Twelve-year-old Griff Carver may be new to the halls of Rampart Junior High, but he is not new to hallway patrol. He's been sporting the safety patrol badge for years, which has taught him more than a thing or two about the criminal mind and law enforcement. So when he discovers that the most popular kid in school is also the kingpin in a counterfeit hall pass scheme, Grif will stop at nothing to bring him down. Has Griff Carver finally met his match?

Griff Carver, Hallway Patrol is a funny survival story--surviving middle school, that is--that features a savvy and snarky young crime-fighter. Told in journal entries, incident reports, and recorded interviews, the book is chock-full of insightful observations about the middle school pecking order and social dynamics. The author expertly creates relatable, authentic characters readers can't help but recognize--the brainiac, the band kid, the popular guy, the newspaper editor, and the hall monitor. Griff and the rest of the squad take their jobs very seriously, each fancying themselves more hall cop than hall patrol. After being kicked out of his last school for over-zealous hall monitoring, Griff is under strict orders from his mother to stay off the squad. But Griff can't resist the call of the badge, so he lies to his mom. When found out in the end, Griff willingly accepts consequences for his behavior. While the publisher's recommended age for this book is 9-11, the setting and sophisticated humor may make it a bit more fun for 5th-8th graders. Fans will be happy to learn that a sequel, Junk, is in the works and scheduled to be released in May 2012.

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