-Carl Hiaasen
Bestselling author and columnist Carl Hiaasen returns with another hysterical mystery for kids set in Florida's Everglades.
Bunny Starch, the most feared biology teacher ever, is missing. She disappeared after a school field trip to Black Vine Swamp. And, to be honest, the kids in her class are relieved.
But when the principal tries to tell the students that Mrs. Starch has been called away on a "family emergency," Nick and Marta just don't buy it. No, they figure the class delinquent, Smoke, has something to do with her disappearance.
And he does! But not in the way they think. There's a lot more going on in Black Vine Swamp than any one player in this twisted tale can see. And Nick and Marta will have to reckon with an eccentric eco-avenger, a stuffed rat named Chelsea, a wannabe Texas oilman, a singing substitute teacher, and a ticked-off Florida panther before they really begin to see the big picture.
That's life in the swamp, kids.
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I loved this Junior chapter book.
It had Hiaasen's trademark wit, humor and bumbling idiot criminals. I also felt this was a good introduction to wildlife ecology, preservation and conservation for young kids. It helps show that adults don't always have the answers or make the best decisions and must be held accountable for their actions, too.
I am going to pick up his other Junior novels and give them a read:
Hoot
Flush
Chomp
I've read a handful of his adult novels and found them very entertaining. His Junior novels have all the trademarks of his adult novels, but hit just the right note for young readers.
Heidi Y.