot of comedy, and revenge. This is a great combination.

vibingjaren's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

bravemaeve's review against another edition

1.0

I hate this book. I have so much childhood trauma borne from this book. First of all, this was the Scholastic Book Fair book that was all the hype back in 2008. I remember our librarian trying to get us all on board with it. Even the non-readers really liked it. Why? Cause they don't know what good literature it is.

I remember sitting on the couch, reading this book during the heat of summer, and slowly dying as I flipped through each page because my dad said I could only play on Club Penguin as long as I read that day. For two hours I suffered through this book just so I could play on Club Penguin as my sweet sweet reward. I will never forget that moment. I will never forget what this book did to me. I hate you so much, Swindle.

janessaalexis's review against another edition

4.0

I fondly remember reading this book when I was eleven! Oh my gosh, I almost forgot how good this book was/still is. (It's amazing how my taste of literature has changed in just a couple of years.)
For any of you who are interested in reading this book, I definitely recommend it. It's just a fun read, nothing too flashy, goofy characters and the concept is fairly interesting.
Perfect book for kids and even young teenagers.

school_librarian60's review against another edition

3.0

3 1/2 Stars. Although it wasn’t my favorite book from this author, I definitely see the appeal for middle grade readers. Korman know his audience well.

roshk99's review against another edition

3.0

Decent book by Korman. A boy who takes the law into his own hands to stand up for justice, steals a baseball card from a notorious swindler. Complications ensue, and it proceeds from there.

mkirias's review against another edition

3.0

I read it to prepare for the upcoming unit on it with my students. It was cute for middle school aged students.

meeeeganc's review against another edition

5.0

slaps just as hards as when i read it as a kid! also it would make an amazing kids movie like so fun