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A recuperating boy learns more than he needs to know by becoming the neighborhood “snoop.”
Snoop by Gordon Korman. Scholastic, 2025. 195 pages.
- Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12
- Recommended For: ages 10-15
Carter was minding his own business on the ski slope—that is, he was glued to his phone—when his little brother slammed into him and broke both legs. Only one good thing about that is Carter can lay guilt trips on Martin any time he needs something. Otherwise he’s stuck in matching casts for weeks, bumping around the house in a wheelchair and attending classes on Zoom. It may be some consolation that his crush, Lacey, has been appointed to deliver homework assignments, but the first time she shows up on his doorstep it’s with his nemesis, the smirky Maddox Miller. Are they an item?
Driven by curiosity, Carter begins spying on them by hacking into the security cameras at their favorite hangout. That makes him think about the security cameras all over town, and before long he’s learning how to sneak his photographer mom’s drone out of its stall to discover all kinds of little mysteries. Like, does that skinny guy frequent the art store because he’s planning a robbery? What’s up with the fellow in the red Maserati who just parks and idles? Most puzzling of all are the animals he occasionally spots raiding garbage cans or slinking down alleys. None are neighborhood strays or pets; in fact, all appear to be endangered species.
The story stretches credulity at this point, but readers will be too curious about all these individual mysteries to care. All will be revealed and Carter will see his reputation tank before redeeming it again. He will also learn that snooping doesn’t pay. Or does he? Most of his assumptions will prove totally false, but one is true and an ongoing crime is foiled because of Carter’s spying. The moral center is a little softer than it is in most of Gordon Korman’s novels, but Snoop is an entertaining read that reveals no details about how to hack security cameras.
Considerations: none
Bottom Line: A light and humorous novel about getting too involved in the lives of strangers.
Related Reading From Redeemed Reader
- Reviews: Gordon Korman is a reliable writer for boys especially. Our reviews began with The Masterminds series and more recently with Old School. See our starred reviews of Linked and Restart.
- Review: Are your kids (and possibly you?) too involved with their screens? See our starred review of The Tech-Wise Family for tips on how to start unplugging.
- Reflection: Do boys read? If so, what? See “Stalking the Elusive Boy Reader”
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