58 pages • 1 hour read
Swindle
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 6-10 Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 6 Summary
Chapter 6 is told from Ben’s point of view. Griffin’s teacher, Mr. Martinez, has placed Griffin and Ben at opposite sides of the classroom for their disruptive behavior while they were arguing about the plan. Ben finds himself sitting beside Logan Kellerman, a child actor who rants bitterly about getting passed over for a heartburn commercial. Meanwhile, Griffin is sitting by Melissa Dukakis, a shy computer whiz. After their argument, Griffin and Ben stop hanging out with each other after school. This is a new, dismal experience for Ben. One day, he bikes past Griffin’s house and sees a woman placing a “For Sale” sign in the yard. Griffin comes outside and tells Ben that his family has to move for financial reasons. Griffin reveals that ending his family’s financial troubles is the reason he was so adamant about selling the card. Ben is shocked. He realizes how much he admires Griffin’s character and decides to go along with his plan.
Chapter 7 Summary
Griffin and Ben stake out the Emporium to check its security systems. Luthor lunges at them, only stopped by the tall chain-link fence that surrounds the building. The boys realize they will need the help of someone who can control animals to succeed in their plan.
Chapter 8 Summary
They approach their friend Savannah to help them tame Luthor. Savannah loves animals and believes that Luthor is only mean because his owners trained him to be that way. For several nights after the Emporium has closed, she visits Luthor and tries to make friends with him. Meanwhile, Griffin and Ben are trying to decipher the passcode to the security system. From the way the assistant manager punches the keypad, Ben’s father suggests the number might be “1701,” a reference to the USS Enterprise from the original Star Trek series.
Chapter 9 Summary
Savannah is aghast when the boys tell her they are planning to rob the Emporium. She manages to tame Luthor by yelling insults at him but refuses to be part of their plan. The boys decide they will continue on their own, using a Trojan Horse ploy to get inside the store.
Chapter 10 Summary
From their stakeouts, Griffin and Ben know that Swindle leaves the store at 5:30 p.m., leaving the assistant manager to close the store at six o’clock in the evening. Griffin packs Ben into a large crate and delivers it to the Emporium’s front door. The assistant manager lugs the heavy crate into the store for his boss to open in the morning. Ben is supposed to stay in the box until after dark and then open the front door for Griffin, but he falls asleep.
Chapters 6-10 Analysis
Chapters 6-10 detail Griffin’s initial preparations for the heist and the complication of Griffin and Ben’s friendship. At the outset of Chapter 6, Ben is distraught to realize how much he relied on Griffin’s strong personality. He is even more distraught when he realizes that his friend has been feeling pressured by his family’s financial instability. This chapter furthers the idea introduced in previous chapters that Ben’s loyalty to Griffin is not blind and that their friendship is not one-sided.
These chapters are the first in which the boys recruit another member for their team. Savannah’s refusal when she learns about the plan for the robbery sheds further light on Griffin’s questionable morality, despite his lofty motives. When Ben is in the crate, his mind returns to the idea that what they are doing is wrong: “Stealing something worth a million dollars was the same as stealing a million dollars itself, wasn’t it?” (86). By showing different characters’ reactions to the act of stealing, the narrative raises ethical questions about property, ownership, and fairness.
Unlock all 58 pages of this Study GuidePlus, gain access to 8,800+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features:
Related Titles
By Gordon Korman
