(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Swindle, the first book in Gordon Korman's popular series about uber-planner Griffin Bing, is a whole lot of fun. It's not the best-written piece of middle-grade literature I've ever read, but it's an upbeat, exciting story that will speak to any kid who's ever felt invisible. This zany adventure makes for a quick, funny read, one that should engage even reluctant readers. I didn't like the book nearly as much as my kids did, but I definitely enjoyed Swindle. If my kids have anything to do with it - and believe me, they do - I'll be picking up the rest of the books in the series. Soon. And that's okay with me.

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Claverage Middle School might as well be Mars for 13-year-old Capricorn Anderson. Raised on an isolated farming commune, he's wholly unprepared for the noise, the bullying, the chaos that defines junior high. But with Rain, his grandmother and guardian, in the hospital, Cap really doesn't have a choice - it's either Claverage (dubbed "C Average" by the student body) or a group home. He'll take Claverage, even if it embodies everything that's wrong with the "money-hungry rat race of modern society" (4) from which Rain has tried so hard to shield him.

Schooled by Gordon Korman tells the story of tie-dye wearing, peace-loving Cap, as he navigates his way through the alien world of C Average. His hippie clothes, scraggly hair, and complete innocence (When a teacher accuses him of being a regular Jerry Seinfeld, he replies in all seriousness, "You must have me confused with another student. My name is Capricorn Anderson." [19]) make him the perfect target for some good, old-fashioned bullying. Because he's never experienced meanness in his life, Cap can't understand why he keeps finding spitballs in his hair, why kids direct him to classrooms that don't exist, or why he's suddenly been elected eighth grade class president.

For Zach Powers, the most popular boy in 8th Grade, Capricorn Anderson provides the perfect opportunity to prove exactly who's boss at C Average Middle School. As the Big Kahuna on Campus, it's his right to find the biggest nerd around, electing him class president, and watch him stumble through the job like an idiot. Cap's too perfect - when Zach informs him that the class president has to hold press conferences in the geography lab, the hippie kid searches the school for the fictional classroom. When Zach tells him the president has to know the name of every kid in school, Cap memorizes the yearbook. Cap's utterly guileless, and it's irking Zach to no end. It's just no fun picking on a kid who has no idea he's being picked on. The worst part is, some of his posse actually feel sorry for Cap - weirdly enough, the oddest kid ever to walk C Average's halls, is quickly becoming Zach's biggest rival.

Capricorn Anderson hardly realizes there is such a thing as a middle school hierarchy, let alone his changing place in it. All he wants is to get back to the commune, where he can breathe fresh air, harvest his fruit, and live in perfect harmony with nature and the one person who really understands him, his grandma. Zach wants nothing more than to grant him his wish. What happens when the Kahuna and the hippie kid collide? Well, Bob Dylan's immortal words describe it pretty well: The Times They Are A'Changin'. With Capricorn Anderson in the house, C Average will never be the same again.

Fresh and funny, Schooled provides a unique take on the familiar subject of identity. Capricorn Anderson - a boy who's too pure to be anything but authentic - shows readers exactly what it means to be true to oneself. Never preachy, the story's simply different, fun, and entertaining - with a message that comes across loud and clear. I adored it.

Grade: A

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG for some junior high-type humor (nothing really crass, just a lot of talk about wedgies and such).

If you live in the same city as I do (and I know some of you do), you're probably aware that recent budget cuts have forced the school district to eliminate librarian positions. I've heard rumors that the most prevalent reading program in our elementary schools - A.R. - will also be phased out. As a bibliophile with two elementary-age bookworms, this makes me sad. Since we just moved, said bookworms are now attending a school that boasts its own "homegrown" reading program. It's low-tech (kids read books then take paper tests about them to earn points toward rewards), so it should be safe from budget reductions. However, it takes an army of parents to read books, write tests, file tests, grade tests, etc. I'm absolutely thrilled to be one of the soldiers.

So, last week when I went in to help, the lady who runs the library showed me her stack of books for which she needed tests written. I grabbed a few, but the stories in Gordon Korman's Kidnapped series are the ones that really grabbed my attention. Apparently, I'm not the only one so beguiled - the students have been requesting tests right and left for these books. After reading the whole trilogy, I can certainly see why. Although I had never heard of Korman before this, he's written a whole slew of action/adventure books. If they are as riveting as the three I read, I'll be visiting the K section of the children's library in the near future.

Book 1: The Abduction

The first book in the series introduces us to Aiden and Meg Falconer, two kids who were forced to live as fugitives after their parents were jailed on suspicion of aiding terrorists. Although I didn't realize this when I started The Abduction, their whole backstory is told in an earlier series. Anyway, now the kids are back home with their parents, living normal lives. Well, as normal as life can be after weeks on the run. It's a big adjustment for them to be forced to sit still in a classroom after their adrenaline-pumping adventures. At least they're safe and sound now. It's not exactly a peaceful life - there are still people out there who believe the Falconer's are traitors to the U.S. - but at least the kids can sleep in their own beds at night. Now they can put the whole trauma out of their minds and get on with their ordinary lives.

That's what they think until one afternoon when three strangers grab Meg, stuff her into a van, and race off. Aiden manages to get away, but he's appalled that he couldn't save his sister. When the FBI gets involved, none of the Falconers are overjoyed to see Agent Harris again. After all, he's the one responsible for wrongly imprisoning John and Louise Falconer in the first place. Competence obviously isn't the man's strong point.

Aiden's time on the run forced him to trust his instincts; fortunately, he hasn't forgotten how. When he sees an odd news story about a flag that has been forced off its pole, he knows it's a sign from his sister. Agent Harris is under enough pressure after being publicly humiliated by the whole Falconer scandal; he's not about to send men out to investigate Aiden's wild claim. Meanwhile, Meg's holding her own against her abductors. She even manages to slip a Help! note outside the warehouse where she's being held.

When a ransom note appears on a popular website, the FBI decides to try to lure the kidnappers out of hiding. Using Aiden as bait, the agents set their trap. Harris experiences another public humiliation when the plan goes terribly awry, placing two more kids in danger. In the end, Aiden finds himself looking down the barrel of a loaded gun. Will his bravery (stupidity?) get him any closer to his sister, or will all the danger be for naught?

When the second book opens, Meg is bouncing around inside the trunk of her kidnappers' car. Location unknown. Destination unknown. A plan she read about in one of her dad's cheesy detective novels help her escape, but only briefly. The abductors find another cage for her, one they are sure she can't fight her way out of. Once again, they underestimate Meg. Using skills honed during her weeks as a fugitive plus more ideas from her dad's books, she tries to stay ahead of her sinister captors. Sometimes she succeeds, sometimes she doesn't.

Aiden's so sick with worry that even chess games with his best friend, Richie, can't keep his mind focused. He's ecstatic that bumbling Agent Harris is off the case, but the new guy in charge doesn't seem much more helpful. When Aiden reads a news story about a series of overflowing bathrooms along a rural highway, he knows it is Meg sending him messages. Agent Sorenson dismisses the notion. After a desperate call to Agent Harris, Aiden realizes he's on his own. If he doesn't follow the clues Meg is leaving him, no one will. Sneaking past the FBI agents guarding his home, Aiden begins his own journey, one that will have him hiding in chicken coops, crawling through the sewer and facing the razor-sharp knife of a veteran soldier.

As much as Meg hopes for rescue, she, too, realizes she will have to save herself. With help from a surprising source, she manages to escape, but only to find herself up against a brick wall. Actually, worse. Now, she's lost on an empty mountain with a blizzard threatening her survival.

On the homefront, John and Louise Falconer worry about both of their children, their only comfort coming in the form of blogger extraordinaire, Rufus Sehorn. The only communication from the kidnappers has been through his website. Unfortunately, very little is coming through. Can the FBI find their daughter? What about their son, who's being tracked by the less-than-efficient Agent Harris? After all they have suffered, are they about to lose their children, too?