The Gollywhopper Games by Jody Feldman was my son’s favorite 2009/2020 Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee. He voted for The Gollywhopper Games as his favorite book on the Texas Bluebonnet Award nominee list. Since we are in Texas, my kids get to vote for their favorite book from the nominees.
The Texas Bluebonnet Award reading program was started to encourage Texas children to read more books, and explore a variety of different books. In order to vote, the kids have to read at least 5 of the 20 nominated books. My son read 15 of the 20 books and although he enjoyed reading all of them, The Gollywhopper Games was his favorite.
He wanted to share the book with me and asked me to read it to him. This is a great “read aloud” book, it is filled with trivia and puzzles. It was fun trying to figure out some of the puzzles. I enjoyed it so much, that I read it to my daughter. I also noticed that this was the top book by the kids in my son’s grade at his school. We definitely recommend this book!
Gil Goodson’s dad was accused of stealing money from his job at Golly Toy & Game Company. He ended up losing his job and going to trial. Gil knows his dad is innocent, but the rest of the town thinks he did it. Gil decides the best thing for his family to do is move far away and start over.
When he finds out about the Gollywhopper Games, he thinks he might have a good chance at winning. He studies for months, hoping this may be the answer he is looking for. If he wins, his dad promises that the family can move away from all the accusations and gossip. By the end of the book, he does find the answers he is looking for, but not in the way he expects.
Warning! Once the Golly whopper Games begin, it is very difficult to put the book down. We spent many nights staying up past bedtime and I read until the kids fell asleep.
I also loved the discussions that followed after reading this book. You can discuss how to handle things when you have been wronged. How do you handle knowing that someone cheated? How do you handle pressure?
MomsMaterial Recommends The Gollywhopper Games by Jody Feldman
From the Publisher
Ladies and gentlemen!
Boys and girls!
Welcome to the biggest, bravest, boldest competition the world has ever seen!
The Gollywhopper Games!
Are you ready?
Gil Goodson sure hopes he's ready. His future happiness depends on winning the Golly Toy & Game Company's ultimate competition. If Gil wins, his dad has promised the family can move out of Orchard Heights—away from all the gossip, the false friends, and bad press that have plagued the Goodsons ever since The Incident.
Gil's been studying for months. He thinks he knows everything about Golly's history and merchandise. But does he know enough to answer the trivia? Solve the puzzles? Complete the stunts? Will it be more than all the other kids know? Gil's formidable opponents have their own special talents. He must be quicker and smarter than all of them.
The ride of Gil's life is about to begin.
Win! win! win!
About the Author
Jody Feldman is the author of The Gollywhopper Games, a Texas Bluebonnet Award book and Midwest Booksellers' Choice Honor book. She holds a degree in journalism from the University of Missouri, and she worked in advertising before becoming a full-time author. She lives in St. Louis, Missouri.
If you have read the book, please let us know what you thought in the comments below.
Cammie Moise
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