Scat

Author: Carl Hiaasen
Recommended Age: 10 and up
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
ISBN: 978-0-375-83486-8
Year Published: 2009
No. Pages: 371
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Main Character Gender: Mixed
Read & Reviewed by: Faith


 What do you do when your biology teacher goes missing? Scat is a hilarious, twisted story about the disappearance of feared biology teacher named Bunny Starch and the two adolescents who set out to solve the mystery of her disappearance.

After a field trip to Black Vine swamp and a case of arson, Mrs. Starch disappears. Nick and Marta don't buy that she has been called away for a family emergency. Soon, the two friends are dealing with the class mischief-maker, an eco-avenger, a Florida panther, a Texas oilman, a stuffed rat that goes by the name of Chelsea, and a singing substitute teacher.

Scat is jammed-packed with twists and turns that leave you in suspense. He also included a lot of butterfly moments that made me anxious to keep turning the pages.I rated this novel a ten out of ten because the humor is unbelievably funny. Carl Hiaasen must have a great sense of humor to come up with a crazy parrot, a pencil chomping student, a singing substitute teacher, who only teaches one page and one page only, no matter the subject.

The characters in this book are great role models for young adults. It encouraged me to lend a helping hand with endangered species in my area. I loved both of the characters for many reasons. They made me not only laugh throughout the book but they also used team work. Nick, for example, is a complex kid who stands up for what he thinks is right. Even though they didn’t like Bunny Starch, they set out to find her, and they worked together to do it.

Carl Hiaasen has written two other amazing, adventure books for children: Flush and Hoot. Once you start reading his novels, like me, you’ll quickly become a fan.