[Jade]

Hey everybody! I’m Jade, and I’m excited to announce the official start of the SNOOP book club, courtesy of Logan. Starting on August 11th, this is where we will discuss our findings on Gordon Korman’s latest book, SNOOP!

 

We will have some discussion questions, but they will be posted at the end of our review of all twenty-seven chapters to avoid spoilers.

 

Since there are twenty-seven chapters, this should take about a month since I believe we are going chapter-by-day. Yup, after a quick search, we are!

 

If you haven’t read the book yet, read it now! Cheers to an excellent book club.

 

[Jade]

Chapter 1: Carter (Though, all chapters are by Carter.)

 

The first thing I’d say about this story is that I had the honor of getting to learn about it by attending Gord’s session in the Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, GA. I unfortunately got COVID right after this trip, but I think it was totally worth it. I absolutely adore the premise and the blurb, and I think Gord communicated it excellently! 

 

The first line, “The wind on the mountain is cold enough to freeze fire.” Is absolutely fire. This is such an awesome opening line. I don’t know what the “Chattanooga Chop” craze is about, it sounds silly, but it’s a great representation for what me and my classmates think TikTok-obsessed middle schoolers look like. (Even though we look… very similar…)

 

Carter is really funny. I like how he’s skiing in Utah, right? (My bestie goes to ski in Utah often.) I appreciate how Carter’s divorced parents situation are brought up normally on the second page. It makes it seem normal (and it is, and there’s nothing particularly special about it) but in my life a lot of people put a stigma around divorce. Thank you for erasing it. You handle divorce so well.

 

I love how Carter is obsessed with his gadgets. He’s exactly like me. I could not live without my phone, computers, tablet, TV, any of that! And I would probably enjoy skiing a little bit, but not without my phone!

 

(This book is off to such a great start. How many times did you have to edit these opening lines?)

 

I like how Carter is pretending to listen to his brother but he’s really not. You capture annoying little siblings well, Gord! But this is so cool to be able to see the before the accident. It’s like the 5-10% of a story that’s the normal in creative writing. But it’s less, because to be honest we don’t need allat.

 

This reminds me of Chase and the diving off a roof situation except I get to see the moments leading up to that and it is absolutely awesome!

 

It was really funny and made me giggle how adamant Carter was about his head being fine. The broken legs would freak me out though! Carter had such a good reaction. If it was me, I would immediately start crying and yelling at Martin, throwing the nearest thing I have at him.

 

The little comment about wanting your mom to come is so relatable. I would need my mom to be there! Thanks for adding the detail.

 

I do like how at the end, he realizes he can be on his screen all day long though. I love that. That’s what I would think, too.

 

I also want to note that I laughed multiple times in this first chapter. Carter is just really funny!

 

Overall, it was an excellent beginning to this book, a great length, and had me very interested in reading more. I think I winced when Carter got pommelled by Martin the Monster.

[Raymond Jardine]

Chapter One

Carter’s intro quickly lets us know he’s a kid obsessed with trend vids and clip culture. When a screen is flickering, Carter seems to have the same situational awareness as SLACKER’s Cameron Boxer. And Carter’s evaluation of his situation—“having two broken legs might not be the worst thing that ever happened to me” because it will allow him extra screen time—feels eerily like a “So, believe it or not, Delancey, we’re pretty cool here” worldview.

Two broken legs! And two-thirds of the USA away from home. Carter has a big life adjustment thrust upon him in Chapter One. Can’t wait to see how he handles it!

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Like @Jade, I got to visit with Gordon Korman during an author tour promoting SNOOP, and I have my first signed-in-person copy of a book, so this one is extra special.

I decided to save my first read for this book club and am glad to get going. So, starting out, I know:

  > What GRK said—SNOOP is an homage to Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window, so I expect some mystery and some spying to go along with the humor.

  > What the blurb says—Carter is stuck at home and will start to monitor local live cam feeds.

  > What Kirkus said—a verdict of “Get it!” and an enthusiastic review.

  > What the cover indicates—we see a thus-far-unexplained red panda and the title SNOOP with the Os represented typographically as eyes. I also see some similarities to SLUGFEST’s cover, at least with the teal and orange coloring. I think the books are from different publishing houses so that’s probably more coincidence than not—but since SLUGFEST is one of my favorite recent Korman titles, it makes me even more excited for SNOOP.

[Raymond Jardine]

And thanks, @Jade, for getting the discussion started.

[Logan]

 

Chapter One

The cold open is absolutely amazing with the ski trip. It gives us a quick introduction to Carter and Martin. We see Carter's reliance on technology and we see Martin's vulnerability. We also see the idea of Carter's parents divorce and what it's like with his parents being very distant from each other.

The accident makes a lot of sense except for it being almost impossible, "If you tried to duplicate this accident you couldn't do it in a thousand tries.", with Carter distracted by his phone and Martin being a little reckless.

This chapter also gives us a lot of character analysis after the accident. We learn Carter is VERY passionate about screens, as he thinks not having them would be worse than two broken legs, but also that he can be a little mean, as he is very angry at his brother for breaking his legs. Not a very unhinged reaction as it is a medical miracle (better put as a disaster), but at least Martin was apologetic. He is pretty funny though, especially with the onion room remark.

We also see the parent's and their dynamic. We see earlier the dad is kind of childish as he leaves his kids alone. Yes, he couldn't have predicted that an accident could happen but based on context clues he could probably predicted Carter would be distracted by his phone. We also see the mother is very caring as she just wants her kids to be safe and not addicted to screens.

This chapter gives us a good insight and setup to the characters we are dealing with and the lingering accident.

 

[Jade]

Sorry this is a bit late!

 

@Raymond you made me realize that Carter is similar to Cameron! That is a huge distance away from home! I think that the similarity to SLUGFEST is an excellent representation of how hilarious and excellent this book is.

 

And of course.

 

@Logan The opening is really cool! On that note about the impossible accident, I agree! I think it was normal enough to be reasonable to me as a reader, but impossible enough for it to be intriguing. Nice little detail. I honestly thought Carter was really nice. He’s not mean at all to his brother. I mean, his brother literally disabled him, breaking his legs. For six weeks? I’d be absolutely furious at my own little brother. If I were me and my real big brother were Carter, I’d never hear the end of it. Carter is really nice to Martin. Also, Carter, I agree, is freaking hilarious. I laughed so much in this first chapter. I actually showed my mom one of the jokes.

 

Honestly, I think you’re being really harsh on their dad. I don’t think he’s childish. I’m pretty sure there was some sort of skiing instructor watching as well? But Carter did establish that he snuck his phone without his dad’s knowledge, so there’s no way his dad would know he was being distracted by the phone. Also, it’s just all Martin and Carter’s fault. Not the dad’s. He was doing a normal dad thing. 12-year-olds are supposed to be mature enough to watch themselves and little siblings, apparently. 

 

I don’t think the mom seemed that caring. I mean, she’s a normal amount of caring, but not super. One of her children literally broke his legs, and she didn’t come to visit. This isn’t shaming her, but I know that if that happened to me my mom would be there before I woke up. Maybe my mom’s just a helicopter mom, but the kids’ parents just seem like normal, nice, caring parents.

 

Chapter 2

 

 I really appreciate all of the detail Carter gives us at how bad he is at using his wheelchair. I really appreciated how you gave insight into the life of someone who was just recently disabled, even if he’s not permanently disabled. I like the wheelchair-user representation and how overall this story shows that you don’t need to be able to walk, or you don’t need to be able-bodied in order to be a hero and make a difference. Thank you!

 

Every comment about Martin is hilarious. Weapon of mass destruction? Accurate descriptor for younger siblings. I love how much the mom was struggling to move Carter about all of the time. Supermom right here! 

 

I thought it was cool how he could pick two student ambassadors for him. What a king! I’m a student ambassador at my school, you know? I think it’s cool how his bestie, Ethan, came to his house in the morning and we got to meet him. Ethan seems to be a cool guy.

 

Of course, of course. The crush on the cool, popular girl. I already don’t like this Lacey chick. I love how the kids are all connected because of the parental connection through moms in pickleball leagues. (I’m going to work on a book about pickleball next!) 

 

Ugh, the virtual school. Gave me flashbacks to 7th grade! I wouldn’t wish that on anybody, but Carter seems to enjoy it enough. I like this Mr. Grimes character, and I like the foreshadowing with him being tired from his brother keeping him up. Wonder what that’s about…

 

Lastly, Maddox Miller. That’s a really cool name for a good or a bad guy. Can’t wait to see how much we DON’T like this kid!

 

Great chapter two!

[Raymond Jardine]

@Logan: Your reference to “the cold open” to Chapter One still has me giggling. Well played. Also, good pickup on “the onion room.” Simple detail but it immediately transports the reader into Carter’s current living situation.

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Chapter Two

@Jade: I made the same mental note about Carter’s quick introduction to the realities of life in a wheelchair. I hope he gains some lifelong empathy from the experience.

The Zoom virtual attendance is such a time marker for this book. It wouldn’t have been believable back in 2019—when LEVEL 13: A SLACKER NOVEL was released—and probably will be the same type of archaic reference as cassette tapes and floppy disks in another five or six years. (I’ve got to think there’ll be purpose-built virtual school software/apps instead of jury-rigging Zoom for the task.) But in 2025, it’s not even a question that Carter could continue his classes from the (relative) comfort of home.

I enjoyed a genuine laugh from Carter and Ethan’s discussion, in which Carter has to point out regarding two broken legs: “It’s not all fun and games, you know.”

I’ve read enough Korman capers to know Mr. Grimes’s yawning and revelation that his brother is staying with him will come into play sometime in this story. (@Jade, I wrote this before seeing your similar observation!)

[Raymond Jardine]

Is everyone super busy with school back in session?  

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Chapter Three

“There’s only one source of standing water in our house that’s available to a guy in my situation.” Oh, Carter—no. No, no, no.

And then a bit of unrequited crushing on top of his mayo mayhem. (Aioli oopsie? Egg-cident?)

I like that Carter finds out about the existence of public safety cameras after lightning strikes a building at the local park—a bit of a callback to the beginning of Theo and Reef’s story in MIXED UP.

So, non-random factoid: Have you noticed the eyeballs in this chapter’s text? (They also made an appearance in chapter one.) Those section dividers indicating a scene break have two different names in publishing: You can call them a dinkus or a fleuron. GRK’s Scholastic-published books seem to have symbolic passage separators (THE FORT had potted cacti; FAKER had a handlebar mustache; MIXED UP had lightning bolts; LINKED had a section of paper chains) while his HarperCollins books omit that fun design detail.

Quiz: How familiar are you with previous Korman titles? Carter says one of the few benefits of his predicament is “I’ve turned Martin into my personal butler.” Who can name another GRK book that mentions a butler? (Highlight the empty space below for the ones I know about.)

The Chicken Doesn’t Skate  --  The Twinkie Squad  --  The Juvie Three  --  Your Mummy Is a Nose Picker

 

[Raymond Jardine]

Chapter Four

A second mention of the courthouse’s imminent tear-down. I think a seed is being planted for something to happen later in the story….

I hear Maddox’s “Hi, Mrs. Peregrine” in the smarmy voice of Eddie Haskell. Is this the first mention of Carter’s family name? We’ve met the Falconer family previously. (QUIZ: Who can name the TWO series in which the Falconers appeared? Highlight the blank space below for the answer.) Is there a symbolic connection between the two families?

Aiden and Meg Falconer (and their parents) appeared in the six-book ON THE RUN series and the follow-up KIDNAPPED trilogy.

Peregrine falcons are known for their sharp eyesight—allowing them to spot prey from afar. Could the surname Peregrine symbolize Carter’s actions of watching over the town through its security cameras? Or even his distance or detachment from the people he observes on the feeds?

[Raymond Jardine]

Chapter Five

If you’ve read just about any of Gordon Korman's books, you’ve read about plumbing (and its star—toilets). You might say his stories are flush with restroom references. That recurring quirk has come with a few brand names over the years: Ace Plumbing Services (WHO IS BUGS POTTER?) and DiStefano Plumbing (THE TOILET PAPER TIGERS) and Angelino Plumbing and Electric (MACDONALD HALL GOES HOLLYWOOD). Now, with SNOOP, we can add Osterman Plumbing Supply to the list.

In Chapter Five, Carter starts to notice shenanigans of the non-Lacey, non-Maddox variety going on in his town. A restaurateur’s menu manipulation, a man lurking around the art shop, a van that shows up too often, a sports car causing traffic. And as he considers what he’s seeing on the publicly-available cameras, he asks himself a question I would bet is central to SNOOP: “If I see something bad, do I have a responsibility to my fellow citizens to report it?”

[Owen]

Hi! Is it OK if I join even though you guys already started? My teacher Mrs. Dyer told me she got an invite that any one can join and she told me I should try it. I’m in 6th grade and I already read this book I was the first to take it out at my schools media center so catching up on the chapters won’t be too hard if you let me join. I have also read 8 books by Mr. Korman. I told Mrs. Dyer I want to read all of them.

[Logan]

Sorry for the late responses

Chapter Two, Three, Four, and Five

We finally get some more background in these chapters including the stuff with zoom and the ambassadors. I also really like the introduction with the cameras and the shenanigans we get with some of the people Carter can see from the cameras. 
Sorry for it being so brief but I haven’t had time to reread the chapters yet, but I will soon

Yes, Owen, of course you can join late. The book club is always better with more people

[Raymond Jardine]

Chapter Six

Able-bodied Ethan serves as Carter’s stunt double for sleuthing. Nothing like a good friend! It appears for a fraction of a second that Ethan will also play the role of the angel on Carter’s shoulder—but then Ethan seems almost more excited than his buddy about breaking into the Topping Mad video feed. (And with that: Fro-yo makes an appearance in another GRK book! We even get an imagined encore of Shoshanna Weber’s sundae-dumping scene, but sadly Lacey fails to crown Maddox the way Shosh got Chase.)

And a huge rat/cat? What’s going on there?!?

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Welcome, @Owen! It’s a casual group and members post when they can—so jump in and share your SNOOP observations. Yay for your teacher for suggesting this book discussion. And your goal to “read all of them” is commendable. Another Forum regular—Darren—posted recently that he’s (nearly) through all of Gordon Korman’s books.

[Darren]

This is the chapter where I was happy to see the use of the word "dumpster" not capitalized.

I can think of two of Gord's books where it was. I don't know how to do the invisible writing, so I will reveal them in a subsequent post.

Good luck on collecting and reading all of the Korman books, Owen. You can still get quite a few at book stores, Amazon, and other places. I would look for the out-of-print or hard to find ones at your local used book shops or thrift stores like Value Village or Salvation Army. You can always hit up eBay as well. That's usually a little more expensive, so I'd save it for last. It took me about two years off and on to get and read them all (I still have to finish The 39 Steps Clues series).

[Owen]

I liked the start when Carter was talking about how he loves vids and how he’s in charge of his brother when his dad is on a different ski hill. I wanted to do the Chatanooga Chop when I saw all the different ways people did it. The broken legs would hurt but I think Carter is right it would be fun not to have anyone say to stop so much time watching vids.

Early in the book Lucey doesn’t seem like such a great girl I don’t even know why Carter likes her.

The animals are important but their not rats.

Im doing this during my flex time so I can’t write more today.  I like how you guys are talking about other books. The only one I have read was Slacker and Slug fest. My teacher told me the media center can get a copy of Twinkle Squad so that is what I will read after Snoop.

[Raymond Jardine]

Chapter Seven

So, Janine’s Sandwich Emporium (and its namesake) isn’t the innocent victim of Lunch with Louie (and its eponymous proprietor). That actually makes me feel a little better—the rivalry isn’t friendly, but at least it’s reciprocal. And slipped in is another sighting of that Zippy van.

Carter’s observational skills are strong—he sees Mr. Grimes’s deterioration and analyzes it to result from his teacher’s brother’s visit—and we get to see that the wheelchair-bound snoop isn’t limiting himself to spying on just Lacey and Maddox (and not just outside of school hours). The guy in the red Maserati, some small tragedies unfolding before his remote eyes… and then…

…and then—is Carter being rewarded for his inattentiveness in class? Will he finally get some 1:1 time with Lacey?

---------

Glad to see you here, @Darren! Looking forward to your dumpster/Dumpster reveal (and I might have a few GRK titles to add to your Dumpster list). Funny you should bring up the proper name question—I didn’t mention it yesterday but Chapter Six had me scratching my head over a different brand name. Ethan mentions “Captain Crunch” as a fro-yo topping—I would’ve expected the Scholastic editors to mark it as “Cap’n Crunch.”

And @Owen, you may have the best philosophical question yet in the SNOOP discussion: Why does Carter think Lacey is all that? And how does the universe decide who we should have crushes on? That’s wisdom right there—you’ve cracked the code early. Darren instructed you well on sourcing older GRK titles. And it sounds like you have some connections at your school library. That's huge. (Librarians can answer any question and locate just about any book—they’re at least miracle workers, and possibly actual wizards.)

[Jade]

Sorry I haven't returned in forever! I got sick on day 3 and then was too scared. 

I don't know if I know any other GK books that mention a butler. Um... I'd guess FAKER, MASTERMINDS, and SWINDLE. Wait! THE HYPNOTISTS. That for sure has a butler mention, I think. SLACKER might as well? Wait! UNPLUGGED. Yes. 

Anyways, I really liked Chapter 3. Carter is just funny. Lol, it was such an awkward situation for Carter to be caught in and it really highlights how he is not a pro at this wheelchair thing. I liked meeting Lacey. I mean, she got on my last nerve, but she's also so understandable. Maddox is officially not funny, at all. Stick? (I think.) That's so dumb... at least it's not a fart joke. Sad news for him and Lacey to be together but I expected it and I understand, lol.

[Owen]

I read the book already I finished last week. I am surprised how much happens that you don’t really notice is happening until later when you find out how it was all going on and you did’nt even know about it. The airport van and the Mazerati are here in this chapter but you don’t get any reason for it yet. Mr. Grimes also has a reason to look tired and mad but it is not explained until later. We’re suppose to look at just chapter 7 today right? I am trying to skim it again and I am seeing things I forgot like the lacross stick that comes out later.

 

[Darren]

I haven't had a chance to reread this chapter yet, but I did want to put out the two "Dumpster" books that came to mind.

One of them was On The Run: The Stowaway Solution. The other, where a dumpster played an important part, was The Juvie Three.

I get it being capitalized if it is a brand name (like Kleenex), but it's something that I was unaware of. As such, it pulled me a little out of the immersion of what I was reading. To me, it's a common term and I much prefer it not capitalized.

[Raymond Jardine]

Chapter Eight

Is GRK the first author to write a chapter about a math tutor covering integers? And c’mon, Carter: You could’ve at least pretended Lacey was helping you. You might’ve gotten another 15 minutes out of the study session.

Carter is a Grand-Gesture Guy. The pizza, the flowers, showing off the drone… he’s either a little Romeo or a little Lothario.

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Glad you’re back, @Jade. Being sick is no fun—but if it kept you homebound, maybe it gives you a better understanding of Carter’s everyday reality. Now be honest: Did you fill your time by observing the camera feeds from your local park?  :-)

@Owen, you nailed it: A lot of the fun of GRK’s books is how seemingly small details end up snowballing and interconnecting until they all collide and explode later in the story.

@Darren: I can report Dumpsters (and occasionally dumpsters) have made appearances in several other GRK novels. Don and Jason sabotage the Peach’s brown bag lunch by filling it with foodstuff found "in the dumpster outside” in LOSING JOE’S PLACE—presumably outside of the Olympiad Delicatessen. One of Meg’s kidnappers dumps her clown suit and Rollerblades (ßnote the capital “R”! I’ll bet you’d prefer “rollerblades”) in a Dumpster in the first KIDNAPPED book. In SON OF THE MOB 2: HOLLYWOOD HUSTLE, Willow’s mysterious rendezvous is behind a Dumpster. Brendan is rescued from his tetherball tie-down by workers arriving to empty the nearby Dumpster in RESTART. Edward “Boots’s little brother” O’Neal tossed his muddied clothes in a Dumpster behind the dorms in SOMETHING FISHY AT MACDONALD HALL. Behind another dorm—Throckmorton Hall in JAKE, REINVENTED—a “very ripe garbage Dumpster” stank up the alley. In a different alley, Dan and Amy hide behind a dumpster while tracking a suspect in THE 39 CLUES: ONE FALSE NOTE (I think you said you haven’t read the series yet but I trust that is not too much of a spoiler!). Luthor isn’t interested in the foods in a Dumpster when searching for the lost Cleopatra in ZOOBREAK. Later in the Swindle series, a Dumpster on the driveway of Ben’s home in JINGLE is piled high with castoffs from his parents’ dueling holiday displays. A decompression tank in DIVE: THE DEEP is described as “about the size of a Dumpster.” Elvis eats out of a Dumpster by the train tracks (a line that makes sense only in the context of SLACKER). An entire shopping bagful of cavity-causing jawbreakers nearly ended up in a Dumpster in SLAPSHOTS: CUP CRAZY. The most recent mention of a refuse repository that I know of was in FAKER, when Trey recognizes that his "argument is a dumpster fire." Including the titles you mentioned, it seems the editors honored the Dumpster trademark more often than not. I hope this ridiculously long response won't keep you from further book club check-ins!

[Owen]

Thank you Raymond Jardine I never read a book another time after I finished it but now when I am reading Snoop another time I see the details. Does it do that in Restart? That was my favorite book.

I don’t get why dumpster is in so many books and sometimes it has a capital. Dos that make a difference? Are all those books by Gordon Korman?

The book says his moms drone weigh 15 pounds. My friend has one that is not even 1 pound. Can a drone fly if it weigh 15 pounds? Also he keeps telling Martin that he broke his legs. I think Martin knows that allready.

Do you guys do new chapters on weekends? I’m not back in school until next Mon. Can I just do every thing on Mon?

[Darren]

Raymond, not only was that long list of dumpsters impressive, that kind of thing is more apt to keep me reading this thread than repel me. Very good! One False Note is actually the only one I've read thus far in the 39 Clues series. I decided to go back and read the entire series from the start because of the amount of characters and I didn't want to lose too much of the plot in between the GK-penned entries. Received Memory Maze yesterday, the last book I needed for my Korman Kollection. *Success fist*.

Chapters 7 & 8: Lacrosse stick. That's been a relatively recent thread through Gord's works, much like FroYo spots. Having binged a lot of the books lately, they are a little muddled (or Mixed Up) in my mind. I'm sure Mr. Jardine can help out with where we've seen lacrosse mentioned. The Superteacher Project and Restart are the obvious ones. Perhaps it's also a bit of a nod to GK's Canadian heritage with lacrosse being Canada's official national summer sport.

I've been digging some of the restaurant names. Donut Domain is, I assume, a playful wink towards another doughnut chain with the initials DD. Lunch With Louie reminds me of the possible birthplace of the hamburger in America, Louis' Lunch in New Haven.

P.S. Yes, I would also prefer "rollerblades".

[Raymond Jardine]

Chapter Nine

> Written BEFORE reading Chapter Nine:

Many of my favorite novels have observed the so-called three-act structure, with J.K. Rowling and Suzanne Collins and even Jane Austen following the rhythm of “thirds”: setup, confrontation, resolution.

An alternate structure of “quarters”—English teachers call it plot in four parts—extends the “middle” of the story and splits the confrontation phase into reactive and proactive parts.

Before I start a book, I try to predict whether it’ll be a three- or four-part structure using one available clue: the number of chapters. If it’s divisible by 3—like 18 or 21 chapters—it makes me think the author is using three-act structure. But if there are a multiple of four chapters—like 20 or 32—I start to think it may be a plot in four parts. (Of course, 12 or 24 chapters fit both, and plenty of authors don’t strictly align their plot structure to their chapter breaks, but it’s a guideline that holds true pretty frequently.)

That’s why the 27 chapters in SNOOP caught my eye. Chapter Nine concludes the first third of the book, so if it’s going to be a three-act structure, I expect to see a plot shift here: like Carter discovering something in his camera observations beyond the Lacey/Maddox relationship, and deciding to devote time and effort to whatever it is. But if SNOOP is a plot in four parts, the big plot shift should come around chapter 14—the halfway point of this book.

So, does GRK plan his stories to follow one of these structures? Anyone who checks in regularly to The Forum knows our favorite middle-grade author offers one unrelentingly consistent piece of advice to aspiring writers: Outline your entire story before you write a single word. So I am guessing he does have a plan for timing when big plot developments occur. I haven’t tracked chapter numbers across his books closely, but I’d guess he tends more towards three-part than four-part. (And with seven intentional trilogies within his oeuvre—or “catalog” as Darren says—a three-part story arc seems to come naturally.)

> Written AFTER reading Chapter Nine:

Carter’s description of his remote-education lifestyle is really interesting. In the Chapter Two discussion, I commented about how SNOOP is clearly a post-pandemic story, with the option for remote/virtual/hybrid education just being accepted without need for explanation. Here in Chapter Nine, it kind of hits me that GRK has avoided adding to the glut of stories that dwell on Covid-era schooling, while also recreating the exact dynamic for Carter—both with Zoom schooling and with a largely homebound existence.

3 a.m. is a crazy hour for a middle schooler to be up. But Carter’s nocturnal camera surfing lets us readers get our first look at why a red panda appears in the SNOOP cover design. (BTW, @Darren, did you notice Carter’s mention that he just has to google “red panda” to confirm that’s the animal he sees on the security camera? Scholastic allowed a small “g”—and I know both AP and Chicago styles still call for the brand name to be capitalized even when it’s being used as a verb.)

Okay, so I wrote almost as many words about plot structuring as there were words in the rather short Chapter Nine—and now after reading the chapter I suspect it's three-part but am unsure. Does the appearance of the red panda serve as an inciting incident for a big plot point? Carter doesn’t specifically pledge to figure out what’s going on, but I’m going to guess we’ll enter into the confrontation stage starting in Chapter Ten—if so, Carter will probably seek more information, make some wrong deductions, have some new obstacles (or resistance) to overcome, and have to recalibrate at some point. (I’m reading the story for the first time, one chapter a day, so I’m honestly unsure what’s to come.)

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@Owen, nothing special about dumpsters. Just having fun overanalyzing things. Interesting observation about the drone’s weight. I googled it and see that you’re right—15 pounds is quite a bit heavy than a recreational drone, but it is actually right where a commercial camera drone would fall. So Carter’s mom has some high-end equipment (making the close call with Maddox and the hedge even more harrowing as commercial equipment has got to be super expensive!). I guarantee if you reread RESTART, you’ll spot lots of hints and clues about what’s coming. Subconsciously, you probably picked up on a lot of them during the first read—and that contributed to the power of the story’s climax. I had a teacher tell me once that, with a good book, the second read is the best read—and for a great book, the 10^th or 100^th read is the best read! You pick up something new every time. And I think we generally include weekends in the chapter-per-day pacing for the Kormaniacs Book Club, but some people check in only once or twice per week, so just come when you can and participate any way that’s fun and meaningful for you.

@Darren, congratulations on completing the collection. I hope you post a pic sometime of your Korman bookshelf. I wonder how many fans have pulled together a copy of every book. I still have a list of books I want to add to my own shelf—mostly compilations and author bios, and some foreign translations.

[Darren]

I liked how the beginning of this chapter was a reminder of how busy a school kid's life can be, even without adding any extracurricular activities into the mix. I often think of how I could get more accomplished when I was younger even with being so busy but it was really about having that extra energy of youth.

The dented soup can brought to mind the kids in The Fort. I like that all the GK books I've read lately have more often brought to mind his previous works than references to other pop culture to me. So while we haven't had any Gunhold or The Pretzel or any of that ilk lately we have some through lines of lacrosse, FroYo, Queen, or Jack the Ripper.

The red panda in this chapter was important enough to warrant landing on the book cover. There are a fair amount of GK covers with animals on them. I think they play important roles in those stories but it does feel like specific marketing for a target demographic. It doesn't really matter to me one way or another, though the change to an animal for the I Want To Go Home! cover was kind of like Greedo shooting first. I do enjoy learning something from GK's books, even if it's just the location where red pandas originate.

Raymond: Interesting note on "google". Yes, I'd rather have it not capitalized as a verb, but then ee cummings is my favourite poet, so there's that. Once we get our library a/v room sorted out (need some more Billys from Ikea) I'll take a picture with the entirety of Gord's oeuvre (I have used that word on here before too, heh heh). The only compilation books I have in the Korman Kollection are Hope Wins and Guys Read. Do you have a handy list of those compilations? Thanks for the congrats and do you do Facebook?

[Raymond Jardine]

Okay, I’m jumping into SNOOP straightaway today without all the literary navel-gazing.

Chapter Ten

She wants to play dolls. He wants to play murder. Can’t you just hear that in the voice of Don LaFontaine, if Frankenkid and his Barbie doll-loving playmate ever got a movie made of their playdate?

Janine’s and Louie’s have competing promotions in progress—Louis is scrambling for customers while Janine cracks down on cholesterol! Janine is over-zealous while Louie is over-easy!—and that should be the funniest thing in this whole book but somehow it’s just a throwaway line and that’s how you know you’re reading a Gordon Korman novel.

The store Fashion Mode is probably owned by Rootbeer Racinette's parents.

I think Carter’s call to the police counts as the start of the confrontation phase of the plot. And I’m mad for him—the police don’t get to choose whether or not to listen to somebody based on his youth.

-----

@Darren, I sometimes wonder how many callbacks and Easter eggs that I think I see are intentional and how many are coincidental. Either way, I get a kick out of every Shakespeare name-drop or fro-yo mention. Regarding all the animal covers: I think I understand from previous GRK comments that Luthor’s prominent appearance on the cover of the first SWINDLE book probably altered readers’ perceptions of how important the dog was to the story—and probably also influenced how the unplanned sequels got developed. I don’t have a good list of compilations with GRK entries. I’ll try to write down what I’ve got—but in the meantime, here are a few of them in a previous Forum post (ßthat’s a link).  Not on FB much but you can find me as @Theamelpos on X/Twitter.

[Raymond Jardine]

Chapter Eleven

For some reason it feels unexpected that Carter is sharing (at least some of) his surveillance activities with Ethan. But it's good he isn’t in complete solitude while sidelined by injury—that kind of isolation can really get in your head, and feeling cut off can turn dark fast. Especially when something feels “off,” like seeing impossible creatures in your little hometown, it’s important to have a friend’s perspective (even if the friend thinks you’re going crazy).

I’ve picked up a couple times in SNOOP that more seems to be happening off-page than I remember from other GRK novels. Like, we didn't stay up with Carter as he blew past his bedtime; we learned later that he has been burning the midnight oil. In this chapter, we don’t read along as Carter sees a miniature ape—we find out about it after the fact as he ponders how much to share with Ethan.

Kudos to Carter for continuing to raise the alarm despite the police brush-off.

[Owen]

I would be in trouble if I watch other videos on remote learning days. And if my parents found me at 3am like Carter I would be grounded for a year I think. Carter gets a way with it because of his legs. I read the chapters again this week end to remember what happens and there’s so much going on that Carter doesnt even know yet but he sees all of it happening on the videos he just doesn’t understand yet. I would tell my teacher about the endangered animals I don’t think the police would believe.The needle guy has a good reason to go into the artwork store. Mrs. Dyer said things like the dented can are symbolism and so is the eggs at the two restaraunts. I read chapt. 12 I thought that was for today is that for tomorrow?

[Darren]

Chapters 10/11:

Love the Frankenkid. This little psychotic, malevolent, misanthropic, and sadistic Three Stooges-esque demon child is my comedic highlight of the book. Reminded me of the twins from Slugfest.

I think there's a little artistic license taken with the police not being able to see the caller information from the landline, even if it's a private number. I think perhaps that Carter could have been more anonymous spoofing his number through his cell phone, which wouldn't require any more suspension of disbelief than his ability to get into private video feeds.

Raymond: I just reread The 39 Clues: One False Note and found it humorous that there was both a small-d "dumpster" and a capital-G "Google"-as-a-verb.
Thanks for the compilation list. There were a few I noticed the other day when I was looking to finish off the collection. I didn't look at them too deeply, but there was: This Family Is Driving Me Crazy, and Librarian From The Black Lagoon that weren't on your list. Gord was mentioned in the Mad Science series of books (which looks fun) but you probably saw that he didn't have too much to do with it.
I no longer have a not-Twitter account, but if you're interested on FB you can friend me on there, last name is Olenick.

[Raymond Jardine]

Chapter Twelve

Back to Titanic! An Easter egg in the form of foot- (and face-) wrecking Legos.

And a new mystery: What is “Hat” and how will the Chairmen Chairpersons annoy Carter with the sign bearing that word? (Gotta admit: “Welcome to the Grand Canyon” at the construction site would have made me laugh.)

On the surface, this line sounds polite, but it drips with sarcasm and has a sinister edge:

• “Thanks, Cam. I hope I get the chance to do something for you one day.” – BORN TO ROCK, chapter 17.


• “Thanks, Maddox. I hope I get the chance to do something for you one day.” – SNOOP, chapter 12.

-----

@Owen, good idea about going to a teacher instead of directly to the police. I wonder if Carter would have told Mr. Grimes about the endangered animals, if Mr. Grimes were acting more normal. If Mrs. Dyer is your English/lit/reading teacher, I think she’s required by law to look for symbolism in any novel she reads. But is the dented can symbolic of all the imperfections Carter is seeing in Sterling now that he’s watching the security cameras? Or is it symbolic of Carter himself—injured in an accident but still trying to function?

@Darren, I wondered about the traceability of a private landline as well. This Family Is Driving Me Crazy is definitely a compilation to add—I think it may be the only place (other than HERE on the website) to find “Wimp of Sparta.” I suspect any association of Librarian from the Black Lagoon with GRK is just the Scholastic connection. A while back on then-Twitter, I posted daily photos of books by or featuring GRK—some with short stories, others with shortened versions of his novels. Even a couple of school textbooks that use his stories in lesson plans. And over the years I’ve seen interviews in magazines, several biographies, even a filmstrip. Some of my favorite Korman collectibles are boxed sets (there are four for Macdonald Hall alone!) and proof/advance/galley copies. And if you’re interested in Mad Science because of GRK’s connection, you will want to look at the eight books in Disney’s “The Jersey” series that was based on GRK’s Monday Night Football Club series. I'll look for you on FB. 

[Owen]

I didn’t take the book to school today but I all ready did this chapter. Mrs. Dyer is my ELA teacher she talks a lot about symbols in every book. Are those real things the dent can is symbolism for? I think the police can see any phone number so I think they can see Carter’s phone number even if it is an unlisted phone. The hat sign is going on right where Carter is watching he just doesn’t know yet.

[Raymond Jardine]

Chapter Thirteen

Props to the Sterling PD for following up on the robbery report. And to Mrs. Peregrine for rushing Carter to the scene with scant explanation. I love the confirmation bias: I note in relief that the store’s front window is still in one piece. That means the police got here in time to prevent the break-in.

And then, of course, Carter finds out about the other explanation for what “Needle Nose” Grimaldi could have been up to on his Paris Art Shop sorties.

And now there’s a crossover between Carter’s surveillance subjects: The Chairmen are the real culprits, but Carter has placed the criminal hat on the wrong head—a real hat trick gone wrong.

------------

@Owen, that’s the fun with symbolism—it might be entirely in your head, and that’s okay. You can tell Mrs. Dyer that the Intentional Fallacy argument gives you interpretive freedom when reading. That’s high school-level literature analysis, so hold on to that phrase and use it liberally for the next few years whenever teachers put too much emphasis on symbolism.

(Don’t listen to me. Don't actually do that.)

[Raymond Jardine]

Chapter Fourteen

Okay, I expected the Chairmen to be mad at Carter. But ostracized by Ethan? And deemed a troublemaker by the mom network to boot? That’s pretty harsh.

But not as harsh as the no-screens-after-homework sentence Carter receives from his shockingly unified parental units.

This was the “middle” chapter of SNOOP. Thirteen chapters came before it, and we have 13 to go. I hope this means Carter is officially at his lowest point (hey, he’s had his legs swept out from beneath him, literally and figuratively) and that we’ll see his prospect improve as we enter the second half of the book.

[Raymond Jardine]

Chapter Fifteen

What a turnaround for Carter. Between the nature-based exercise (three chin-ups on the tree outside his house!) and the (semi-) voluntary screen avoidance, young Mr. Peregrine might as well be at The Oasis. But would he be friends with Jett Baranov or Grace Atwater?

And yay for the brotherly bonding, even if Martin “could make anyone long for loneliness.” Great line!

The egg-on-a-traffic cone scene reminds me of an episode of The Brady Bunch. Seems Mrs. Peregrine is more Greg than Marsha.

[Owen]

I fee like Carter I am being punished and not allowed to go to the media center the last three days. Now I’m allowed back here but we have an extra day off so I’m not in the media center again till next week so I don’t have computer time just like Carter. Noone else is keeping track of the man in the Mazerati he will be a surprise. The chairmen of the bored are not fair Carter didn’t get them in trouble they got in trouble by them selves but I don’t think it would be hard to get glue off the stores glass. I think Carter should take the ipad mini from his brother it’s his only chance to check the cameras but he promised to his mom he woudn’t check the cameras but he’s already in trouble.

[Raymond Jardine]

Chapter Sixteen

Carter must be reading backwards when he refers to the X-rays he and Dr. Patel are reviewing. He notes “one marked L and the other R,” but they should appear with R first (“first” from an English speaker’s directionality bias, at least) when displayed side by side. Standard orientation for radiographs is the anatomic position (as if the patient is facing the viewer), so Carter’s right shin X-ray would appear on the viewer’s left. (I know we’re all thinking it. Someone had to say it.)

So Carter gets good news about his healing progress, which he interprets as bad news because he’s still weeks away from ditching the wheelchair—and then gets denied a fro-yo run. But that’s not the end of his miserable day: He has to endure the stench emanating from the courthouse.

And that triggers a Proustian effect—that privileged link between smell and memory—that brings Carter back to the petting zoo of his long-ago family outings. But why would an abandoned building smell like a petting zoo? If I had to guess now, in Chapter Sixteen, I would say Carter has sniffed out an important clue to an actual mystery that will start to nose its way forward rapidly. And he recognizes his options are limited: He’s already raised a stink with his mom and with the police, so he can’t exactly report his suspicions. Plus, he’s bound by the no-screens promise he made to his mom. But…

… but … can’t you just see the gleam of rebellion in Carter’s eyes as he contemplates what a camera drone could surveil when all other surveillance options are forbidden?

I noticed GRK’s use of “payload” to refer to the cargo area of Mrs. Peregrine's SUV. I wonder if the author was reading a space-themed story while writing SNOOP and had that lingo in his mind. (Or is that how marketers are hyping new cars these days? We used to refer to a car's 0-to-60 capability as its "pickup time" but I guess it could be "launch power." Dashboards these days really do resemble "cockpit command decks." EV charging cables could be "refuel docking stations.")

-----

@Owen, are you saying you were punished at school for three days?!? Did you rob the cafeteria’s cash register or something? Let all the air out of the principal’s tires? Paste the word "Hat" on the door to the closet that holds all your school's graduation caps?  I have the distinction—shared with my childhood best friend—of being the first students ever to receive detention at our elementary school. But that was just one after-school session of writing lines; I didn’t have my school library privileges revoked. (Of course, that was long before online book clubs.)

[Raymond Jardine]

Chapter Seventeen

This chapter reinforces Carter’s classmates’ ongoing enmity—you just know that will blow up at some point—before switching over to big action: Carter gives his mom’s drone a rogue trial run—maybe the most important test flight since Wings Weinberg put the Osiris HE2 through the motions.

It’s good to see Carter’s surveillance subjects are all still playing their roles. (But that's big security for two small-town lunch spots!) And I can’t argue with his logic about needing to renew his reconnaissance in the dark of night, but I wonder how much harder navigating a drone will be without visibility.

Kormanian Trivia: Which book introduced the first drone in a GRK novel? Bonus points: Who invented it? And what was its name? (Highlight the blank space below for the answers.)

In BEWARE THE FISH, Elmer Drimsdale invented the H.M. Flying Fish. He called it a “remote control device” but today it would certainly be deemed a drone.  

 

[Raymond Jardine]

Chapter Eighteen

Depending on how you measure, we’re at or near two-thirds of the way through SNOOP as we finish Chapter Eighteen. (If you go by chapters, it’s 18÷27. If you prefer to consider pages, in this 195-page book, 130 is the cutoff—so we’ll hit two-thirds in Chapter Nineteen.) In three-act structure, the hero should face his biggest setback at around the two-thirds point of a novel. So I’d expect Carter to experience an emotional low in this or the next chapter, followed by a pivot (like having an insight or discovering something important) that starts him moving towards solving the mysteries (are there really endangered animals in Sterling, what is the man in the Maserati up to, what’s going on with Mr. Grimes) and resolving other conflicts (patching things up with Ethan, getting Lacey to like him, earning back his screen privileges, maybe helping the pregnant woman with her Frankenkid).

“He’s only a little mean, but he’s a lot stupid” is the best line in this book, no competition. I suspect that assessment of Martin's character is more a reflection of Carter's big-brother perspective and less an accurate portrayal of his younger brother. But as it happens, I'm reading another book right now (The Treasure Hunters Club) whose main conflict is set up by a younger boy who is unable to keep a secret—so maybe Carter's on to something.)

Carter’s nocturnal drone outing crystalizes the main mystery: It’s now pretty clear there are endangered animals being housed in the old courthouse, and the Zippy vans (and their drivers) are tied up in whatever’s going on. So: What will Carter be able to do about it?

[Raymond Jardine]

Chapter Nineteen

Yay for Ethan being the voice of reason about how Carter’s photos are worthless. (And for just showing up to see Carter—he’s a good friend.) But the new rift between the two is heartbreaking. And as great as it is to have a friend who's always got your back (like it says in the Train song “Drops of Jupiter”: Can you imagine… / Your best friend always sticking up for you / Even when I know you’re wrong?), asking a friend to lie for you is really not cool.

I enjoyed Ethan’s mixed metaphor of tsunami and tidal wave.

Whoa—I kind of expected Carter to somehow help the pregnant lady with her Frankenkid situation, but did not see his coming to her rescue as she goes into labor. Now I can’t wait to see if/how he finds out how the delivery goes.

[Owen]

Yes I got in trouble but it wasn’t for anything so bad like you said it was not detention it was just not able to go to the media center and outside for lunch period for three days. I don’t have the book today but I remember the story. Its not really a petting zoo it just smells like one because of all the animals.

He’s really good on the drone but he should know when the battery is about to die there should be a symbol that he can see with power. I didn’t know that about the first drone book I have not seen the book Beware of The Fish but I want to read all the books I just have not found that book yet.

I was mad a Carter when he told his friend to lie to the police but then he helped that lady and did the right thing.

[Raymond Jardine]

Chapter Twenty

Huge breakthrough in self-awareness as Carter recognizes the possibility he’s “turned into a compulsive snoop.”

I’m a little surprised Ethan is the first surveillance subject to notice the drone.

Carter’s self-pity is at a max if he thinks the lemonade pitcher debacle made his day “a lot better than I expected it to be.”

-----

@Owen, you’re my new favorite fellow Kormaniac because my avatar hit a Connect Four yesterday and I thought the universe might implode if I made it to five uninterrupted comments. So, thank you. And I’m glad that the punishment for your undoubtedly heinous offense against humanity did not span the holiday weekend. Good point on the drone’s battery indicator. (Actually, I think most newer drones, at least the high-end types like Mrs. Peregrine’s, have a feature that automatically returns the drone to its origin point when the battery gets super low. Carter might have lucked into that if he didn’t recall it manually in time.) And if you haven’t read BEWARE THE FISH, you’re in for a treat. Have you tried any of the Bruno and Boots series?

[Owen]

I have not seen the Brurno and Boot sseries. Every book by Gordon Korman is what I found in my media center Restart is my favorite. Also Super Gifted and Swindle were my fvaorites. I still don't have the book with me I will have it tomorrow I need to read the chapters I stopped at chapter 18 on saturday or maybe chapter 17 it was the chapter with the tree kangaroo but I already read the whole book I am just trying to read the ones you mention. I wondered about the sound to it would be really loud even if you can’t see the drone it would be loud and you could hear it.

[Raymond Jardine]

Chapter Twenty-one

What?!?

W H A T ? ! ?

No. Way.

I’m having a difficult time processing what I just read, so I’m calling in the bards for some perspective and wisdom.

• Johnny Winter told his lover “I won’t believe it ‘til I hear it from you” in 1963’s “I Won’t Believe It.”


• In 1966, George Jones echoed the sentiment with “I won't believe a word… / … till I hear it from you” (in “Till I Hear It From You”).


• In 1986, Sheena Easton begged not to be “The Last to Know” but vowed “… I won’t let myself believe a word / Till I hear it from you.”


• Four years later, the recently-Anglophonic Celine Dion made everyone forget the Sheena Easton version with her incredible cover of “The Last to Know,” in which, starting at the 02:28 mark, Celine lays bare her soul in nine seconds that outshine a song already ablaze, as she pours out that same line: “And I won’t let myself believe a word / Till I hear it from you.” (That 1990 album introduced a young “Raymond” to yet another Canadian—after first meeting GRK in 1989—whose voice and words would become part of my inner vocabulary.)


• In 1994, the Gin Blossoms charted with “’Til I Hear It From You,” promising the balladeer’s S.O. that “I’ll just figure everything is cool / Until I hear it from you.”

Okay, good advice. And I will follow it. Despite indications NOT everything is cool in Sterling in 2025, I won’t let myself believe a word ‘til I hear it from Mr. Grimes.

-----

@Owen, with RESTART and SUPERGIFTED, you’ve read some of GRK’s most popular books. I think the next new title we’ll see is the third book in the “Gifted” series—HYPERGIFTED comes out at the start of 2026. The seven Macdonald Hall/Bruno and Boots books are all pretty easy to find and should feature prominently on your birthday/holiday gift wishlist.

 

[Raymond Jardine]

Chapter Twenty-two

Having a uniformed police officer show up at your door wanting to ask questions has got to be pretty scary. But there’s a hint that redemption is close for Carter. He really threads a needle in responding to the officer—telling the truth and nothing but the truth (but not the whole truth).

I’m sticking to my chapter-per-day schedule for SNOOP but have been tempted to read ahead to see how this all pans out. The events of  Chapter Twenty-two make it even harder to hold back.

[Owen]

I coudn't believe it on Mr. Grimes but don’t’ worry it isn’t what it looks like. My mom listens to Celine I will ask her to play that song. The police man was just at Carter’s house to ask questions he wasn’t in trouble. I have the book again I have it for one week it is do next Friday so over the week end I want to read the end of the book again.

[Raymond Jardine]

Chapter Twenty-three

We learned in Chapter Ten that Janine poached her relationship with eggs—but her weapon of choice here is an egg-beater, which kinda feels like culinary hypocrisy. She and Louie should open a new place together and call it “Knuckle Sandwiches.” You know, where every bite packs a punch. Signature item on the menu: The Fight Club.

Lots of “good guy” energy in this chapter. Carter sours on snooping. Mr. Grimes shows he’s the type of teacher who deserves more than an apple on his desk—maybe a whole orchard in his honor.

And then Carter imagines Mr. Grimes as a hardened criminal who might kick down his door at any minute.  :-o

Okay, Carter: You’ve got four more chapters to figure out who’s good, who bad, and whodunnit.

-----

@Owen, smart move getting the book back in your hands. And perfect timing to bring the discussion to a close next week. If you’re asking your mom for music, add Bruce Springsteen to the playlist—always a safe bet.

[Raymond Jardine]

Chapter Twenty-four

Big things happening. I’m extending my “’til I hear it from you” philosophy to Ethan regarding his outing with the Chairmen (but I’ll admit it’s not looking promising). And left indeterminate is how Martin will use his newfound knowledge of Carter’s drone escapades. And a snow leopard on the loose? That can’t be good.

[Raymond Jardine]

Chapter Twenty-five

Mr. Grimes is a twin?!?

Mr. Grimes is a twin!

That is not the explanation I was expecting for his out-of-character behavior. It’s even better.

Twins come up with some regularity in the Kormanverse. Here’s a list of all the twins I can think of—comment if you know of others.

• Captain Alexia Colwin and her goalie brother Josh are mainstays on the Mars Health Food Stars team in the SLAPSHOTS series.


• Dinky and Stan (Stinky and Dan) are identical twin classmates of Jeff and Wiley in THE 6^TH GRADE NICKNAME GAME.


• Shoshanna and Joel Weber are united in their hatred of RESTART’s Chase Ambrose… until they’re not.


• Alita (“Alitalia”) and Anthea (“Anorexia”) are preppy twins who live in Mayer Hall at Vince’s school in SON OF THE MOB: HOLLYWOOD HUSTLE.


• Unnamed identical twin headbangers are Scuzz patrons (and brawlers) whose bar order introduces Simon to “the octo” in SON OF INTERFLUX.


• In the MASTERMINDS books, most of the kids have DNA “twins,” and Serenity also had the Fowler twins.


• The Ottumwa twins—Caleb and Bryan— live in one of the nicest houses in The Pointe in FAKER.


• Bobby Ray—actually Billy Ray and Bobby Joe—is twice as good as any one player, with one brother a great hitter and the other excelling at shortstop in THE TOILET PAPER TIGERS.


• Tom and Sidney Weston had a whole book written about (and named for) them: OUR MAN WESTON.


• Honorable mention no. 1: Latrell thought he saw twins in Katie’s ultrasound in UNGIFTED.


• Honorable mention no. 2: The Gemini constellation—“The Twins”—was the result of a Pant alien’s frustration with parking in the NOSE PICKERS series. The constellation also gets a “twins” callout in HYPNOTISTS: MEMORY MAZE.

In the 1993 book Twins in Children’s and Adolescent Literature: An Annotated Bibliography, GRK shared this information: “Our Man Weston is my first and only book about twins. … The story would have been possible without the Westons being twins (with a number of adjustments, of course), but the book would have been simpler, which would have made it less funny.”

Now, OUR MAN WESTON came out in 1982. If GRK were updating that comment in 2025, I suspect he might say SNOOP would have been less suspenseful without the Grimes brothers as twins. I hope to get some insights directly from Mr. Grimes-the-teacher in one of the two remaining chapters.

 

[Raymond Jardine]

Oh, yeah: Add SLUGFEST to that list of Kormanian twins. @Darren referenced them a couple weeks ago (see his comments for Chapters 10-11, above), and I previously mentioned that “twins in literature” book in the SLUGFEST book club: https://gordonkorman.com/forum?t=23967.

[Owen]

I forgot to ask Mom about the songs. I didn’t’ understand why Carter listened to Mr. Grimes but he was quiet when he came to his house to talk. That’s not the name of the new place its called banquet hall. The snow leopard gets even more scary you didnt' say how it almost got the Chairmen but Carter saved them. Mr. Grims is a twin his brother has a mole but he is the one Carter saw on the cameras. Thats cool there are twinsin Restart and Slug fest and I want to read Our Man Weston.