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ichirofakename's review
3.0
Completely readable YA Florida Hiaasen excapade. Instructional asides palatable and interesting. Typical story. Main characters are teens, plus the inimitabler Skink.
mommamel11's review
4.0
I'm not much of a Carl Hiaasen fan so I only planned to skim this. I was drawn into the exciting plot--a boy's cousin meets up with someone unsavoury from the internet and runs away and he tries to rescue her with help from a crazy old dude. Very exciting with a ecological subplot thrown in.
turrean's review
2.0
Sensible Richard is very upset when his cousin runs away with someone that she's met on the Internet. Hiaasen's writing is clever and brash, and the eco-avenger Skink is a hoot--just suspend any personal qualms about vigilantes.
But I just can't get past the fact that in order to rescue his cousin from the online predator, Richard too runs off with a crazy old man whose "identification" is… a Wikipedia article. Worse, his cousin Malley is a pastiche of teenage girl stereotypes: flighty, shallow, a"diva," impatient, too stupid to see the danger she's in, in need of rescue. She's smart enough to Google a line from a poem; too dumb to google the name her kidnapper gives her. Hiaasen, who has created some completely badass female characters, could have done much better.
But I just can't get past the fact that in order to rescue his cousin from the online predator, Richard too runs off with a crazy old man whose "identification" is… a Wikipedia article. Worse, his cousin Malley is a pastiche of teenage girl stereotypes: flighty, shallow, a"diva," impatient, too stupid to see the danger she's in, in need of rescue. She's smart enough to Google a line from a poem; too dumb to google the name her kidnapper gives her. Hiaasen, who has created some completely badass female characters, could have done much better.
Spoiler
She's too stupid to fear her kidnapper's unwanted sexual advances, too. I was worried early on by the choice of "online stalker of teenage girls" as a character in a supposedly "action-packed comedy," and once we reached the scenes where her stalker talks about how he's going to marry her--sans witnesses or preacher--and puts her in handcuffs, it just didn't matter how cool Skink was, because the story was just creepy. And I'm sad to see that asking a female kidnap victim, "Has he...hurt you?" is still YA code for "did he rape you?" Part of the "nail-biting suspense" comes from the inevitably of that rape, once the bad guy is safely "married" to Malley. The breezy tone, however, is at odds with the seriousness of the situation, like a farce about child abuse.afro8921's review
3.0
Richard's cousin Malley has a history of running away whenever her parent's rules get to be too constrictive. Used to her antics, Richard isn't too worried when Malley decides a stint a New Hampshire private school for girls isn't in the cards for her. He becomes more worried as he realizes the Malley is keeping company with a older man operating under an assumed name. Richard meets Skink while he is searching for Malley on the beach. Together Skink and Richard must battle wary tourist, foot injuries, and an unpredictable captor in their search for Malley. Malley was a character I didn't particularly care for. She never caught on to the fact that her actions have effects beyond herself.
sc104906's review
3.0
In a typical example of Carl Hiaasen, this novel presents a slice of life mixed with ecology.
Richard's best friend and cousin, Malley, is missing. Most people believe that she has simply run away, but Richard knows better. Going crazy about the safety of his cousin, Richard stumbles upon Skink, a homeless old man who is hiding in a fake turtle nest to protect local turtle eggs. Skink is more than he seems. Together, Richard and Skink go on the hunt for Malley. While Skink has bouts of crazy, he is a great driving force in finding Malley.
Richard's best friend and cousin, Malley, is missing. Most people believe that she has simply run away, but Richard knows better. Going crazy about the safety of his cousin, Richard stumbles upon Skink, a homeless old man who is hiding in a fake turtle nest to protect local turtle eggs. Skink is more than he seems. Together, Richard and Skink go on the hunt for Malley. While Skink has bouts of crazy, he is a great driving force in finding Malley.
bookhawk's review
4.0
I love this author. Even his young fiction is enjoyable and laugh out loud funny while expressing a particular green world view.