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Swindle #7

Unleashed (Swindle #7) by Gordon Korman

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The seventh installment in #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Gordon Korman's Swindle series!

UNLEASHED: freed from restraint, running wild, not being held back by anyone or anything . . .
 
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!

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First published January 6, 2015

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About the author

Gordon Korman

243 books4,330 followers
Gordon Korman is a Canadian author of children's and young adult fiction books. Korman's books have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide over a career spanning four decades and have appeared at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list.

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555 (48%)
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354 (31%)
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182 (15%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
Profile Image for Jan.
1,043 reviews60 followers
January 17, 2016
Why did I give this 7th book in the series only 1 star when I gave the first 6 books 3 stars? Continuity. Or rather lack of continuity, as in none at all. I like Gordon Korman. I think he's a great middle grade author. I thoroughly enjoyed his latest book Masterminds and all the books he's written for the 39 Clues series. But when he introduced a character in book #6, Jackpot, who became a big part of the team of kids that have been together since the first book, then somehow forgot he ever existed in the book #7, well I've got a big problem with that. I'll admit that not everyone is going to read the whole series all at once like I did and may not notice this glaring admission, but I'm sure there are plenty of kids who will be scratching their heads and saying, "what happened to that kid from the last book that's now part of the team? Where'd he go?

Okay, so here's what happened. In the previous book Jackpot, Griffin Bing, the Man with a Plan, is sick and tired of being constantly harassed and conned out of things by fellow student and bully Darren Vader. So he thinks up a way to get back at Darren by turning it around and pulling a great con on him. Except it backfires and all his friends sort of dump him for most of the book because he's now acting just as bad as Darren. They turn all their focus and energy to new kid at school, Victor Phoenix, who transferred there after being bullied and teased at his old school. Long story short, they all end up working together by the end of the book to find a 30 million dollar lottery ticket sold in their town before the deadline expires in a few days. As they are tying up loose ends the kids find out that Victor sort of conned all of them. Not in a mean way, but as a way to make friends with them. He saw how tight knit the group was and that they were all nice kids. The kind of kids he wanted to be friends with. The plan he came up with to become part of the group was to tell them that he had to take his cat to the animal shelter because his dad was allergic to it. He knew that animal lover Savannah would of course take the cat to live at her house and let Victor come over on a regular basis to visit her. So that was his in to the group. When he finally came clean with them, he let them know that he had only purchased the cat from the pet store 20 minutes prior to telling Savannah the made up story. It didn't go over well. "His heart in his eyes, Victor looked from face to face, seeing disbelief, anger, resentment, suspicion, and, in Melissa's case nothing at all." Griffin tells them not to be so hard on him. "It was a plan-and a pretty good one. The kid's a planner, just like me." The team officially had it's newest member.

And that last sentence of the book is why I have such a problem with this book. Where's Victor? What happened to him? Is Gordon Korman writing so many different series at this point that he's forgetting some of the characters? Why introduce this character and make him such an integral part of the team, even ending the previous book with the sentence, "The team officially had its newest member", and then have all the kids act like he never even existed in the next book? I kept flipping through the pages wondering when Victor was going to show up and trying to figure out why he wasn't. I'm still waiting for an explanation.
22 reviews2 followers
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March 7, 2016
The Man with the Plan, Griffin Bing, and his gang have been up against a lot in their latest adventures. To start it all off, Savannah , one of Griffin's friends, has been having some issues with her dog Luther. Luther is an ex guard dog, and has been chasing the exterminator's truck for an unidentifiable reason. Then a new neighbor moves into the neighborhood. His name is Mr. Hartman and he very shortly gets off on the wrong foot with Griffin and his gang, after blocking their shortcut to the school. After taking the long way around to school and arriving late, Griffin is surprised by an Invent-a-Palooza competition the school is holding. Unfortunately for Griffin his father is an inventor, and he is soon pressured into the competition by is enemy Darren Vader. By the end of this hectic day, there is yet another surprise for the gang. Melissa the gang's technology geek, has also signed up for the Invent-a-Palooza. This is a low blow for Griffin, and sparks an all out war between the guys and girls on the team.It is now Griffin, Ben, and Logan against Pitch, Melissa, and Savannah. In the following days, the teams create their crazy inventions, but yet another twist to the story comes, Melissa's finished project, the Hover Handler, is stolen. Read Gordon Korman's newest book in the Swindle series to find out how Mr. Hartman, the gang, and a government building are involved with one of Griffins greatest plans yet.

Some things I enjoyed about this book include the mystery and unknowingness of every topic in the book. thought it added many twists to the book when there were many open ended questions to be answered. I also liked the humor in the book, and the morals of being a better man, and what goes around comes around. The one thing I didn't like about this book was the reason Luther was chasing the exterminator's truck. All he had wanted to do was get the moose hood ornament off the hood of the truck.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes humor, mystery, or any young adult. I also recommend it to anyone who enjoys the Swindle series or any other of Gordon Korman's books.
9 reviews
November 10, 2015
This book is full of suspense. It is about 6 kids that go on an adventure to find their friend melissa's invention entry for the invent a palooza. They go through many obstacles to get it. Her invention is called the hover handle. It is supposed to prevent dogs from going into the street. One day her invention is gone. They will have to find out who took it. I think this book is great I recommend it if you like mystery books.
Profile Image for Sha.
1,000 reviews40 followers
skimmed-through
April 9, 2021
08 Apr 2021

1. This is probably my least favorite book of the series? So much girl vs boy drama which is well. It's not really a funny subject unless handled very carefully, and Korman writes in a sort of post sexism world where everything is ridiculous and that makes for a strange and sometimes dubious combination. Too much suspension of disbelief for my poor overtaxed brain.

2. I don't even know the plot I just know stuff is being invented and its girls vs boys is that a Gordon Korman thing or something? I think I remember seeing it in MacDonald Hall too.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Dolly.
Author 1 book671 followers
November 1, 2019
I'm not sure what drove me to pick this audio CD up at our local library. It's book seven of the series, and I've only read book one, but honestly, it doesn't really matter that much.

The story is entertaining, although it seemed to drag a bit in the middle. I think this is one that I would've preferred to listen to on audiobook, where I could've sped up the narration in the more repetitive parts.

Still, I know that there are some big fans of this series and I understand how it can appeal to older elementary school-age children.
5 reviews
January 21, 2016
I thought Unleashed by Gordon Korman was a great book that was funny,exciting and also a mystery. Griffin Bing's school is having an invention contest. Since Griffin's dad is an inventor all the kids think he will win the contest, but Griffin doesn't know much about inventing. Griffin's enemy, Darren Vader, forces him to make a bet. Whoever wins the contest will have to read a speech, to the whole school which was written by the winner. Griffin hopes his friend, Melissa, will help him, but because of an argument the boys and girls divide. Savannah's dog, Luthor, is always chasing an exterminator truck so Melissa invents a high pitched noise machine called the Hover Handler. She hopes the machine will make Luthor stop chasing trucks. Then Melissa's invention is stolen. Griffin invents a noiseless vacuum cleaner, but it has a major problem. The vacuum always makes the electricity go out. The boys and girls team up to find out who stole Melissa's Hover Handler. The kids think that either Darren or Mr. Hartman, a grouchy neighbor who is suspicious of the government, is the thief. They hear a noise coming from Mr. Hartman's house, but then discover it is just a piece of equipment. Then the kids think maybe Mr. Hartman is right about the government and that is who stole Melissa's invention. After some investigation the team finds the Hover Handler and learns the government is the thief. Griffin wins the invention contest and Darren has to give the speech to the school.
16 reviews
August 24, 2015
Unleashed by Gordan Korman is an exciting, fast-paced book. I really enjoyed this book because it kept me turning pages until the end. I hope the author makes more books like this one.

Unleashed is the seventh book in the Swindle series by Gordan Korman about Griffin Bing and his friends and how Griffin comes up with a bunch of crazy plans. Griffin's friend Savannah has a dog who chases the same truck every day. Savannah is worried that he could be injured or killed. At the same time ,Griffin and his archrival, Darren, are both trying to win an invention contest at their school. This combined with a strange neighbor, a stolen object, and another of Griffin's plans makes for an entertaining read.

I would recommend this book to people who like heist stories or have read the first six books. make sure you have read the rest of the series before you read Unleashed, as it is the newest book in the series. I think this book appeals more to boys than girls but girls might like it too if they like heist stories. Unleashed is a great book and I hope there are more books in the series.
Profile Image for Barbara.
14.8k reviews312 followers
March 16, 2015
Griffin Bing and his friends are suddenly divided, boys against girls, in this seventh title in the Swindle series. The rift results from the pressure Griffin feels to win the school's competition for inventions. Suddenly, he finds himself pitted against arch-enemy Darren Vader, and his good friend Melissa. As Griffin and his crew experiment with ways to muffle the sound of a vacuum cleaner, Melissa crafts an invention that will stop Luthor, Savannah's beloved former attack dog, from chasing after the exterminator's truck. There are plenty of hair-raising adventures, some questionable activities, and close calls within the book's pages. Fans of this series will not be disappointed as each character has a chance to shine in some way. In his own inimitable style, the author keeps readers hooked until the very last page when Luthor's reasons for chasing the truck become all too clear. No one does this sort of thing better than Gordon Korman--interesting plots, terrific characters, and authentic dialogue, all wrapped in a layer of sophisticated humor.
29 reviews1 follower
November 2, 2016
Luthor keeps chasing one car. He is putting himself in danger to do it. Why do it at all. Mean while a mean neighbor keeps kids off his lawn so they have to go a super duper long way which made them super late. In school an inventing contest has begun. Griffin and Darren are entering as well as Melissa. She made a device that made Luthor stop going into the roads. Then it got stolen by the government, but they did not know that at the time. They checked the mean neighbors house and Darren Vader's house but it was not there. Then they found a government building with the invention's scent on it. They broke in and found it. Though to get a way they had to smash it up into peaces to get a away.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Steven R. McEvoy.
3,759 reviews165 followers
August 8, 2025
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.
9 reviews
February 2, 2019
Title: UnLeashed
Author: Gordon Korman
Date:

This book is called UnLeashed by Gordon Korman, this is a realistic fiction book or a Nonfiction book. The book is about a few kid who are competiming. They are competing for the number one prize for the fair where you invent something. When push comes to shove to best friend Griffin and Melissa are against each other and end up being separated in there friend group boys and girls. They end up working against each other and when Melissa’s invention gets taken the friend group reunites to find it , because Melissa completely shut down. The main Characters are Griffin, Ben, Logan, Savannah, Pitch, and Melissa. The setting is a suburban area, school, a few different houses, and a government facility. The big conflict was when Melissa’s invention got taken. The friends all tried to find Melissa’s invention to help her feel better.

My Opinion on Unleashed is that it will drag any reader in and make then want to keep flipping pages. This book has no weaknesses it always has action. Throughout the book Griffin the main character always has a plan and they usually take up a page explain the context of the plane lays it out. This happens at least every 3 or 4 chapter. For example, “ Operation recover hover” pg 155 chapter 27. This was a plan to find Melisa’s hover experiment. This is one of the various ways that Gordon Korman hooks you in. This book is not similar to any other books it is one of a kind it great.There is lot of attention to detail. It describes a lot for example when they were in the government place they were pointing out all the little gadgets and what they were used for my favorite scene was when the vacuum cleaner shut down the whole neighborhood electricity. I mean what are the odds of that a vacuum cleaner shutting off the power.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
7 reviews
April 8, 2019
In the beginning, Luthor is always chasing after a truck whenever it comes down the street. Nobody knows why he does it. Soon after, the group finds out that the shortcut that they have been using to get to school has been blocked by a new neighbor. Without the shortcut, it takes 15-20 minutes longer to get to school. They end up being late and are angry at their new neighbor. However, there isn't much they can do, especially because he puts up a fence.
There are many examples of figurative language, but here a just a few. "The truck backfired, and Ben Slovak jumped a foot in the air." This is an example of a hyperbole. "The food disappeared in a heartbeat." This is also a hyperbole. "A backfire sounded, and his ears perked up like the targeting system of a fighter jet locking onto an enemy plane." This is an example of a simile. "By the time he reached the end of the leash, Luthor was flying." This is a hyperbole. ""Only if it works both ways," Griffin countered. "If I win, I get to write the speech for you. And trust me - when it comes to the subject of you stinking, I'm Shakespeare."" This is an example of an alliteration.
This book is pretty good, but I've definitely read better. There are some funny parts and some really weird parts as well. It was pretty funny when Darren's auto egg cooker started malfunctioning and shooting everyone with eggs, even though it defied pretty much every law of electricity out there. The weirdest part is defenitely the new neighbor. He is super paranoid of the government and even dug out a secret bunker under his house stocked with food in case the government came to his house. I wouldn't personally recommend it, but it was pretty good.
Profile Image for Cameron.
25 reviews
May 21, 2019
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1 review
March 9, 2018
This book was fantastic in my opinion. Swindle as a series has been great. Every book Gordon Korman wrote, has never let down. And neither does this book. Unleashed is the 7th book or second most recent book in the series, just after Jackpot and before Jingle. And it tells about the invention contest at the school. And Griffin's father is an inventor. I won't spoil it, but please read this book! Its is great!
Profile Image for AMY.
2,759 reviews
June 20, 2018
200 pages. Another great book in the series. I loved this one! Great focus on inventions and all the challenges an inventor can encounter. Add some major drama and team trouble and you have a great story. Wonderful ending and resolution. The author is great about presenting some mystery that needs solving and ignites the many pathways to resolution that keep a reader completely captivated. Great job! Loved it! Highly recommended for Grade 5 and up.
Profile Image for Anthony.
7,131 reviews31 followers
November 27, 2019
After Giffin Bing is backed into participating in Invent-a-Palooza , he's up against Darren Vader of all people. Savannah is stumped by Luthor's behavior of chasing Ralph the exterminator's truck, and somehow a battle of the sexes has reared its ugly head and divided the gang. All of this and a new neighbor has installed a fence blocking a well traveled path to school. High jinks, conspiracy, stolen property, and mystery combine in the seventh installment of the Swindle Mystery series.
29 reviews1 follower
January 28, 2021
I have been looking for this book for 2 years and it was worth the wait. it was quite funny from ox tail soup to missing entries for the invent a palooza it's also a thriller to like all swindle mysteries how ever i am still wondering why luthor chased the truck the book does not tell you so dont bother trying to see if you missed a page or something looking for the reason of why luthor chased the truck it DOES NOT SAY. trust me i trade it all.
Profile Image for Brooke W.
124 reviews194 followers
December 20, 2020
How can an author come up with so many original ideas with the same characters and it never gets repetitive? Gordon Korman can do it. This funny novel with and friendships and an Invent-a-Palooza is such a great book series if you want mysteries to solve and a group of middle-school kids who want justice and a bunch of angry cops and parents.
14 reviews
October 14, 2022
The Man with the Plan (main character), Griffin Bing, and his gang have been up against a lot in their latest adventures against swindle. The issue is that lutor is supposed to be on his best behavior but when a certain truck passes by their house he always goes crazy. They have to figure out why this is and put a stop to it.
Profile Image for Steve.
262 reviews7 followers
November 20, 2023
This is the only book in the series I have read, and I read it to my kids. They were bored with it. It was too far-fetched for them with too many internal thoughts about the drama and not enough fun or action. The premise of the invent-a-palooza and infighting with friends did not hold their attention.
6 reviews1 follower
Read
October 4, 2019
In the story, 4 friends are entering the event-a-palooza and they had a big fight on who is going to be a better inventer. This book is fantastic I love the little surprise at the end and how they fing where their friend's invention went stolen and they meet a crazy guy named Mr. Hartman
Profile Image for Mario.
4 reviews
March 30, 2021
The reason that I like the book unleashed is because it's like a mystery and it's humor, drama,and it's very creative it has a lot of contest and challenges in it it talks about team work a lot. I'm sure you will like it as much as me.
29 reviews
March 9, 2025
Mf got into the most funky situation but still managed to get himself out of it with the help of some kids ofc. Holy fucking shit this book fucks. I swears they always got a plan for everything like it’s straight outa “Dora the Explorer” or “Breaking Bad” lmfao
2 reviews
November 9, 2017
Luthor as Savannah's dog behavior changes as a he chases after a truck gets help from griffon who is in the story competing in a competition
Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews

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