Review – Scat by Carl Hiaasen (3/5 stars)
Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre: Mystery
Length: 400 pages
Publisher: Yearling
Release Date: February 28, 2012
ISBN-13: 978-0440421047
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Swapped through Paperbackswap.com
Rating: 3/5 stars
This is the third book of Hiaasen’s books for the middle grade/young adult set featuring kids in Florida who try to save the environment/ecology from evil doers. This was an entertaining read; although I didn’t like it as much as Hoot (which I loved) or Flush.
Bunny Starch has gone missing; she is the school’s biology teacher and not the most loved teacher out there. However, two of her students (Nick and Marta) think something fishy is going on here. They think it is incredibly odd that Mrs. Starch disappeared on the same day that the class delinquent Smoke did. Especially since Mrs. Starch and Smoke got into an all out brawl the day before. Well Nick and Marta might be right; but little do they realize that both Mrs Starch’s and Smoke’s disappearance are linked to the goings on in Black Vine Swamp.
I also enjoy Hiaasen’s witty and snappy writing style. It’s quirky and a little over-the-top funny and always entertaining.
However I thought this book had a little bit too much going on and was a bit too scattered. We hear from a number of different characters throughout the story and it jumps around so much it’s a bit jarring and hard to follow. Additionally there are a lot of different issues and stories going on here and it was a lot to follow and digest.
For example Nick is dealing with his dad being gone at Iraq. Smoke is dealing with his mom abandoning them and moving to Paris. There is the Red Diamond Energy company that is illegally drilling for oil. Additionally there is the possibility of an endangered cougar roaming through Black Vine Swamp. Then there is the missing Mrs. Starch and a case of arson that Smoke gets blamed for. Most of these ends up being related, some of it not. However it was a lot to put into this little book and resulted in awkward pacing and a story that felt jerky and contrived.
I was also a little disappointed that the cougars don’t really make an appearance until very late in the story. They are discussed some throughout; but the majority of the story ends up being about Mrs. Starch’s disappearance, Smoke’s supposed arson, and Nick’s dad in Iraq. It was just a bit of a mess.
Things are wrapped up nicely though and in a very tongue in cheek way that is ironic. The writing is fairly easy to read and there is some good action.
Overall this was an okay story. There was a bit too much going on here and the story didn’t flow all that well. While I enjoyed the topic of saving endangered species from evil-doers, I thought this was the weakest book so far of these Hiaasen books…which is a pity because the cover is super cute. I would recommend reading Hoot and Flush before this book; this one just isn’t as good as those two were.
This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge
– Mount TBR Reading Challenge
