Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
I've read multiple Hiaasen books aloud with my kids and overall this was a good one. But I could have done without the teacher bullying the student(s) at the beginning. That piece of character development wasn't needed for the story and made the rest of the book not really sit well. I think she could have been strict and demanding without being a bully and, in my opinion, that would have improved the book.
I am a huge fan of Carl Hiassen. I lived in South Florida for several years and fell in love with his world. He is gifted at creating colorful casts of characters, from the greedy real estate and oil tycoons to the idealists who use guerilla tactics to save the environment.
He gives is his usual cast of fantastic characters, such as a teacher who wears a tuxedo with a yellow bow-tie and teaches science based on the page number and not the content. Duane Scrod Sr. uses needle nose pliers to attack the lips of someone he believes to be a tax collector. This is classic Hiassen! Don’t mess with the recluse who lives in the back woods! You may be surprised Scrod Sr. loves classical music. This is another reason I love Hiassen’s colorful, multi-dimensional characters. His stories go beyond the character study; there are also valuable lessons to be learned about the environment and the damage we do to precious resources and endangered species.
As in his earlier novel, Flush, Hiassen uses both meanings of the word scat. “Scat!” as in go away and “scat” as in animal leavings.
Nick and Marta are friends and classmates in scary Mrs. Starch’s biology class. They watch a Duane Scrod Jr. chomp one of her pencils in two. When both Mrs. Starch and Duane go missing during a class trip to Black Vine Swamp, the two investigate. Nick does most of his investigating with one hand tied behind his back, literally! His father just lost his arm in Iraq and Nick wants to understand what his father is going through. This story leads them to a panther cub, a really freaky collection of taxidermy and side of their teacher they never knew existed.
I loved it! I can’t wait for Hiaasen’s next book! He makes me a little homesick for South Florida.
He gives is his usual cast of fantastic characters, such as a teacher who wears a tuxedo with a yellow bow-tie and teaches science based on the page number and not the content. Duane Scrod Sr. uses needle nose pliers to attack the lips of someone he believes to be a tax collector. This is classic Hiassen! Don’t mess with the recluse who lives in the back woods! You may be surprised Scrod Sr. loves classical music. This is another reason I love Hiassen’s colorful, multi-dimensional characters. His stories go beyond the character study; there are also valuable lessons to be learned about the environment and the damage we do to precious resources and endangered species.
As in his earlier novel, Flush, Hiassen uses both meanings of the word scat. “Scat!” as in go away and “scat” as in animal leavings.
Nick and Marta are friends and classmates in scary Mrs. Starch’s biology class. They watch a Duane Scrod Jr. chomp one of her pencils in two. When both Mrs. Starch and Duane go missing during a class trip to Black Vine Swamp, the two investigate. Nick does most of his investigating with one hand tied behind his back, literally! His father just lost his arm in Iraq and Nick wants to understand what his father is going through. This story leads them to a panther cub, a really freaky collection of taxidermy and side of their teacher they never knew existed.
I loved it! I can’t wait for Hiaasen’s next book! He makes me a little homesick for South Florida.
Scat by Carl Hiaasen was such a cute and heart warming book.
Per his usual style it takes place in Florida and is written in a realistic fiction way, following the lives of several young friends. He definitely develops the characters in a way that you learn a lot about emotions and I think older elementary or middle school kids would love that. It would be a way for them to relate to a book and possibly better understand any emotions they are feeling and aren't able to recognize just yet. Middle school is such a critical age with kids all developing and experiencing so many emotions all at different times and rates that books like these are perfect for helping kids feel okay about where they are in life.
Per his usual style it takes place in Florida and is written in a realistic fiction way, following the lives of several young friends. He definitely develops the characters in a way that you learn a lot about emotions and I think older elementary or middle school kids would love that. It would be a way for them to relate to a book and possibly better understand any emotions they are feeling and aren't able to recognize just yet. Middle school is such a critical age with kids all developing and experiencing so many emotions all at different times and rates that books like these are perfect for helping kids feel okay about where they are in life.
Hiaasen's books are always good for a few laughs and some amusement value, and this one is no different. His YA novels are quite toned-down from his adult works, but that doesn't quite make them tame.
It had been a long while since I'd read Sick Puppy, so I didn't really remember who Twilly Spree was. He's cut from the same cloth, though, as the feral Clinton Tyree, the former governor of Florida. That they collaborated in Sick Puppy I had entirely forgotten until I browsed Wikipedia. So a familiarity with that book will definitely enhance an adult's enjoyment of this one, though it's definitely too dark for the intended age group of this one.
The rest of the characters were fairly cookie cutter, for Hiaasen, though not quite as bloodthirsty as in his adult novels. There's a comforting formula to Hiaasen, and you can rest assured it's followed here. But there are some surprises in there, too, and the dark humor didn't fail to elicit a laugh.
The audio version I listened to was narrated by Ed Asner, which was quite a treat. Still, I expected more from Asner's comic timing. There were a lot of pieces of dialogue I had to mentally reread, because his delivery sounded off. He wasn't phoning it in, but there were moments where his reading brought me out of the story and distracted me.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, and there's nothing to scare away parents of pre-teen readers picking it up. Even the good guys have to face consequences to their poor choices. The ending felt a little saccharine, but I think most kids would be comforted having it wrap up so nicely.
It had been a long while since I'd read Sick Puppy, so I didn't really remember who Twilly Spree was. He's cut from the same cloth, though, as the feral Clinton Tyree, the former governor of Florida. That they collaborated in Sick Puppy I had entirely forgotten until I browsed Wikipedia. So a familiarity with that book will definitely enhance an adult's enjoyment of this one, though it's definitely too dark for the intended age group of this one.
The rest of the characters were fairly cookie cutter, for Hiaasen, though not quite as bloodthirsty as in his adult novels. There's a comforting formula to Hiaasen, and you can rest assured it's followed here. But there are some surprises in there, too, and the dark humor didn't fail to elicit a laugh.
The audio version I listened to was narrated by Ed Asner, which was quite a treat. Still, I expected more from Asner's comic timing. There were a lot of pieces of dialogue I had to mentally reread, because his delivery sounded off. He wasn't phoning it in, but there were moments where his reading brought me out of the story and distracted me.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, and there's nothing to scare away parents of pre-teen readers picking it up. Even the good guys have to face consequences to their poor choices. The ending felt a little saccharine, but I think most kids would be comforted having it wrap up so nicely.
This book got better as it went on. I liked Hoot and decided to read this with a younger book club, and I think they enjoyed it. Not an amazing book, but I would suggest to anyone who enjoys Carl Hiaasen's other children's books.
This is an awesome book! It is about a boy and girl who's bio teacher goes missing after a trip to Black Vine Swamp, because of an arson. Within their journey they will have to deal with a wannabe texas oilman, singing subsitute, and a Florida panther. Read this book if you are into mysteries or want a really good book to read.
A solid YA murder mystery. 3 stars because it wasn't bad but neither the writing nor plot were particularly special in any way. I struggled to get into it because the teacher is SO unlikeable when she's first introduced, and I've never likes the Snape-esq redemption arcs. That being said, the kid characters were great and I loved the unlikely friendships that formed over the course of the book. This seems like the perfect read for a preteen kid who likes exploring outside more than they like doing any of their schoolwork.
Read in conjunction with the 8th grader so we can discuss. I liked it. I'll be intrigued to see what he thinks.
ok, this is a young adult book, but it was an entertaining read.