Swindle

Griffin believes that he cannot trust adults because they do not take him seriously. He eventually learns that kids and adults need to work together. How would the story have been different if Griffin told his parents that he found the baseball card instead of going straight to Palomino’s Emporium?

Throughout the book, Ben argues with Griffin about whether it is right to steal the baseball card from Swindle. In your opinion, is Griffin’s decision to steal the card back right or wrong? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

Griffin believes selling the Babe Ruth card for $1 million will solve all of his family’s problems. Do you think this is true? How would Griffin’s life have been different if he had gotten $1 million from selling the card?

Swindle’s guard dog Luthor is fierce, but Savannah believes he was not born that way. She says: “Part of the cruelty of a guard dog’s training is the way his world becomes all confrontation and conflict” (68). How does this statement relate to the book’s larger themes? Is there anyone else in Swindle who sees the world in this way?

Griffin seems torn between being a kid and being an adult. He is more interested in adult activities like city planning, protesting, and solving his family’s financial problems than playing with his friends, unless he creates a plan first. Why do you think this is? Support your response with examples from the text.

In your opinion, what is the significance of Mr. Bing’s invention, the SmartPick? Does it provide any insight into the book’s themes or Griffin’s personality?

Swindle’s Emporium and his home have multiple levels of security, including surveillance systems, alarms, wired display cases, a safe, and guard dogs. He deals in collectibles, which can be valuable and therefore need to be protected. Is Swindle’s profession the only reason for his nearly impenetrable security systems? Why do you think he is so obsessed with keeping people out?

When Griffin is trying to convince his classmates to join in his plan, he says: “It may be a break-in, but it isn’t stealing […]. That card is ours” (127). Why does Griffin say that the card belongs to all of them when he is the one who found it?