Book Reviews and More: Jackpot - Gordon Korman

Jackpot

Swindle Book 6

Scholastic Canada

ISBN 9780545675253

eISBN 9780545633499

ASIN B00ED05C8S

Jackpot - Gordon Korman - Swindle Book 6

This book and was released originally in 2014 and the last in the series to date in 2016. There are 18 editions of this volume currently listed on Goodreads and even though it is just over a decade since it published it is listed as out of print, fortunately the eBook is still available.

I have read over 95 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 deep 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.

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 11 unread books. With each that I read I am entertained and often challenged.

The description of this volume states:

“The sixth installment in the Swindle series, in which The Man With The Plan gets a new rival . . . and the search for a missing lottery ticket becomes a hunt of epic proportions.

the top prize in a game or lottery; a sensational and unexpected success, stroke of luck, windfall, bounty, pay day . . .What would you do with $30,000,000? That's the question everyone in Cedarville and every town near it is asking, because right now there's an unclaimed lottery ticket worth that much -- and the money will go to whomever finds it first.Griffin Bing, The Man With The Plan, wants to be the lucky winner. But he's got competition. Darren Vader, Griffin's number-one enemy, will stop at nothing to find it. And a new kid in town, Victor Phoenix, is also in on the big hunt. He's got an advantage that Griffin would have never Griffin's own friends are helping Victor out. But why?Griffin's going to need a lot of help -- from a rowdy Doberman, a completely strange invention, and a very random set of wheels -- to hit this jackpot and win his friends back.”

The about the author for this edition states:

“GORDON KORMAN’s first five books featuring Griffin Bing and his friends are Swindle, Zoobreak, Framed, Showoff, and Hideout. 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, 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 said it before and I state it again; 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. That was my mistake, and a huge one at that. I was wrong on both concerns.

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 few series between books 4 and 5 in this series. Again, 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 with each new instalment. This sixth is very different than many in the series, for after some misunderstandings, some stubbornness, and a new kid in town Griffin does not even have a plan but is soon on the outs with his team and friends. When Darren Vader gets Griffin interested in a plan, things get even worse.

This is a wonderful story about friendship, about kids standing up, and about life in a small community. Griffin Bing is the man with a plan and that usually, but this time he is almost on his own, and then teamed up with Darren which might be even worse. What starts as a plan to get even with Darren eventually comes close to costing Griffin everything that matters to him. He just did not realize it at the time.

This is a great story. It continues an amazing series. I can easily recommend it. It is another wonderful read from the master of the school story! But watch out for the garbage picking.

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)