Show Off
Written by Gordon Korman
Reviewed by Davis D. (age 12)
At a mall dog show, Luthor gets hit by a dart. He goes crazy and charges at the stage. The stage collapses and breaks the best show dog, Electra’s, tail. Electra’s owner sues, so Luthor is brought to the pound. Savannah’s friends, Ben and Griffin spend $100 to get Luthor back. The boys try to get Luthor to win the Global Dog Show to win enough money to pay off the lawsuit.
My favorite part of the book is when Griffin’s dad’s newest invention demolished the person who was trying to hurt Luthor. The invention pelted him with paint and made him stand out, marked by the colors of the paint. I liked that because Griffin should have gotten in trouble for taking his dad’s invention, but he didn’t.
My favorite character is Griffin. I like him because he is always the man with the plan and always solves the problems they all deal with.
The tone of the book is funny. When Ben and Griffin were trying to train Luthor and teach him some tricks, Luthor dove for a duck in the pond, and they got kicked out of the dog park.
The book reminds me of the other three books, Swindle, Zoo Break, and Framed by Gordon Korman because they all are in the same series. The main characters are in each book, including Luthor. I liked this book more because it turns more to the dog this time and less about the human characters.
I recommend Show Off to someone who likes dogs and enjoys humor. I think boys and girls would like the book equally. Ages 11 and up could read the book with little difficulty.