Griff Carver, Hallway Patrol

Starred review from March 29, 2010
In what reads like a deliberately clichéd police procedural, first-time novelist Krieg takes readers inside the squeaky-clean hallways of Rampart Middle School, where new student Griff Carver immediately smells something fishy. Griff, a seasoned safety patrol officer whose reputation for razor-sharp instincts and tough-guy attitude has preceded him, is forced to team up with chatterbox Tommy, a by-the-books Boy Scout, to weed out a counterfeit hall pass gang. With comically over-the-top cop lingo—“I'd had enough commanding officers over the years to know that that's what they were. Politicians. Kids looking to score a few points on their magnate high school application”—Griff and Tommy tell their stories through incident reports and interviews, adding drama and humor to the most mundane aspects of school. Krieg cleverly depicts Rampart as a microcosm of society, complete with smarmy “student govie types,” a gutsy school reporter (who contributes diary-style chapters), and dedicated but underappreciated hallway patrol officers (“A hero's just a sandwich the cafeteria served us every Wednesday,” Griff quips). Krieg will keep readers chuckling through the hilarious but action-packed showdown, which leaves the door open for a sequel. Ages 9–11.