The Gollywhopper Games

Written by Jody Feldman

Narrated by Jonathan Todd Ross

Jody Feldman's popular, award-winning novel about a group of kids playing the Gollywhopper Games—the fiercest toy company competition in the country—will appeal to fans of The Amazing Race and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!

Gil Goodson has been studying, training, and preparing for months to compete in the Gollywhopper Games. Everything is at stake. Once Gil makes it through the tricky preliminary rounds and meets his teammates in the fantastical Golly Toy and Game Company, the competition gets tougher. Brainteasers, obstacle courses, mazes, and increasingly difficult puzzles and decisions—not to mention temptations, dilemmas, and new friends (and enemies)—are all that separate Gil from ultimate victory. An interactive and inventive page-turner perfect for young readers who love to solve puzzles!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 11, 2020
• ISBN: 9781980081647

Jody Feldman

Jody Feldman has always loved riddles and brainteasers and word games, and she lives in a city on a river whose name contains four s's, two p's, and four i's. Jody has written as many books for young readers as there are players in a doubles tennis match. To find out how many brothers she has, take the number of bases on a baseball diamond and divide it by the number of times Grover Cleveland was president of the United States.

Reviews for The Gollywhopper Games

[amandabock-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyable, although too neat in its conclusion.

[gecizzle · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

My wife recommended this book to me, and I thought there was no way that I would actually enjoy it. But, I started in on it anyway. See, I'm not a fan of puzzles. Hate 'em. And, she told me that there were many puzzles and adventures in this book. I kind of glossed over the puzzle bits, but enjoyed the adventures and the vivid characters.

So, yes. It's a good book. A nice, fun story. But, I have to say, If I had known that the actual adventure doesn't start until after the 10th chapter, I would have started there. That's when the actual Games begin. Before that, there is just a lot of set-up. Who is this kid? Why's his dad in trouble with the law? As far as I'm concerned... Who cares?

It would have been a much better book, had it stared at the 10th chapter mark. For me, anyway. So, tear 'em out of this book. Stomp on 'em. Call 'em dirty names. Because, that's what they deserve. Those chapters are bad, and they should feel bad.

[pammycats · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My daughter and I just finished our second summer reading book, "The Gollywhopper Games". We both thoroughly enjoyed this book.Clever, clever, clever, Anyone who enjoys solving puzzles and figuring out mysteries will be enthralled by this book.The main premise of "Gollywhopper" is a contest sponsored by a large toy company. The contest is a series of games (puzzles) that must be solved in order to move on to the next level. Several thousand players started the game but the field was quickly narrowed down to 10. The final 10 players break into two teams of five and must learn to trust each other. The final five then compete in a series of individual puzzles that eventually leads to a winner. The puzzles are amazing and so fun to solve along with the characters. Within the main story (of the competition) is another, more serious mystery to be solved. The main character's dad was accused of a crime (against the toy company that is sponsoring the competition) that he did not commit. The courts found him innocent but that does not keep some of the other characters from expressing anger and even hostility towards the main character. So not only does he have to solve the puzzles but he must deal with all of the anger and malice.The end of the story is very satisfying. All the puzzles are solved step-by-step and very realistically. The final puzzle was my favorite. It required you to remember all your previous puzzles and then use that information on the different sections of the final puzzle (but in slightly different ways). It was so fun and completely occupied my brain for a bit. This book has my daughter scrambling to create her own clever conundrums.The crime mystery (who stole the secret from the company files???) is brilliantly resolved as well. Without giving away any plot points, I can tell you that clues to this mystery were cleverly revealed through the contestants work on the puzzles. This was a lovely and unexpected plot twist in the story.Finally, our main character learns something about himself, real friendship, and how sometimes friendship was there all along if we would open ourselves to the possibility.

[68papyrus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Gollywhopper Games is to the toy industry as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is to candy. This was a fast paced puzzle and adventure novel. Gil Goodson is determined to win the grand prize of the Gollywhopper Games so he can leave all the drama that his life has become and move far away. Winning will not be easy though, Gil must tackle trivia, puzzles and physical stunts in front of television cameras. Oh, the pressure! I enjoyed this book it had a feel good kind of vibe and a good message. It was also fun to try to work through the brainteasers in the book. This book will appeal to puzzle fans as well as fans of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

[scote23 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

BIS Book Award Nominee 2009-2010

It was pretty good. Not about an Olympic Lying event, but rather a contest for children with toys and puzzles to solve. I enjoyed it.

[julieaduncan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Yes, the story line is similar to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory but so much better. Imagine competing to win copies of every toy a toy factory has ever made and ever will make!This book grabbed my attention from the very first chapter. It hit the ground running and didn't stop. It's very fast paced and keeps your interest to the very end. I loved the puzzles and am looking forward to a sequel which I hear is in the works!I could see using this in a middle-school or older elementary classroom and letting groups try to solve the puzzles before reading the solution. Truthfully, I couldn't pause to even try to solve the puzzles. I couldn't put the book down long enough!

[amygatt_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read a review of this book online which compared it to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and as soon as I started the book I could not help but notice all the similarities between the two. However, at some point I completely forgot about that and got wrapped up in the puzzles and the plot. I really like that this book makes readers think and encourages them to participate in solving the puzzles and riddles. It is also nice (and in the same vein as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) to see the rude bully character (Rocky) brought to justice for cheating. I would recommend this book to fourth and fifth graders, although older students would also enjoy reading this. This is a fun, quick read, but it also challenges the reader and promotes creative problem solving. Male and female readers with all different interests would enjoy this book.

[oapostrophe · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

With more than a nod to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory we have here a fast-paced, action-packed story with characters I could believe in. Gil's dad was accused of embezzeling money from the Golly Toy Company and was taken to trial. Although he was exonerated, Gil is still suffering from the publicity.He wants more than anything to win The Gollywhopper Games so that his family can move away and start over. The games are great fun! Really good puzzles, teamwork, cheating and more!

[messerpicks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love this story! I just finished reading it aloud to my class and they were literally on the edge of their seat the entire time. They really enjoyed when we got to the puzzles. This is just a great story all around! I definately want to add it to my classroom library! 

[jesouhaite · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If Willy Wonka had a game/trivia show, the Gollywhopper Games would be it! When Gil’s father gets fired from Golly Toy & Game Company for a crime he didn’t commit, Gil decides to participate in the Gollywhopper Games to win the prize money for his family. As he and other kids work together and individually to solve mind boggling puzzles and do hilarious stunts, Gil discovers the truth about his father. A wild, zany, fantastic ride from start to finish! Ages 9-12

[whitreidtan · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was working at the school's book fair the other day and thought this one sounded cute. I set it aside to get for my second grade son but after a mom at the bookfair asked me to read it and let her know how it was, I dove into it first. I do still think it'll be cute for the kiddo but as an adult I have to say it was awfully derivative and that was somewhat disappointing. Even the author admits in the end note that she specifically wrote this when she couldn't find another book to satisfy a child who had just finished Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. And the obvious influence of that classic is evident in so many ways in this one.Gil Goodson is desperate to join and ultimately win the Gollywhopper Games, the 50th anniversary celebration of the Golly Toy Company. If he wins, his dad has promised him that the family will move out of town and away from the lingering terribleness and malicious gossip following "The Incident." It turns out that The Incident refers to Gil's father being arrested for embezzling from the Golly Toy Company and although he is eventually found not guilty, the town has tried him in the court of public opinion and come back with a guilty verdict, resulting in the ostracizing of the family and Gil in particular. And Gil wants to leave all of this behind, hence his entry in the contest.He does get into the contest, successfully answering questions related to Golly products and he is one of the top ten after the final question, ensuring that he can go forward in the Games. Like in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the Golly Toy Company building, where the second portion of the contest takes place, is an awe inspiring place of magic and fantasy. And Gil is, of course, not alone as a contestant. His fellow contestants are initially his teammates: Thorn, whose father bought up enough toys to guarantee him a spot in the contest; Rocky, who used to live in town and is so focused on winning that he is willing to cheat in order to come out on top; Lavinia, the sheltered bookworm; and Bianca, whose sole goal is to make it on tv. First the group must work as a team to defeat the other team of five and then they must compete as individuals to win it all. Although Charlie and the Chocolate Factory doesn't have puzzles to solve and stunts to perform, these puzzles and stunts are still reminiscent of the various stages of the tour Willy Wonka offers since they take place in a wonderous and fantastical place with characters eliminated at each juncture.The subplot of Gil's father's disgrace comes into play a few times throughout the action of the novel and while the resolution is predictable and easy to see as an adult, I'm not convinced that it would be so glaringly obvious to a child. The characters here are, thankfully, not entirely good or bad (well, aside from Gil, who is a bit of a conciliatory wishy-washy character). The ultimate end of the book is so predictable that it was disappointing to me and the puzzles weren't as hard as say, those that Ellen Raskin concocts in some of her wonderful books like The Westing Game, but they will probably be hard enough for the target audience, if the audience tries to solve them themselves instead of racing through the explanations to get back to the games. Feldman is inventive in her setting but given that she seems to have the imagination, I found it a let down that she didn't go further afield from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in the plot. However, I suspect that this is simply a problem because I am an adult reading the book and not a kid. If you only have time for one book, I'd say read Charlie but if you have time for two, go ahead and compare with this one too. Oh, and one final note: this would not be a good read aloud book unless the reader is willing to draw visuals of the word puzzles.

[weirweaver_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Anyone who enjoyed Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory or likes solving puzzles should enjoy this book. Gil is an engaging character and your connection with him will propel you through the book.

[lcherylc_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have a golden ticket! Reminiscent of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Gil Goodson wants to move out of Orchard Heights to escape his family's dark past. So he decides to enter the Gollywhopper Games in hopes of winning the grand prize-- a one-way ticket out of Orchard Heights. This is a fun, fast-paced story with lots of games, puzzles, and riddles. This is my favorite books of 2008. Two thumbs way UP!

[c.vick · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

So, it's basically Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in a toy factory with a few twists. Not as dark. Nobody gets possibly sent to the incinerator, for instance, and there are no characters you'd really want to see go there.But the influence is obvious. You have a boy, maybe not poor in money, but poor in friends. You see, his father was accused of embezzling money from the Gollywhoopper Toy Company. Never mind that he was acquitted, the town has already tried him and sealed the verdict. Charlie, called Gil Goodson here, wants to win the games so his family can have enough money to move away from all those who keep calling his father a thief.You have a fantastical toy company hosting a special event. One way to get in is to find tickets in their products. (Cue "I've Got a Golden Ticket.") The kids will compete to win prizes. You've got your Veruca Salt type who gets in by buying so many products he has to get a ticket. You've a character who would be Augustus Gloop if Augustus were hooked on winning and not candy. A Mike Teavee (I guess she would be a Moovee, since she's hoping to be in films) with the spunk of a Violet Beauregarde. Perhaps the only odd man (or girl) out here is the character of Lavinia, an overprotected bookworm.Although the book is put forth as realistic fiction -- I mean embezzlement is hardly a fantasy crime -- the Gollywhopper factory is just as fantastical as Wonka's chocolate factory. It almost overpowered the story for me at times. I kept thinking things like, "But they couldn't have built up and then torn down a waterfall that quickly," or, "Did they have rooms that revolved before the games or did they (unbelievable) build them for the competition?" And so forth.Yet I can see the book's appeal. First of all, it is just a fun story. Just as every kid dreams of stumbling upon Wonka's amazing factory some day, I know the idea of this fantastical toy company will follow them to sleep.The puzzles are quite fun, if not very challenging for the adult reader. In this respect, the books are quite different from Wonka. I think fans of Chasing Vermeer or they Mysterious Benedict Society might enjoy Gollywhopper for this reason, as well as the teamwork.The teamwork is another key difference. The reader hardly feels sorry when Violet eats that gum and swells. She deserved it, right? But all the characters here, even cheaters like Thorn, have their redeeming points. And Gil can't get where he needs to without them.However, the ending is more or less the same (if I wasn't sure that Felman was working with Wonka in mind from the beginning, by the time the ending comes complete with a Slugworth-like turnaround [yes, I know Slugworth was only in the first film] I was quite sure). This is sort of unsatisfying, as I was hoping for something a little more... original.Gollywhopper Games isn't a wast of time -- far from it. It is riveting, and highly entertaining. If there was only time to read one or the other, I'd choose classic Dahl, but fortunately for us, there's time, and room, for them both.

[mjsbooks · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

As I was reading this book, I was struck by certain similarities to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Lo and behold, in the author's notes she acknowledges that the inspiration for writing it was hearing a boy at the library ask for something like that classic. Feldman doesn't share Dahl's genius for fantasy, but this is diverting enough to recommend. In this case, Gil Goodson competes against thousands of other kids in the Golly Toy & Game Company's elimination contest. The other finalists are well-delineated, and the puzzles they must solve are clever.