Griffin Bing has a reputation for causing trouble, and he even has a nickname: The Man with the Plan. He doesn’t mean to be difficult; it’s just that disasters seem to pop up around him, and the best way to deal with a big mess is to have a well-thought-out plan. Of course, not everyone agrees with him, like his parents, who make him promise that he will not concoct any wild, crazy plans while they are traveling for the next six weeks. But the promise is easy for Griffin because he doesn’t see any need for plans; it’s summer vacation, and he will be staying with his friend, Ben, and having a blast. Unfortunately, as usual around Griffin and his friends, an unexpected emergency explodes out of control.

On one of their first days of freedom, Griffin, Ben, and their friend, Savannah, along with her huge, unruly Doberman named Luthor, take a trip to the mall for a special event. The famous three-time winner of the Global Kennel Society Dog Show is making an appearance to all of her adoring fans. Griffin and Ben don’t see anything special about the famous beagle named Electra, but everybody else oohs and ahhs over the pampered pup. Until Luthor goes unexplainably nuts. He sets off on a wild rampage through the crowd, causing an uproar and a major disaster where Electra gets injured. She will never again be able to compete in a dog show. Her owner threatens to sue Savannah’s family for millions of dollars, and Savannah is forced to turn her beloved dog over to the pound. Griffin doesn’t have a choice --- a plan must be made.

While Savannah’s family leaves town to try and relieve some of the stress and heartache, Griffin and Ben get to work. First, they spring Luthor from the pound. The second step is to train him to be a well-behaved show dog. The third is to enter him in some dog shows and win the top spot. Step four is to give the winning money to Electra’s owner to put an end to the lawsuit. Relatively simple, right? Nope, nothing is ever easy concerning Griffin and his friends. One big problem is that Luthor doesn’t want to become a well-behaved show dog. Another is that someone is sending them threatening notes and trying to sabotage the plan. Big trouble brews ahead, but if anyone can figure it out, it’s Griffin and his pals.

Gordon Korman has delivered another fantastic book about Griffin and his outrageous plans. This time, attention focuses on the huge (both in size and personality) Luthor. To help train him, a new character is presented by the name of Dmitri Trebezhov, a famous Russian dog trainer who likes to refer to himself in the third person. He adds some fresh color to the list of characters along with Emma Hightower, who is showing her poodle, Jasmine. A bit of sweet romance blossoms between Emma and Griffin, to Ben’s utter disgust. These two help introduce Griffin and Ben to the dog show world, and readers may learn some interesting facts about dog shows as well. An added bonus of a clever mystery unravels as the gang tries to figure out who is threatening Luthor.

Thanks to the funny characters, creative storyline and talented author, the pages fly by, never losing their momentum. Like the other books in the Swindle series, SHOWOFF is hilarious and inventive, super fun and massively amusing. I can’t wait for their next adventure.