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hickeypicks 's review for:
Scat
by Carl Hiaasen
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.