This newest book by Carl Hiaasen will not disappoint his fans.
Richard is interested in the natural world. Turtles scoop out nests lay their eggs on the beach near his home. Richard goes down in the evenings to find the new nests and mark them out for protection against poachers. As this story begins he finds a curious nest site with a straw sticking out.
"A full grown man shot upright in a spray of sand, ... Built like a grizzly ... on his chiselled block of his head he wore ... a flowered plastic shower cap. Even weirder, his left eye and right eye were pointed in totally different directions."
This man, Clint Tyree, (he is one of the most eccentric characters you will ever meet) and Richard are about to become the closest of friends as they embark on a wild search to find Malley - Richard's cousin - who has run off with a man she met online. Malley is a rebel but Richard knows she is in danger.
You can read the first three chapters here. This is an action packed story and you won't put it down until Malley and Richard are safely back home.
In our Primary school library this book will be available only for our senior students as it does contain some violence and, while we do not discover what happened to Malley, the suggestion of what might have taken place when she joins an older man she meets online is not appropriate for our younger students. We do have all of Carl Hiaasen's books. I recommend starting with Hoot.
This review in the Guardian will give you further insights into the plot and themes of this book. If you are using this book with a class in high school here is a set of teacher notes. Here is a terrific little trailer made by Le Grande school library. Here is the Kirkus review.
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