June 23, 2014
Rather than be shipped off to boarding school, Richard Sloan’s cousin Malley runs away with a questionable acquaintance she met online. Richard shares his worry over her fate with a strange, one-eyed man he stumbles across on a Florida beach. Hiaasen’s adult readers will immediately recognize Skink, the former governor turned eco-warrior, who first appeared 25 years ago in Double Whammy. Skink commandeers Richard’s mission to find Malley and tutors his young new friend on carnivorous gators, wild pigs, driving (Richard is still a year away from a learner’s permit but no matter), and how to prepare roadkill for human consumption. What happens to Malley during her abduction is never explicitly stated, but the implication of what a criminal is doing with a handcuffed 14-year-old girl rides uneasily alongside the kookier elements of the story. Still, there is much to enjoy. Hiaasen’s concern for the environment and its most vulnerable denizens is again on full display, and Richard has a memorable epiphany when he loses his phone in Choctawhatchee Bay: “Pursuing a desperate criminal through the wilderness drastically rearranges your priorities.” Ages 12–up. Agent: Esther Newberg, ICM.
July 15, 2014
If you were pursuing your cousin's kidnapper across Florida, you would want a man like Skink at your side. Maybe.Skink, as readers of Hiaasen's novels for adults know, was once governor of Florida and is now a genially lawless reprobate who takes "eco-terrorism" to a whole new level. Richard first meets him completely buried in the sand on a beach lying in wait for a sea turtle-egg thief. That one extraordinary encounter turns into an unlikely partnership when Richard's spirited cousin, Malley, runs off with a guy she met on the Internet in order to avoid boarding school, a joy ride that quickly goes sour. On the road with Skink, Richard develops a taste for roadkill (Skink won't eat any other kind of meat), learns how to drive (Skink injures his foot saving a baby skunk from a semi) and reads Silent Spring (Skink is horrified Richard hasn't encountered it in school). They follow Malley's cryptic cellphone clues into a swamp that just may be ivory-billed-woodpecker habitat for a classic Hiaasen showdown. While this confrontation goes on a bit too long, that doesn't diminish the pleasure of the developing relationship between Skink and the fatherless Richard, as trusty a protagonist as ever was.Hiaasen's fierce love for the wilds of Florida, his fundamental commitment to decency and his penchant for the bizarre are all on full display in this, a read as agreeable as his hero is. (Fiction. 10-15)
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August 1, 2014
Gr 9 Up-Richard and his cousin Malley are best friends. But while Richard is pretty levelheaded, Malley tends to get into trouble. So Richard is only mildly surprised to discover that she's run off with a guy she met on the Internet in order to avoid being sent to boarding school in New Hampshire. Richard wants to go find her, and luckily he runs into what may be the perfect person to help him do just that: a ragged, one-eyed ex-governor of Florida named Skink. With Skink at the helm, the two set off across Florida in search of Richard's cousin. While Malley's character is not as fully developed as the others and the story seems highly improbable, Skink, a favorite character from Hiaasen's adult novels, is incredibly memorable. Whether it's diving in to a gator-infested river after a rogue canoe, getting his foot run over by a semi while trying to save a baby turtle, or hiding out in the sand to save the next turtle, Skink is always full of surprises. And like a cat with nine lives, one never knows how he'll make it out or what will happen next. One thing's for sure: readers will want to be along for the ride. Although the ending meanders, fans of Hiaasen's novels won't mind the detours one bit.-Necia Blundy, formerly at Marlborough Public Library, MA
Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Starred review from July 1, 2014
Grades 7-10 *Starred Review* In his first novel aimed at teens, Hiaasen leaves behind middle-school bullying and veers this ecological mystery into the territory of online predators, with inimitable Hiaasen style. Richard's cousin Malley is missing, and he fears that she's in danger, despite her eventual calm phone calls and e-mails. When she drops a clue about having spotted the possibly extinct ivory-billed woodpecker, Richard knows she needs help and is giving him a clue. His sidekick on this sleuthing adventure is Skink, from Hiaasen's adult fictiona Vietnam vet, an ex-governor, and an ecological-crusading, road-kill-eating hermit. Eccentric doesn't begin to describe him or the variety of objects he inserts in his empty eye socket. Skink and Richard make quite a dangerous and entertaining duo in a story that careens perfectly from one crazy situation to the next. The predator details are not described in intimate detail, leaving readers to imagine the realities for themselves, but the dangers of online relationships are clearly illuminated. Reluctant readers (especially guys) will surrender themselves to this page-turner. Cross your fingers that we haven't seen the last of Skink! HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: With Skink showing up in teen territory, this YA debut from the number-one New York Times best-selling author has crossover potential. Stock up!(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)
November 24, 2014
Heyborne’s easy-on-the-ears narration offers readily distinguishable voices for the characters of Richard, Skink, and Malley in Hiaasen’s first book for teens. Heyborne’s smooth vocal transitions from one speaker to the next, combined with Hiaasen’s irresistible plot and dialogue, is a pleasure to listen to. The adventures begin when 14-year-old Richard discovers that his cousin Malley has run off with a troubled and dangerous man she met on the Internet. After a chance meeting with Richard, former Florida governor Skink joins the mission to find Malley before she is harmed. Heyborne believably conveys Richard and Skink’s shift from strangers to comrades, as their quest finds them working in unison to overcome inclement weather, unpredictable animals, and worst of all, irrational humans. Hiaasen’s relationships ring true. His writing is spot-on, and, as a result, listeners will shirk their plans so that they may continue listening, eager to learn what happens next. Ages 12–up. A Knopf hardcover.
September 1, 2014
Clint Tyree, a.k.a. Skink, has starred in half a dozen of Hiaasen's adult novels; here he makes his first appearance in YA. Standing well over six feet tall, "built like a grizzly" and strong as an ox, unkempt, unwashed, and unwavering in executing his self-imposed crusade and frontier-style justice against the powerful preying on the powerless (both humans and the environment), the former Florida governor is a presence to be reckoned with. As the book opens, teen narrator Richard's cousin and best friend, Malley, runs away from home because she doesn't want to go to boarding school, and Richard is certain that she's with a chat-room acquaintance almost twice her age. When he tells Skink, the governor immediately takes off to rescue Malley, and Richard joins him on an event-filled road trip from Loggerhead Beach through the Panhandle. Although Skink is larger than life, Hiaasen smoothly integrates his vulnerabilities with his outrageous behaviors, including eating roadkill and wrestling an alligator. Richard's naivete plays nicely against Skink's extremism, and Malley remains a prima donna despite her predicament; the villain is unfortunately a two-dimensional character in contrast. There's a message about personal safety on the internet and a little moral instruction from Skink, but these go down as easily as the sun dipping into the Florida Gulf at nightfall. betty carter
(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
January 1, 2015
Teen narrator Richard's cousin and best friend, Malley, runs away from home because she doesn't want to go to boarding school. When Richard tells Skink (who has starred in half a dozen of Hiaasen's adult novels), the former governor takes off to rescue Malley, and Richard joins him on an event-filled road trip. Richard's naiveti plays nicely against Skink's extremism.
(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)