Mrs. Cullen's Book Review

Scat - by Carl Hiaasen (grades 5 - 8)

Hiaasen provides us with another pro-environmental story similar to his earlier books, Hoot and Flush. This one starts with the disappearance of an unpopular and feared teacher, Mrs Starch, during a suspicious fire that breaks out on a class trip to the Black Vine Swamp. Friends, Nick and Marta, don't believe that Mrs. Starch is absent due to "family matters" and decide to investigate on their own. They learn that an endangered Florida panther lives in the swamp. They also stumble upon an oil company that is running an illegal drilling operation there. Clues point to a troubled student nicknamed "Smoke" as being responsible for the fire, but not everything is as it appears. This is a fast paced mystery with an interesting cast of oddball characters. Hiaasen also makes interesting use of the different meanings of the word "scat."