Hideout

S. Wendell Palomino is back and wants his dog, so armed with a court order, he demands Luthor, the oversized Doberman, back from Savannah Drysdale.  But the gang can't let that happen, so Griffin, The Man with the Plan, hatches an idea to hide him at his summer camp.  Too bad that plan fails when Swindle sends a lackey to get the dog.  Then it's off to Logan and Melissa's camp, but that doesn't last long either.  Finally, Luthor lands with Pitch and Ben, but of course, Swindle and his henchmen are not far behind.  Utter unbelievable, but very entertaining, Hideout is great for fans of the caper story and dog lovers alike.

Gordon Korman's Swindle books are great for middle readers, despite the complete lack of consequences of the children's actions.  Or maybe the reader is to assume that consequences comes between books.  So far the gang has liberated Luthor and a very valuable baseball card from Swindle, saved a monkey and many other animals from a floating zoo, sprung Griffin from juvenile detention, helped Luthor win best in show, now finally keep Luthor from Swindle.  It's full circle.

The first in this series was delightfully witty and the characters came together so well.  The next books have all been nice, and readers will enjoy Griffin's plans.  Dog lovers will be able to relate to Savannah's fierce love for Luthor and how much he means to her.  But I think that most readers would agree that it's time for Luthor, Savannah and the gang to live happily ever after.

Happy Reading!