Middle Grade Sidekick Super Review: Snoop (2025) by Gordon Korman

Dec 19, 2025
6 min read

cover image of Snoop by Gordon Korman, published by Scholastic Press, 2025. — cover image of *Snoop* by Gordon Korman, published by Scholastic Press, 2025.

The Basics

Page Length: 208

Audiobook Length: ~5 hours

Grade Reading Level: 4+ (760 L)

Target Audience Age: 9-12

Common Sense Media Score: 9+

Goodreads Score: 3.80 out of 5

Buy it HERE

Setting: Contemporary American suburban town

Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary Fiction

Topics: Middle School, Skiing, Injury, Zoom, Spying/Surveillance, Drones, Endangered Animals, Technology, Friendship, Brotherhood, Crushes

Plot: Twelve-year-old Carter is a total screen zombie, hopelessly addicted to his phone. He can’t tear his eyes away—so he doesn’t see his brother hurtling down the bunny hill straight toward him on their spring break ski trip. The crash leaves Carter with two broken legs, no tech, and weeks of mind-numbing boredom at home on Zoom school.

Everything changes when he discovers he can access his small town’s security cameras. At first, he uses them to keep tabs on his middle school enemies and his crush while he’s away from school. But that’s not all Carter sees. Watching quickly becomes spying, and spying turns into something far more serious when Carter starts noticing suspicious activity around town. As the clues add up, Carter realizes he might be the only one who can stop what’s happening—if he can convince anyone to listen.

Themes: Ethics of surveillance, technology/screen time addictions, Boundaries and respect, Power and responsibility of information, effects of isolation, friendship and forgiveness

You might like this book if you like:

solving puzzles/mysteries
flying drones :)
people watching
books like: Spy School, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, FunJungle, Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe, The Westing Game
shows like: Gravity Falls, Carmen Sandiego, The Mysterious Benedict Society
Movies like: Enola Holmes, Harriet the Spy, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Other books written by this author: Swindle, Masterminds, The Unteachables, Linked, Restart

Teaching Snoop in Class

Content

Language: none
Sex/Romance: Carter has a crush on a girl from school. She has a boyfriend. It's on his mind a lot :)
Violence/Scariness: Carter sees suspicious activity on his cameras around town--leads to the discovery of an illegal smuggling ring. There is a chase with some bad guys and a car crash. Also, a scene where kids are being stalked by a dangerous wild animal.
Drinking/Smoking/Drugs: none

Class Novel-ability: I think this is such a cute book—funny, relatable, and short. I can see most kids really loving it. That said, it feels a little slow-paced for a full class unit. While it would work wonderfully as a fun independent read or a book club selection, I’m not sure it’s engaging or theme-heavy enough to anchor extended whole-class instruction.

The Star Qualities

The protagonist/narrator is so relatable and funny, with an incredibly engaging voice. It’s honestly one of my favorite tones I’ve read in a middle grade novel. Students will totally relate to Carter’s tech obsession, his Zoom school boredom, his relationship with his little brother, his issues with friends and frenemies at school, and the complications surrounding his crush. It feels authentically middle school in the best way.
The book is super short and a fast read—perfect for reluctant readers. I think most students would enjoy the humorous spying plot and feel proud of themselves for finishing a whole book. This is definitely one I would recommend for a student whose goal is to complete an entire novel.
The main character learns from his mistakes, and I love how wrapped up and secure the ending feels. The narrator has a complete character arc: he grows and changes through everything he experiences. He’s still a flawed, relatable middle schooler—but he’s evolved.

Book Talk Read Aloud Section

*What is a book talk? (Watch a how to video here. Read my blog post here)

If you have the physical book, read pages 1-5 (through the phrase, "I was already out cold.")

If you don't, read the same pages (location 49-102 through the phrase, "I was already out cold.") in the Kindle reading sample here.

"Reading Like a Writer" Mentor Texts

*What is a Reading Like a Writer? (Watch a how to video here. Read my blog post here)

I really like this passage as an example of voice. It’s funny, self-deprecating, and extremely relatable for middle schoolers. It’s also a strong example of characterization—we learn a lot about the narrator just from the way he tells this story. His personality comes through clearly in his humor, exaggeration, and embarrassment. Both elements make this a great mentor text for students. I’d love to see which parts they choose to replicate, and I think using this passage could really elevate their own voice writing.

This is such a great passage. To set the scene, the narrator is simultaneously attending Zoom school and spying on the town through security cameras on his computer. That split attention heightens the tension of the moment. He’s stuck in math class, but emotionally pulled into what he’s seeing on the screen—a small, urgent moment unfolding in real time.

This is a great example of zoomed-in observation. You can clearly see the scene playing out in your head as you read it. The writer uses sentence fragments, repetition, and onomatopoeia to slow the moment down and build tension. There’s also strong internal dialogue, followed by a quick, effective snap back to reality. The passage has a distinct voice and humor, and the ending is especially powerful. I absolutely love the last sentence and would particularly like to see students replicate that kind of voice and structure in their own writing—ending a moment with a line that both grounds the scene and reveals character. Altogether, this passage offers a rich collection of craft moves for students to study and learn from.

This is a golden mentor text passage—short, sweet, and one students will love. It includes dialogue, internal dialogue, irony, exaggeration, and a parenthetical aside, all packed into just a few lines. The passage ends with short, dramatic fragments that perfectly capture the narrator’s disbelief. All of these writerly moves work together to create another outstanding example of voice and characterization. We learn exactly who this narrator is—not through explanation, but through tone, structure, and reaction.

Sentences for Combining and Imitation

*What is sentence combination and imitation? (Watch my how to video here. Read my blog post here.)

Sentence sets for combining:

"I roll to the front hall, holding the dripping mop out in front of me like a jousting lance." (Snoop, p.18)

I roll to the front hall.
I'm holding the mop.
The mop is dripping.
The mop is out in front of me.
The mop is like a jousting lance.

"I've been watching the camera feeds more than ever--not just during virtual school, but early mornings, evenings, and late nights too." (p. 60)

I've been watching the camera feed more than ever.
I watch them not JUST during virtual school.
I watch them during early mornings.
I watch them during the evenings.
I watch them during late nights too.

"The minute he gets home from school, I send him to get me stuff: drinks, snacks, everything I need and a few things I don't." (p. 22)

I send him to get me stuff.
I send hum the minute he gets home from school.
I send him to get drinks.
I send him to get snacks.
I send him to get everything I need.
I send him to get a few things I don't.

Sentences for Imitation:

I think all of these passages use fun structural elements that add drama and voice—colons, em dashes, italics, and ellipses. Each one would be a great example for students to emulate.

"At this altitude, I’m going to freeze my fingers off. But it’s worth it: technology at last, my connection to the outside world. And look–I have two bars of service!" (p. 4)

"Mom never should have become a photographer. She would have made a great lawyer or maybe a hostage negotiator. You want to argue with her, but she’s just so reasonable." (p. 23)

"She has one kid already–a toddler, two-ish. He has a face like an angel . . . but don’t believe it." (p. 25)

"It’s not like I don’t have problems of my own. Two of them, in fact: my broken legs." (p. 33)

Used this book in your classroom? Tell us how in the comments!

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