Swindle

Swindle by Gordon Korman
Booktalk by Chris MacLennan

Griffin Bing was the man with the plan. His first plan was one of protest. When the kids in his 6th grade class submitted a plan for a skate park where the old Rockford place now stood the town council would not even look at it. In protest Griffin planned a secret spooky sleepover in the old haunted Rockford house the day before the house was to be demolished. His whole grade 6 class was expected to attend. Unfortunately only Griffin and his best friend Ben showed up. That’s when Griffin found it, a very old Babe Ruth baseball card. He was exploring a crumbling old desk and found a secret compartment. A drawer sprang open and there was the card. Griffin was so excited. It must be worth a fortune!

Griffin decided to take the card to the local antique store. When S. Wendell Palomino looked at the card he told Griffin it was a fake and worth about $100.00. He gives Griffin $120.00 just to be generous. The very next day Palomino was on the news telling everyone he was in possession of a very rare Babe Ruth card worth up to a million dollars. The boys had been swindled! Griffin was angry, very very angry. His family had financial problems and he might have to move again. The money from the card would help his family so much! It just wasn’t fair! So Griffin came up with a plan.

(Make a poster with the plan shown on page 59) and show it to the students.

It was a good plan, however what they had not counted on was a guard dog named Luther. With 6th grade friend Savannah (also known as the dog whisperer) they even managed to solve that problem. Their plan works. They get into the store. However the safe has been taken away along with Luther the Doberman. Griffin and Ben figure out that the card is now at Palomino’s residence. So a new plan is made, using 4 more recruits from their class. The plan goes well until…

Read page 176-177 From “the dog whisperer… to split-second decision.

Will the German Shepherd get the kids? Will they find the card and get away with their plan? Will Griffin get the money so needed by his family?

To find out read Swindle by Gordon Korman