by Jody Feldman
This book was great. I read it in under 24 hours. I only put it down to go to sleep and to work where I kept waiting for the day to end so I could finish. I was so excited about the book that during the school day I tried to convince my students they needed to run to the library and check out the other copies. Only one took me up on it.
Everything centers around Gil, the son of a disgraced former employee of The Golly Toy and Game Company. Since his father was accused of embezzlement and lost his job, Gil's friends have abandoned him and his acquaintances have become cruel. All he wants to do is leave town to start a new life. The only way his family can afford to move is if he wins the Golly Toy and Game Company's 50th anniversary super contest the "Golly-Whopper Games."
In order to win, Gil faces a number of challenges. First he has to get into the games which is limited to 25,000 contestants. Once he gets in he has to answer trivia questions, lead a group of mismatched souls, solve ridiculously hard puzzles, and complete monstrous stunts, all while dealing with cheating and brainy competitors.
Gil grew so much during the book. He faced up to some of his former bullies, became a leader of his team, and gained tremendous confidence in himself. It was neat to see him grow so much.
I think I loved The Golly-Whopper Games so much because it reminded me of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory with it's outlandish contest that took kids into the Golly Toy and Game Company, where the contestants had to solve puzzles like in The 39 Clues series and complete stunts like in "Survivor." It was non-stop action as you waited to see if Gil could win.
First Published: 2008
Reading Level: Fifth Grade
Locations: School library, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble
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