Gordon Korman
Scholastic
ISBN 9781338629118
eISBN 9781338629125
ASIN B08LQY6BFM
My son and I started reading Gordon Korman books together a few years ago. Prior to that I had a read a few of his contributions to the 39 Clues. We have mostly been reading his more recent titles. We pre-ordered the eBook of this one and I started it the day it released. I have now read fourteen books from Korman’s masterful pen and have yet to read a dud. Over the last few years my son and I have read about a dozen books by Gordon Korman together. And we plan to read many of the older titles, but love picking up his new releases and giving them a read. We have loved all the books we have read so far, and have many we want to read. I read this one ahead of my son because he already had a book on the one of Corinna Turner’s unSPARKed books. So I read this on my own, and have already started it again now with my son for a second read through.
Wow! Just wow! Korman has written some wonderful books. And he has written some deeply moving books. He has dealt with topics both humour and very serious. But I believe this is his most powerful work to date.
Chokecherry, Colorado has a swastika problem, and a history they would like to keep buried. Swastika’s are popping up all over the place, first at the school then elsewhere. It seems that no amount of tolerance training is capable of stopping the perpetrator. It also seems that the culprit will never be caught in the act, or even at all. The kids and the town need some a morale boost. They decide to make a paper chain, their goal is to make it 6 million links to commemorate every Jewish life lost in the Holocaust. Link Rowley is in the middle of it all. Link being a popular kid swings the school into action. But he has a secret and it is a big twist.
When Link finds out that his grandmother is the sole surviving member of his Jewish family it stirs up a lot in him. He wants to find out what it means to be Jewish. To prepare for his bar mitzvah with a gusto. He has a lot of catching up to do. And a lot to figure out. With the help of Dana the only Jewish girl he is learning and exploring.
The greatest strengths of Korman’s books are the characters and usually the humour. And though this story has a touch of his tell tale humour. It is far less than the others we have read. But the characters are amazing. And we love his serial first person narratives. The story is incredibly well written. And an excellent read. It is a great book for the middle grade audience, tweens and even younger teens. So pick up this book and find out the who? and the why? of the mysterious swastika’s.
With each of Gordon Korman’s books I read the more impressed I am. His books have great appeal to younger readers but are written so that parents, adults, and educators can enjoy them immensely as well. This one deals with some very series issues. And it does it in an excellent way. I strongly encourage you to pick it up and give it a read, as it is one of Korman’s best! Another excellent read from the masterful pen of Gordon Korman.
Books by Gordon Korman:
MacDonald Hall Series:
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)
…
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: 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)
Ouch I got slapped (2023)
…
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)
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)
…
Slacker Series:
...
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)
Radio 5th Grade (1989)
Losing Joe's Place (1990)
The Twinkie Squad (1992)
The Toilet Paper Tigers (1993)
The Chicken Doesn't Skate (1996)
Liar, Liar Pants on Fire (1997)
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)
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