Books

Scat

Carl Hiaasen, Author

Paperback

Imprint: Orion Children's Books

Publication date: September 2, 2010

Category: General fiction (Children's / Teenage)

ISBN: 9781444000597

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From Newbery Honoree Carl Hiaasen comes this New York Times bestseller in which an eccentric eco-avenger, a stuffed rat named Chelsea, a wannabe Texas oilman, and an angry panther can’t stop two kids on a mission to find their missing teacher!

When Mrs Starch, the most feared biology teacher in Florida, goes missing during a school trip to the Black Vine Swamp, her class is secretly relieved.

The school principal tries to cover it up as a ‘family emergency’, but Nick and Marta just aren’t convinced. They think it’s much more likely to have something to do with Smoke, the local troublemaker – whose run-ins with Mrs Starch are infamous – and decide to do some investigating of their own.

But there’s more going on in Black Vine Swamp than either one of them could guess. And Nick and Marta must see off an eccentric eco-avenger, a stuffed rat named Chelsea, a crooked oil prospector, a singing substitute teacher, and an angry Florida panther before they really begin to see the big picture.

Reviews

As ever with Hiaasen, rambunctious humour and twisted, French-farce plotting make the book a joy to read

Financial Times

Like PG Wodehouse and Terry Pratchett, Carl Hiaasen always returns to the same fictional - or semi-fictionalised - world, but manages to unearth an apparently endless supply of convoluted plots and entertaining characters with improbable names ... a funny and furiously fast-moving noel populated by engaging characters and fuelled by a strong sense of moral outrage

The Guardian

Carl Hiaasen is a supremely entertaining writer whose novels also bear a timely message ... all the Hiaasen trademarks are there: wit ... an abiding belief in the power of the individual to alter things, and an instinct for ingenious plotting that never lets him down

The Independent

A brilliant, fast-moving eco-aware thriller

LOVEREADING4KIDS

Hiaasen fans will love this book and newcomers will be hooked by this entertaining thriller.

SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

We missed this in hardback last year but have been gripped by the paperback version just out. Eco aware page-turning thriller with scary teachers, oil prospectors and a panther on the loose.

ANGELS AND URCHINS

Fast, frenetic fun

Financial Times

An enjoyable and terrifically paced read

School Librarian

A real nail-biting eco-thriller setting the can-do optimism of youth against the greed of the baddies

Carousel

An exciting, unputdownable read

Primary Times

Zany, fast-moving and humorous, Scat is a compelling eco-thriller

The Bookseller

Carl Hiaasen

Carl Hiaasen was born and raised in Florida, where he lives today with his family. He has written many books, both for adults and younger readers. He writes a weekly column for the Miami Herald.