Book Reviews and More: Jingle - Gordon Korman

Jingle

Swindle Book 8

Scholastic Canada

ISBN 9780545861427

eISBN 9780545861458

ASIN B01EXN35FG

This was the penultimate volume for me reading the complete novels of Gordon Korman. 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 1 unread book, the final book in the Macdonald Hall Series. With each that I read I am entertained and often challenged. And what a great story this is. But back to that soon.

This book and was released originally in 2016 and the last in the series currently, but with it having been 9 years since the release of a new story likely the last. There are 7 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 108 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 just one left to go as mentioned.

The description of this volume states:

“The eighth installment in #1 New York Times bestselling author Gordon Korman's Swindle series!

JINGLE: a light clinking or tingling sounds, often heralding the approach of Santa, reindeer, or the mysterious thief of a priceless possession . . . Griffin Bing and his friends are NOT happy. Instead of going away for winter break, they've been signed up to volunteer at a local Christmas extravaganza . . . as elves. It's not easy being an elf. Not when Santa is bad news and Rudolph is being played by a Doberman who makes up his own rules wherever he goes. But being an elf is nothing compared to being blamed when a prized Christmas possession -- worth over ten million dollars -- is stolen right from under your nose. It's time for these elves to get off the shelf and track down a Christmas thief!”

The about the author for this edition states:

“GORDON KORMAN’s first Swindle mysteries were Swindle, Zoobreak, Framed, Showoff, Hideout, Jackpot, and Unleashed. His other books include Slacker, 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, Titanic, and The Hypnotists; 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, likely for the last time; 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. So please give this excellent series a try.

Once I started that first one I really did not want to put any book in this series down. 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 7 and 8 in this series, and other works as well. 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 volume 2 before this was not even mentioned.

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 eighth is very different than many in the series, a high priced item is missing and the whole team is suspects. Everything the team does to try and prove their innocence seems to make matters worse. All but one end up grounded after a few run-ins with the police. And not only do the police suspect them each of their families is experiencing the backlash or blowback of that suspicion. But the man with a plan will not give up, even if almost everyone else does, at least temporarily. This story is a wonderful conclusion to an excellent series!

This is another awesome 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 to pull out all the stops, not just for their own reputations but for the sake of the whole community. Oh and the Hanukah vs Christmas war was hilarious. Be ready for some laughs, some tension and a great deal of fun in this final story in the Swindle series. Who knew that a weasel cheating a kid out of a valuable baseball card could lead to a crew that has so many great adventures?

This is a wonderful story. It is the ultimate offering in an amazing series. I can easily recommend it. A great read from the master of the school story!

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)