Collision Course - Gordon Korman - Titanic Book 2

Collision Course 

Titanic Series Book 2

Gordon Korman

Scholastic Canada

ISBN 9780545123327

eISBN 9780545389327

ASIN B00551OGUO

This book was originally published in 2011, and the most recent edition in 2016. According to Goodreads there are 24 editions of the second volume in this series, including editions in English and French listed. My introduction to Korman’s works was the 39 Clues back in 2009. Since then I have read 85 of his books including this volume, a few of them more than once. I set the goal of reading all his books about 2020. I now have less than 25 books from series to go, and have completed all the stand alone books and am now just working my way through the remaining series. Not counting omnibus editions I believe that as of the summer of 2025 Korman has published 109 books. With each that I read I am entertained and often challenged. My son, who is 17 often, reads these books to me or with me, and he still loves them. And my 14 year old daughter has enjoyed a number of them

The description of this volume states:

“The Titanic has hit the high seas--and moves steadily toward its doom. Within the luxury of the cabins and the dark underbelly of the ship, mysteries unfold--a secret killer who may be on board, a legacy that may be jeopardized, and a vital truth that will soon be revealed. For Paddy, Sophie, Juliana, and Alfie, life on the Titanic brings both hiding and seeking, as their lives become irrevocably intertwined. 

And then, of course, an iceberg appears, and the stage is set for the final scene.”

About the author at the back of this volume we are informed:

“GORDON KORMAN started writing novels when he was about the same age as the characters in this book, with his first novel, This Can’t Be Happening at Macdonald Hall!, published when he was fourteen. Since then, his novels have sold millions of copies around the world. Most recently, he is the author of Swindle, Zoobreak, and Framed, the trilogies Island, Everest, Dive, and Kidnapped, and the series On the Run. His other novels include No More Dead Dogs and Son of the Mob. He lives in New York with his family, and can be found on the web at his website.”

I do not think there is anyone not familiar with the story of the Titanic, this version of historical fiction by Korman helps us experience the events through several different sets of eyes, mostly youth; youth from a wide range of backgrounds and life experiences. From a street urchin in Dublin, to an aristocrats daughter, to a young man who faked his age to serve on the ship with his father, to a girl who constantly seems embarrassed by her mother’s political activism. Other than the prologue the events in this instalment of this series take place between, Friday. April 12, 1912, 4:50 P.M. and Monday, April 15, 1912, 12:09 A.M.. But there in an excellent twist in this story having to do with a scrap book from the White Chapel murders.  

I admit I have never been much into the story of the Titanic, I have never seen the movie, and it is on my all-time list to never see, but this book and series are excellent, and it were do but put to film, I would go to see it with no hesitation.

This story is another great read from Korman’s masterful pen. 

Historical fiction at its best. Coming from a long line of Irish men, the Irish thugs presented here seem very familiar. I also love the hits at the Whitechapel killings and history around those events are intriguing. The numerous historical figures that are actually part of these events. It is masterfully written historical fiction, sure to be enjoyed by young and old alike! 

Books by Gordon Korman:

MacDonald Hall Series:

This Can't Be Happening at Macdonald Hall  (1978)

Go Jump in the Pool (1979)

Beware the Fish!  (1980)

The Wizzle War (1982)

         (formerly The War With Mr. Wizzle)

The Zucchini Warriors (1988)

Light’s Camera, Disaster (1991)

          (aka Macdonald Hall Goes Hollywood)

The Jokes on Us (1995)

          (formerly Something Fishy at Macdonald Hall)

…

Bugs Potter Series:

Who is Bugs Potter? (1980)

Bugs Potter LIVE at Nickaninny (1983)

…

Jeremy Bloom Series:

The D−Poems of Jeremy Bloom (1992)

The Last-Place Sports Poems of Jeremy Bloom (1996)

…

Monday Night Football Series:

The Quarterback Exchange (1997)

Running Back Conversion (1997)

Super Bowl Switch (1997)

Heavy Artillery (1997)

Ultimate Scoring Machine (1998)

NFL Rules! Bloopers, Pranks, Upsets, and Touchdowns (1998)

…

Masterminds Series:

Masterminds (2015)

Masterminds: Criminal Destiny (2016)

Masterminds: Payback (2017)

…

Slapshots Series:

The Stars From Mars (1999)

All-Mars All-Stars/The Dream Team (1999)

The Face-off Phony (2000)

Cup Crazy (2000)

…

4-in-1 Slapshots: The Complete Collection (2008)

…

Nose Pickers Series:

Nose Pickers from Outer Space! (1999)

Planet of the Nose Pickers (2000)

Your Mummy Is a Nose Picker (2000)

Invasion of the Nose Pickers (2001)

…

4-in-1 The Ultimate Nose-Picker Collection (2006)

…

Island Series:

Shipwreck (2001)

Survival (2001)

Escape (2001)

…

3-in-1 Island Trilogy Collection (2006)

…

Son of the Mob Series:

Son of the Mob (2002)

Son of the Mob 2: Hollywood Hustle (2004)

…

Everest Series:

The Contest (2002)

The Climb (2002)

The Summit (2002)

…

Everest Trilogy Box Set (2002)

Dive Series:

The Discovery (2003)

The Deep (2003)

The Danger (2003)

…

On the Run Series:

Chasing the Falconers (2005)

The Fugitive Factor (2005)

Now You See Them, Now You Don't (2005)

The Stowaway Solution (2005)

Public Enemies (2005)

Hunting the Hunter (2006)

…

Kidnapped Series:

The Abduction (2006)

The Search (2006)

The Rescue (2006)

…

Swindle Series:

Swindle (2008)

Zoobreak (2009)

Framed (2010)

Showoff (2012)

Hideout (2013)

Jackpot (2014)

Unleashed (2015)

Jingle (2016)

…

Titanic Series:

Unsinkable (2011)

Collision Course (2011)

S.O.S (2011)

…

The 39 Clues Series:

One False Note (2008)

The Emperor's Code (2010)

Vespers Rising (2011)

The Medusa Plot (2011)

Flashpoint (2014)

…

Hypnotists Series:

The Hypnotists (2013)

Memory Maze (2014)

The Dragonfly Effect (2015)

…

Ungifted Series:

Ungifted (2012)

Supergifted (2018)

Hypergifted (2026)

…

Slacker Series:

Slacker (2016)
Level 13 (2019)

...

Non Series Books:

I Want to Go Home! (1981)

Our Man Weston (1982)

No Coins, Please (1984)

Don't Care High (1985)

Son of Interflux (1986)

A Semester in the Life of a Garbage Bag (1987)

Radio 5th Grade (1989)

Losing Joe's Place (1990)

The Twinkie Squad (1992)

The Toilet Paper Tigers (1993)

Why Did the Underwear Cross the Road (1994)

The Chicken Doesn't Skate (1996)

Liar, Liar Pants on Fire (1997)

The Sixth Grade Nickname Game (1998)

No More Dead Dogs (2000)

Maxx Comedy: The Funniest Kid in America (2003) 

Jake, Reinvented (2003)

Born To Rock (2006)

Schooled (2007)

The Juvie Three (2008)

Pop (2009)

Restart (2017)

What's His Face? (2018)

The Unteachables (2019)

Notorious (2019)

War Stories (2020)

Game On (contains The Chicken Doesn’t Skate and The Toilet Paper Tigers (2021)

Unplugged (2021)

Linked (2021)

Operation Do-Over (2022)

The Fort (2022)

The Super Teacher Project (2023)

Mixed Up (2023)

Slugfest (2024)

Faker (2024)

Old School (2025)

Snoop (2025)

… 

Gordon Korman - Sheelagh Matthews - Remarkable Writers 

Gordon Korman Children’s Storytellers - Chris Bowman

...

The Life of Little Nellie of Holy God - TAN Books

Little Nellie of Holy God 

TAN Books

ISBN 9780895558527

When I first purchased an eBook of this, I picked up the wrong volume, I ended up with: Little Nellie of Holy God by Sister Mary Dominic and Sister John Vianney; but soon realized that volume was written for a younger audience. As much as I enjoyed that volume I found this book, in eBook format direct from TAN. This volume was part of the reading for Father Mark Goring’s, Saint Mark’s School or Reading in the summer of 2025. I really enjoyed both these book about this holy example. This volume is about 3 times longer than the other offering on her life. 

The description of this volume states:

“Nellie was a spirited child and a unique little masterpiece of God. No one knows where she learned the name “Holy God,” and no one knows how she instantly recognized Holy God when she first saw the Blessed Sacrament exposed on the altar. Nellie Organ spent the last few months of her life with the Good Shepherd Sisters in Cork, Ireland. Her great desire was to receive “Holy God,” and with permission from her bishop, she received Him about 32 times before her death at age 4-1/2. The Sisters lovingly treasured up their experiences with this special child who had been entrusted to their care, and those anecdotes are here passed on to new generations of Catholics. Many favors have been obtained through Nellie’s intercession, and her body was found intact a year after her death. The great Pope St. Pius X requested and received a relic of Little Nellie. Children and adults alike will find in Nellie Organ and exquisite example of love and reverence for Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist. “There! That is the sign for which I was waiting.”—Pope St. Pius X (See p,v.).”

another is:

“The wonderful story of the 4-year-old child whose story inspired Pope St. Pius X to lower the First Communion age from 12 to 7. Includes her desire to receive "Holy God;" her First Communion; incidents with the Sisters who raised her; the finding of her incorrupt body and favors received through her intercession. Perfect to teach love and respect for Our Lord in the Eucharist! 118 Pp. PB. Adult version.”

The chapters in this volume are:

Preface

Contents

1. Nellie’s Family

2. To The Good Shepherd Sisters

3. A Crooked Spine

4. The Doctor’s Diagnosis

5. Nellie And The Infant Jesus

6. “Holy God”

7. Holy God In The Blessed Sacrament

8. Confirmation

9. Nellie’s “Sore Throat”

10. An Extraordinary Conversation

11. Growth In Grace

12. Longing To Receive Holy God

13. First Communion

14. Nellie’s Preparation And Thanksgiving For Holy Communion

15. Christmas

16. Growth In Virtue

17. Last Days On Earth

18. Little Nellie Of Holy God

     Nellie’s Body Found Intact

     Little Nellie As Intercessor

     Pope St. Pius X Asks For A Relic Of Little Nellie

     Postscript

Appendix 1: The “Heavenly Light” At Nellie’s First Communion

Appendix 2: Little Nellie And Pope St. Pius X

Appendix 3: Letter Of Pope St. Pius X

Appendix 4: Article On Little Nellie From The Catholic Encyclopedia

Poem: “Little Nellie Of Holy God”

Prayer

Notes

The eBook edition also includes the complete text of: Confession: Its Fruitful Practice from The Benedictine Convent of Clyde. 

We are informed that the beginning of this volume that:

“The Compilers and the Publisher declare that all things recorded in this book rest on human authority and are related here subject to the approval of the Church, which alone can pronounce on their supernatural character.”

We are also informed that:

“Perhaps the earliest of these three main sources is a small book entitled Little Nellie of Holy God: Story of the Life of a Saintly Irish Child, by A Priest of the Diocese of Cork, “Printed by Guy & Co. Ltd.,” 70, Patrick Street, Cork, 1912 and/or 1915. We were informed by Sister Imelda O’Driscoll, R.G.S. of the Good Shepherd Sisters of Sunday’s Well, Cork, who sent us a copy of this rare book, that this priest was Rev. Dean Scannell, who had known Nellie personally and who was present at the exhumation of her body. Rev. Scannell was the dean of the diocese and secretary of the Bishop. He is also called Dr. Scannell, Rev. Dr. Scannell, and Monsignor Joseph Augustine Scannell. His book bore an Imprimatur from T. A. O’Callaghan, Ord. Praed., Episcopus Corcagienis [Bishop of Cork]. Sister Imelda, who stated “We hold the sole copyright,” gave us permission to reprint this book, and the current Provincial Leader of the Good Shepherd Sisters in Ireland has given us permission to use material from Msgr. Scannell’s book in the present compilation.”

I highlighted a few passages while reading this volume, some of them are:

““When only two,” Nellie’s father writes, “she would clasp my hand and toddle off to Mass, prattling all the way about Holy God. That was the way she always spoke of God, and I do not know where she could have learned it.” Nellie loved her father dearly, and her first request when her mother went out was to buy a rosary for Daddy. One night her father said he was going on sentinel duty. Nellie said, “I will be sentinel in your place.””

“The truth is that she had a crooked spine, though this was not recognized till she came into the care of the Good Shepherd Sisters. The trouble had begun at the time when Nellie was a very small baby and a babysitter had allowed her to fall. Perhaps the child seemed unhurt at the time; but as the little limbs stretched and broadened, the infirmity grew painful. Sitting upright hurt much; in fact, holding the body still for any length of time pained her a great deal. Her hip and her twisted back were out of joint. She cried, but there was no loving mother to soothe and comfort her. Nellie’s father at length realized that he could not carry on any longer in a motherless family, so he asked a kind priest friend to find a home in some convent for his forlorn orphans.”

“While Nellie was still confined to bed in the Sacred Heart Infirmary, a little altar on which stood a statue of the Holy Infant of Prague attracted her attention. Nurse (Miss Hall) explained to her that the statue was an image of Our Lord when He was a child. Immediately Nellie’s interest was aroused. Nurse proceeded to narrate the story of the birth of Christ and His great love for us. The child listened with evident enthusiasm, and ever afterward she delighted in “the story of Holy God when He was a little child.”

From that moment she turned with all the sweet simplicity of childhood and spoke to little Jesus. Soon she made a novena to Him, at the suggestion of the nuns, asking Him to make her well. When the novena was ended, she unexpectedly became so far recovered as to be able to walk about in the garden holding someone’s hand. Naturally, this inspired in her a great confidence in the Holy Child, with whom she now began to chat familiarly and of whom she made the most extraordinary demands.”

“And so, on October 8, 1907, Nellie received the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Afterward she was brought to the parlor to be introduced to the good Bishop. It was then that the Bishop, as he afterward declared, was so impressed by the graces which he now perceived had been granted to this orphan child. Nellie declared to all who came to see her on her Confirmation day: “I am now a soldier of Holy God.””

“Her growth in holiness was even more remarkable. She manifested a wonderful devotion to the Passion of Our Divine Lord, and when they exhorted her to unite her sufferings with those of the Redeemer, she seemed to grasp the idea immediately and was quite prepared to make the heroic sacrifice and to endure the most atrocious suffering without a murmur of complaint. She kept a crucifix beside her on her bed, and when her sufferings became almost unbearable, she would take it in her little hand, stare at it fixedly, and whisper, “Poor Holy God! Oh, poor Holy God!” If others sympathized with her, she would smile and remark, “What is it compared with what He suffered on the Cross for me?””

“After her First Communion, Nellie was brought back to her bed in Nurse’s room. All day long the child maintained that profound calm which is rarely met with except in souls of more than ordinary sanctity. Many of the Sisters and her companions visited her; they brought her gifts of pictures, scapulars and medals. She thanked them quietly and bade Nurse hang them around her bed. The moment the visitors had gone, she joined her hands in prayer, and her lips were seen to move, whispering her love and gratitude to Holy God.”

I really appreciate the prayer that the volume concluded with. The book contains numerous photos. Some of the photos are of Nellie, of those who knew her, and of her siblings and their descendent. The book give a look at the short life of little Nellie, and of her deep devotion to God and especially the Blessed Sacrament. It was an excellent read with Father Mark Goring’s School of reading.  A great read one I can easily recommend.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan! 

Books about Little Nellie:

Little Nellie of Holy God - Sister Mary Dominic and Sister John Vianney

The Life of Little Nellie of Holy God: The Little Violet of the Blessed Sacrament (1903-1908) – Anonymous

…

Memory Maze - Gordon Korman - The Hypnotists Book 2

Memory Maze

The Hypnotists Book 2

Gordon Korman

Scholastic Canada

ISBN 9780545503297

eISBN 9780545503334

ASIN B00I11F07I

This book was originally published in 2014. According to Goodreads there are 14 editions of this second volume in this series, including editions in English, French and German editions listed. My introduction to Korman’s works was the 39 Clues back in 2009. Since then I have read over 85 of his books including this volume, a few of them more than once. I set the goal of reading all his books about 2020. I am now down to 23 left in his canon, and have completed all the stand alone books and am now just working my way through the remaining series. Not counting omnibus editions I believe that as of the summer of 2025 Korman has published 109 books. With each that I read I am entertained and often challenged, and I am always entertained. My son, who is 17 often, reads these books to me or with me, and he still loves them. When I posted my review of book 1 in this series a few weeks ago, several people commented they read it in school, but did not know it was part of a series. Looking forward to hearing their feedback because I loved book 2 and look forward to the final instalment. But back to the work at hand.

The description of this volume states:

“Jax Opus knows he's not like other kids. And it isn't his skill on the basketball court or his test scores that set him apart. No, Jax is different because he can hypnotize people. In fact, he might be the best hypnotist the world has seen in a very long time.

You would think Jax would be happy about this. But really? It's ruining his life. He and his family are hiding from a master hypnotist who wants Jax out of the picture . . . forever. And the FBI is also starting to ask questions about Jax and his abilities.

Jax thinks life might be getting a little better when a very rich, very powerful man asks him to help out with something. The reward will be great. And the price -- well, the price is that Jax starts taking on the man's memories. And some of them are pretty deadly.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Gordon Korman keeps the thrills coming and the adventure nonstop as the past and the present collide to build a memory maze that Jax Opus may never escape...”

About the author at the back of this volume we are informed:

“Gordon Korman is the #1 bestselling author of four books in The 39 Clues series as well as six books in his Swindle series: Swindle, Zoobreak, Framed, Showoff, Hideout, and Jackpot. His other books include This Can’t Be Happening at Macdonald Hall! (published when he was fourteen); The Toilet Paper Tigers; the trilogies Island, Everest, Dive, Kidnapped, and Titanic; and the series On the Run. He lives in New York with his family and can be found on the web at his website.”

I was always hesitant to give this series a try, it was the second to last series for me to start from those still in print. I have to admit I was greatly surprised by this story and the series. I made the mistake of judging a book by its cover, and I feel this is a pretty cheesy cover. From what I have read this story is about the middle of the road for intensity among Korman’s books, but there are some pretty dark events or attempted events in this work, and things in volume two amp it up a level from book 1. 

Jax Opus has a strong pedigree, one he is completely unaware of until some surprising events take place and bring him to the attention of meeting Dr. Elias Mako and his institute. Now he and his parents are hiding out, under different names, and with a friend trying to come to teams with their family history. Jax’s powers, and living in a small town after the move from New York City. Soon Jax is giving a chance to turn their life around financially but trying to use his gift to help someone out. But things are not as they appear. And once they start going sideways they really jump the curb. 

This book and series has wonderfully written characters, a great pace, and this is an excellent second volume in a wonderful series. This story is another great read from Korman’s masterful pen. 

Books by Gordon Korman:

MacDonald Hall Series:

This Can't Be Happening at Macdonald Hall  (1978)

Go Jump in the Pool (1979)

Beware the Fish!  (1980)

The Wizzle War (1982)

         (formerly The War With Mr. Wizzle)

The Zucchini Warriors (1988)

Light’s Camera, Disaster (1991)

          (aka Macdonald Hall Goes Hollywood)

The Jokes on Us (1995)

          (formerly Something Fishy at Macdonald Hall)

…

Bugs Potter Series:

Who is Bugs Potter? (1980)

Bugs Potter LIVE at Nickaninny (1983)

…

Jeremy Bloom Series:

The D−Poems of Jeremy Bloom (1992)

The Last-Place Sports Poems of Jeremy Bloom (1996)

…

Monday Night Football Series:

The Quarterback Exchange (1997)

Running Back Conversion (1997)

Super Bowl Switch (1997)

Heavy Artillery (1997)

Ultimate Scoring Machine (1998)

NFL Rules! Bloopers, Pranks, Upsets, and Touchdowns (1998)

…

Masterminds Series:

Masterminds (2015)

Masterminds: Criminal Destiny (2016)

Masterminds: Payback (2017)

…

Slapshots Series:

The Stars From Mars (1999)

All-Mars All-Stars/The Dream Team (1999)

The Face-off Phony (2000)

Cup Crazy (2000)

…

4-in-1 Slapshots: The Complete Collection (2008)

…

Nose Pickers Series:

Nose Pickers from Outer Space! (1999)

Planet of the Nose Pickers (2000)

Your Mummy Is a Nose Picker (2000)

Invasion of the Nose Pickers (2001)

…

4-in-1 The Ultimate Nose-Picker Collection (2006)

…

Island Series:

Shipwreck (2001)

Survival (2001)

Escape (2001)

…

3-in-1 Island Trilogy Collection (2006)

…

Son of the Mob Series:

Son of the Mob (2002)

Son of the Mob 2: Hollywood Hustle (2004)

…

Everest Series:

The Contest (2002)

The Climb (2002)

The Summit (2002)

…

Everest Trilogy Box Set (2002)

Dive Series:

The Discovery (2003)

The Deep (2003)

The Danger (2003)

…

On the Run Series:

Chasing the Falconers (2005)

The Fugitive Factor (2005)

Now You See Them, Now You Don't (2005)

The Stowaway Solution (2005)

Public Enemies (2005)

Hunting the Hunter (2006)

…

Kidnapped Series:

The Abduction (2006)

The Search (2006)

The Rescue (2006)

…

Swindle Series:

Swindle (2008)

Zoobreak (2009)

Framed (2010)

Showoff (2012)

Hideout (2013)

Jackpot (2014)

Unleashed (2015)

Jingle (2016)

…

Titanic Series:

Unsinkable (2011)

Collision Course (2011)

S.O.S (2011)

…

The 39 Clues Series:

One False Note (2008)

The Emperor's Code (2010)

Vespers Rising (2011)

The Medusa Plot (2011)

Flashpoint (2014)

…

Hypnotists Series:

The Hypnotists (2013)

Memory Maze (2014)

The Dragonfly Effect (2015)

…

Ungifted Series:

Ungifted (2012)

Supergifted (2018)

Hypergifted (2026)

…

Slacker Series:

Slacker (2016)
Level 13 (2019)

...

Non Series Books:

I Want to Go Home! (1981)

Our Man Weston (1982)

No Coins, Please (1984)

Don't Care High (1985)

Son of Interflux (1986)

A Semester in the Life of a Garbage Bag (1987)

Radio 5th Grade (1989)

Losing Joe's Place (1990)

The Twinkie Squad (1992)

The Toilet Paper Tigers (1993)

Why Did the Underwear Cross the Road (1994)

The Chicken Doesn't Skate (1996)

Liar, Liar Pants on Fire (1997)

The Sixth Grade Nickname Game (1998)

No More Dead Dogs (2000)

Maxx Comedy: The Funniest Kid in America (2003) 

Jake, Reinvented (2003)

Born To Rock (2006)

Schooled (2007)

The Juvie Three (2008)

Pop (2009)

Restart (2017)

What's His Face? (2018)

The Unteachables (2019)

Notorious (2019)

War Stories (2020)

Game On (contains The Chicken Doesn’t Skate and The Toilet Paper Tigers (2021)

Unplugged (2021)

Linked (2021)

Operation Do-Over (2022)

The Fort (2022)

The Super Teacher Project (2023)

Mixed Up (2023)

Slugfest (2024)

Faker (2024)

Old School (2025)

Snoop (2025)

… 

Gordon Korman - Sheelagh Matthews - Remarkable Writers 

Gordon Korman Children’s Storytellers - Chris Bowman

...

Rogue Protocol - Martha Wells - Murderbot Diaries Book 3.0

Rogue Protocol

Murderbot Diaries Book 3.0

Martha Wells

TOR

ISBN 9781250186928

eISBN 9781250186935

ASIN B075DGHHQL

It has been a while since I read book 2, it was lost in my ever growing ‘to be read’ pile. I will make sure that does not happen again. I wanted to finish the series before starting the new film version of the story. I read the first volume in this series over five years ago, and book 2 almost 2 years ago. I finished it in under 5 hours reading during two sittings. And now I am desperate to read the next instalment in the series. But I am getting ahead of myself. 

Prior to reading that first book I had never heard of Martha Wells, but author Arthur Slade mentioned his on social media. And specifically, he mentioned that first book, which he had just finished. I have read a few books over the years that Art has plugged and have never been disappointed. And that was the case that time as well, with the first book and the series I have completed to date. I bought and read book 1 while sitting in PICU after my son had spinal surgery. When I picked it up, I did not realize that it was part of a series. Let alone this long. A series, but it gives me several more books to look forward to that year, or at least that was the plan. It is in many ways a classic science fiction tale. It reminds me of stories I read a lot of in my youth but only pick up from time to time now. The description of this third instalment is:

“Starring a human-like android who keeps getting sucked back into adventure after adventure, though it just wants to be left alone, away from humanity and small talk.

Who knew being a heartless killing machine would present so many moral dilemmas?

Sci-fi’s favorite antisocial A.I. is back on a mission. The case against the too-big-to-fail GrayCris Corporation is floundering, and more importantly, authorities are beginning to ask more questions about where Dr. Mensah's SecUnit is.

And Murderbot would rather those questions went away. For good.”

Our hero was formerly property. But It was being given some freedom and decided just to go on a quest. However, in this installment in the series, he has decided to sneak back to the place that caused him ‘refurbishment’. The bot is trying to figure out what happened and why. It is determined to get the information and share it then disappear. However, things do not go as planned, and plans are great until the first encounter with the enemy! And in this one there are plenty of possible foes.

Again, there is some great action, but not as much as this first but more than the second. This one still reads like a space noir combined with Space Opera or action. There is some great character development, and a very sound story line in this third volume. 

That one alone made me think of James Bolivar diGriz, Slippery Jim aka The Stainless Steel Rat. And as you can tell from the first, it is a thinking book. Not just fluff to entertain. That feeling was even stronger with each offering in the series.

The story in some ways reminds me of the Stainless Steel Rat Series by Harry Harrison. And in other ways it reminds me of Starship Troopers by Heinlein.  The action and mystery reminds me of the Rat. And the deep reflective internal dialogue of Rico. It was a great read in an excellent series. I can easily recommend it.

Books by Martha Wells:

The Murderbot Diaries:

0.5 Compulsory

1.0 All Systems Red 

2.0 Artificial Condition 

3.0 Rogue Protocol 

4.0 Exit Strategy

4.5 Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory

5.0 Network Effect

6.0 Fugitive Telemetry

7.0 System Collapse

...

Framed - Gordon Korman - Swindle Book 3

Framed

Swindle Book 3

Gordon Korman

Scholastic Canada

ISBN 9780545270816

eISBN 9780545457361

ASIN B006N4EFKS

I have read over 80 books from Gordon Korman’s masterful pen. I did not read much when young because of a dual form of dyslexia, because of that I have a great fondness for Middle Grade books, and books for tween and teens. Korman is one of the all-time masters. I set the goal of reading all his books about 2020. I have read books in all his series, and all of the standalone stories. My introduction to Korman’s works was the 39 Clues back in 2009. But I really did not get into them until my son’s teacher gave everyone a book with a note in it at the ends of the school year. Since then my son and I have read many of his books together. 

Not counting omnibus editions I believe that as of the summer of 2025 Korman has published 109 books. And one comes out early next year. As of the reading of this volume I am down to 25 unread books. With each that I read I am entertained and often challenged. 

This book and was released originally in 2010 and the last in the series in 2016. There are 19 editions of this volume currently listed on Goodreads, and it is available in French and English. 

The description of this volume states:

“Griffin Bing's new principal doesn't like him. And Griffin doesn't like the boot camp football atmosphere the new principal has brought. Griffin manages to stay out of trouble -- until a Super Bowl ring disappears from the school's display case, with Griffin's retainer left in its place. Griffin has been framed! Unfortunately, the Man doesn't have a Plan - and everything his team tries to find out who really took the ring backfires. Griffin ends up in an alternate school, then under house arrest, and finally with an electronic anklet - with no way to prove his innocence! Griffin smells a rat - but will he be able to solve the mystery in time?”

The about the author for this edition states:

“GORDON KORMAN’s first two books featuring Griffin Bing and his friends were Swindle and Zoobreak. His other books include This Can’t Be Happening at Macdonald Hall (published when he was fourteen); The Toilet Paper Tigers; Radio Fifth Grade; the trilogies Island, Everest, Dive, and Kidnapped; and the series On the Run. He lives in New York with his family and can be found on the Web at his website.”

I really did not know what to expect when I started this series. I left this series till the end for 2 main reasons. First it is the longest series to date by Korman. And Second, I am not a huge dog guy, and also not into anthropomorphic stories. I had never read the descriptions, and just kept skipping over it until it was the last series for me to start. Once I started that first one I really did not want to put it down. And it took a lot of effort not to just jump to the next volume, or rip my way through the series. I read books in a number of series between books 2 and 3 in this series. So even though it had not been that long, it was a like a visit with old friends.

Book one is described as Ocean’s 11 with kids, it lived up to that statement, and to some extent even more so in this third instalment. This third one has a very different feel because of the circumstances and Griffin Bing being mostly stuck on the side-lines. I am so looking forward to where it goes in the next six stories in the series. 

This is another excellent story about friendship, about kids standing up, and about life in a small community. Griffin Bing is the man with a plan till everything they try seems to backfire. But an acquaintance from the alternative school steps up and might just have the key to saving Bing’s bacon, but not without some mishaps and struggles along the way.

This is a great story. It continues an amazing series. I can easily recommend it. Another great read from the master of the school story! But watch out for the dodge balls.

Books by Gordon Korman:

MacDonald Hall Series:

This Can't Be Happening at Macdonald Hall  (1978)

Go Jump in the Pool (1979)

Beware the Fish!  (1980)

The Wizzle War (1982)

         (formerly The War With Mr. Wizzle)

The Zucchini Warriors (1988)

Light’s Camera, Disaster (1991)

          (aka Macdonald Hall Goes Hollywood)

The Jokes on Us (1995)

          (formerly Something Fishy at Macdonald Hall)

…

Bugs Potter Series:

Who is Bugs Potter? (1980)

Bugs Potter LIVE at Nickaninny (1983)

…

Jeremy Bloom Series:

The D−Poems of Jeremy Bloom (1992)

The Last-Place Sports Poems of Jeremy Bloom (1996)

…

Monday Night Football Series:

The Quarterback Exchange (1997)

Running Back Conversion (1997)

Super Bowl Switch (1997)

Heavy Artillery (1997)

Ultimate Scoring Machine (1998)

NFL Rules! Bloopers, Pranks, Upsets, and Touchdowns (1998)

…

Masterminds Series:

Masterminds (2015)

Masterminds: Criminal Destiny (2016)

Masterminds: Payback (2017)

…

Slapshots Series:

The Stars From Mars (1999)

All-Mars All-Stars/The Dream Team (1999)

The Face-off Phony (2000)

Cup Crazy (2000)

…

4-in-1 Slapshots: The Complete Collection (2008)

…

Nose Pickers Series:

Nose Pickers from Outer Space! (1999)

Planet of the Nose Pickers (2000)

Your Mummy Is a Nose Picker (2000)

Invasion of the Nose Pickers (2001)

…

4-in-1 The Ultimate Nose-Picker Collection (2006)

…

Island Series:

Shipwreck (2001)

Survival (2001)

Escape (2001)

…

3-in-1 Island Trilogy Collection (2006)

…

Son of the Mob Series:

Son of the Mob (2002)

Son of the Mob 2: Hollywood Hustle (2004)

…

Everest Series:

The Contest (2002)

The Climb (2002)

The Summit (2002)

…

Everest Trilogy Box Set (2002)

Dive Series:

The Discovery (2003)

The Deep (2003)

The Danger (2003)

…

On the Run Series:

Chasing the Falconers (2005)

The Fugitive Factor (2005)

Now You See Them, Now You Don't (2005)

The Stowaway Solution (2005)

Public Enemies (2005)

Hunting the Hunter (2006)

…

Kidnapped Series:

The Abduction (2006)

The Search (2006)

The Rescue (2006)

…

Swindle Series:

Swindle (2008)

Zoobreak (2009)

Framed (2010)

Showoff (2012)

Hideout (2013)

Jackpot (2014)

Unleashed (2015)

Jingle (2016)

…

Titanic Series:

Unsinkable (2011)

Collision Course (2011)

S.O.S (2011)

…

The 39 Clues Series:

One False Note (2008)

The Emperor's Code (2010)

Vespers Rising (2011)

The Medusa Plot (2011)

Flashpoint (2014)

…

Hypnotists Series:

The Hypnotists (2013)

Memory Maze (2014)

The Dragonfly Effect (2015)

…

Ungifted Series:

Ungifted (2012)

Supergifted (2018)

Hypergifted (2026)

…

Slacker Series:

Slacker (2016)
Level 13 (2019)

...

Non Series Books:

I Want to Go Home! (1981)

Our Man Weston (1982)

No Coins, Please (1984)

Don't Care High (1985)

Son of Interflux (1986)

A Semester in the Life of a Garbage Bag (1987)

Radio 5th Grade (1989)

Losing Joe's Place (1990)

The Twinkie Squad (1992)

The Toilet Paper Tigers (1993)

Why Did the Underwear Cross the Road (1994)

The Chicken Doesn't Skate (1996)

Liar, Liar Pants on Fire (1997)

The Sixth Grade Nickname Game (1998)

No More Dead Dogs (2000)

Maxx Comedy: The Funniest Kid in America (2003) 

Jake, Reinvented (2003)

Born To Rock (2006)

Schooled (2007)

The Juvie Three (2008)

Pop (2009)

Restart (2017)

What's His Face? (2018)

The Unteachables (2019)

Notorious (2019)

War Stories (2020)

Game On (contains The Chicken Doesn’t Skate and The Toilet Paper Tigers (2021)

Unplugged (2021)

Linked (2021)

Operation Do-Over (2022)

The Fort (2022)

The Super Teacher Project (2023)

Mixed Up (2023)

Slugfest (2024)

Faker (2024)

Old School (2025)

Snoop (2025)

… 

Gordon Korman - Sheelagh Matthews - Remarkable Writers 

Gordon Korman Children’s Storytellers - Chris Bowman

...

Of All The Gin Joints In The Universe - Richard Paolinelli

Of All The Gin Joints In The Universe 

Richard Paolinelli

Tuscany Bay Books

ISBN 9798284577189

ISBN 9798284576991

ASIN B0F98C56KY

Over the last few years I have read 36 works from the pen of Richard Paolinelli, not counting his contributions to anthologies. This is the first in what I hope might be a new series. Paolinelli states in the author's note:

“First, the idea for this story has its seeds in my desire to write a 1940s-type detective noir story, but set it out in space. I hadn’t gotten around to sitting down to hammer out the story just yet though.

Until the day an author, and friend, Natasha Carter, caused the correct two brain cells to collide inside my noggin, that is. Natasha likes to drop posts on Twitter/X and then sit back and watch the reactions. And the chaos too.

One fine day she drops this gem: “I’m just here to steal your soul.”

Me, being the professional smart aleck that I am, dropped this reply: “With some women, it’s worth the price of admission.”

And just like that, the perfect way for the grizzled detective to introduce the femme fatale of this novel sprang into existence. Thinking it was likely only going to be a short story to add to my Dreams of the Storyteller collection, I sat down to plot the story out. It quickly became a series of short stories and then evolved to be long enough to just go ahead and make it a novel. And here we are.”

SO in many ways this is a fix-up novel. And as some of know fix-up novels can be masterpieces. J.F. Powers only published 2 novels both were fix-ups and both won the National Book Award. The description of this volume states:

“One detective. Two suspects. A conspiracy big enough to kill them all.

In the 25th Century, Galactic Justice upholds the law across the Milky Way.

They use the HALO to extract confessions from the guilty. For the most heinous of crimes, the guilty are erased and a new personality is uploaded in their place.

Samuel Archer Spade is a private detective on Space Station 1964 on the far edge of the galaxy. He’s a former GalJus Inspector whose conscious couldn’t square with using the HALO.

Spade is at his usual spot, his unofficial office on Norma, when a knockout blonde in a red dress, walks into The Galaxy’s Edge, the station’s bar. She’s on the run from an unwanted admirer.

But when the man arrives on the station, he’s looking to hire Spade himself. He’s claiming she has stolen something from him, As Spade tries to sort out who is telling the truth, GalJus arrives looking for both of his clients for a murder committed on another planet.

Trying to find the truth will lead Spade to discover a dark secret. Some elements within GalJus are using the HALO to frame innocent people. Even worse, they're programming people to commit murder.

That’s a secret GalJus is willing to kill for and both Sam, and his clients, are right at the top of their list.”

Sam has a conscience, one so string he left the Galactic Justice force because of a tool they were using. He became a PI, likely making his father even more proud of him. And He is set up as far from the seat of GalJus as possible. When in walks a dame in a red dress and his whole life is turned upside down. Somehow this woman has captured his heart and when she is convicted by her own voice and a truth machine called a halo. But something is not sitting right with him, and when he starts digging he finds something even worse than he ever expected.

The story is written around 4 sections and 15 chapters, which are:

Part I The Lady in Red

     1: The P.I. In The Stars

     2: The Femme Fatale

     3: The Plot Thickens

     4: Air-Tight Alabis Abound

     5: Whodunit

Part II We’ll Never Have Paris

     6: With Friends Like These

     7: Hell Hath No Fury

     8: No Fairytale Endings

Part III The Red Reunion

     9: Unhappy New Years

     10: Partners In Crime

     11: Into The Lion’s Den

Part IV A Rock and a Hard Place

     12: This Island Earth

     13: A Man For All Seasons

     14: Costly Victory

     15: The Immortals

Epilogue

Author’s Note

The action is intense. But it also has a lot of humour. The hat tips to Elon Musk and his character in the story is awesome. A few quotes to give you a feel:

“The name is Spade, Samuel Archer Spade. Yes, my old man was a nutcase over the old detective films of the mid-20th Century. Had every one of them on datachip and we must have watched each of them a hundred times. If you’re familiar with the genre, then you already know which was his favorite movie detective. Philip Marlowe was a close second. I consider myself lucky for that.”

“Frankly, it’s a miracle the human race is even still around. Back in 2192, the meteor old Elon was worrying about finally showed up and damn near split the planet in half. Fortunately, they’d listened to him and we had already colonized the rest of the solar system, Alpha Centauri, and one or two other nearby systems.”

““You, Sam,” he said. “The Senate has authorized the creation of the Department of Galactic Enforcement. DOGE!””

It was very hard to put the book down. It is a mystery, wrapped in a conspiracy, with a love story at the heart. In some ways this story reminds me of The Carter Files by Lori Janeski. It also reminds me or a lot of old shows I watched with my father including; Mike Hammer, Dirty Harry, and Spencer for Hire to name but a few. And Paolinelli makes homage to several detectives and the whole noir genre through out the work.

This is an excellent novel from Paolinelli’s pen. It took me by surprise. A great addition to his complete works. I can easily recommend this story for what an excellent piece of Science fiction mashed up with mystery Noir!

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan!

For reviews of all books from Tuscany Bay click here.

Books by Richard Paolinelli:

Maelstrom

When the Gods Fell

The Calling

The Last Lonely Trail

A Zombie Christmas Carol

The Woman Returns

Of All The Gin Joints In The Universe

…

Infinity Series:

Escaping Infinity

Exploring Infinity

Expanding Infinity

…

Starguest 4th Age Series:

Ranger

Galen’s Way

Galen’s Blade

Galen's Heart

Cassandra's Line

…

Timeless Series:

The Timeless

Secret of the Sphinx

…

Jack Del Rio Series:

Reservations

Betrayals

Endgames

…

Del Rio Omnibus Edition

…

Divine Trolls Comedies:

The Fall Of The House Of 770 Vile Aromas 

The Corvo

…

SeaDragon:

SeaDragon 1 May 1986

SeaDragon 2 June 1996

…

Seadragon Novels:

Seadragon 

...

Dreams Of The Storyteller:

Legacy Of Death

The Invited

The Fall Of Denver

Nothing Ever Happens Here

Icarus Falls

The 13th Medallion

At Homeworld's End

The Last Human

Phantoms' Lodge

Polar Shift

Extinction Point

CAG

The Enemy Of My Enemy

Barn Wars

Monster In The Second Reel 

In The Place Called Har-Magedon 

…

Dreams of the Storyteller Overview of Series

...

Sherlock Holmes Pastiches:

Sherlock Holmes: A Lesson In Mercy

Sherlock Holmes: The Woman Returns 

Sherlock Holmes: The Misplaced Mystery Writer

Sherlock Holmes: Nevermore or, The Mystery Of The Albino Raven

Sherlock Holmes: The Substitute Thief

Sherlock Holmes: The Assassination Of Alan Pinkerton

...

Sherlock Holmes Pastiches Overview of Series

...

Non Fiction:

Perfection’s Arbiter

From The Fields

The Space Shuttle: 1981–2011 

…

Contributed to:

To Be Men 

Cracked

Places Beyond The Wild

Space Force Building The Legacy

Secret Stairs 

A Tribute To H.G. Wells (2019 Edition)

Beyond Watson 

Holmes Away From Home, Vol. 2 

Sherlock Holmes Adventures In The Realms Of H.G. Wells 

Sherlock Holmes Aventures In The Realms Of Edgar Allan Poe

The Art Of Sherlock Holmes 

The Mx Book Of New Sherlock Holmes Stories, Part Xxii

…

Planetary Anthology Series:

Sol

Earth

Luna

Jupiter

Saturn

Uranus

Neptune

Pluto

…

Best Of Planetary Anthology Series

…