Book Reviews and More: Unleashed - Gordon Korman

Unleashed

Swindle Book 7

Scholastic Canada

ISBN 9780545709378

eISBN 9780545709361

ASIN B00KRNJJLQ

Unleashed - Gordon Korman - Swindle Book 7

This book and was released originally in 2015 and the last in the series to date in 2016. There are 8 editions of this volume currently listed on Goodreads and even though it is almost a decade since it published it is one of only 2 still in print, the eBook is also still available.

I have read over 101 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. After finishing this I am down to 8 volumes in 7 different series left to go.

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:

“UNLEASHED: freed from restraint, running wild, not being held back by anyone or anything . . . Don't miss the latest Swindle mystery from #1 New York Times bestselling author Gordon Korman.

Luthor, a former attack dog, is supposed to be on his best behavior now that he's in the care of Savannah, a girl who's easily a dog's best friend. But every time a certain truck passes by Savannah's house, Luthor goes into attack mode -- and chaos follows. Meanwhile, Griffin Bing is locked in the fight of his life with his archenemy, Darren Vader. Both are trying to win an invention contest -- and will stop at nothing to be victorious. A runaway dog. Some majorly strange inventions. A mysterious neighbor. A stolen object of great value. These are a few of the ingredients in Unleashed, Gordon Korman's latest Swindle mystery. Like a Doberman with a mission in mind, there's no holding this story back!”

The about the author for this edition states:

“GORDON KORMAN’s first six books featuring Griffin Bing and his friends are 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; Radio Fifth Grade; the trilogies Island, Everest, Dive, Kidnapped, and Titanic; and the series On the Run. Most recently, he is the author of The Hypnotists and Memory Maze. 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 6 and 7 in this series. Again, even though it had not been that long, it was a like a visit with old friends. The surprising element in this story is we are back to the original team, Victor who was introduced in the previous volume was not even mentioned.

I love how in this volume the team has a temporary break. Their enemy Darren Vader exploits that. But As the stakes keep getting higher they can’t seem to find a way to see past their anger and hurt. Until the unimaginable happens. And Melissa retreats into herself and technology. They team pulls out all the stops to try and help their friend.

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 seventh is very different than many in the series, for after some misunderstandings, some stubbornness, and a stranger who has closed off their short cut to school. When Darren Vader bets Griffin on an invention contest, things go sideways on many different levels.

This is another wonderful story about friendship, about kids standing up, and about life in a small community. Griffin Bing is the man with a plan and this time he has a few on the go at once.

This is a wonderful story. It is the penultimate offering in an amazing series. I can easily recommend it. A great read from the master of the school story! But watch out for the government.

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)