Nick Waters is stuck with the most evil biology teacher ever, Ms. Bunny Starch. She is rumored to have a collection of poisonous snakes in her house along with a lot of taxidermied animals. But when Mrs. Starch goes missing after an eventful class field trip at Black Vine Swamp, Nick and his friend and fellow student Marta Gonzales are on the case. Nick’s dream is to see an endangered Florida panther and when he catches a mysterious moving shadow on film in the swamp, Nick is inclined to believe that it is the animal of his dreams. Can the blurry and nondescript silhouette that Nick caught on camera have anything to do with Ms. Starch’s disappearance? Nick and Marta search everywhere for Ms. Starch, including her infamous house, which to a certain degree contains the aforementioned horrors. Nick and Marta also encounter other mysterious questions and challenges such as whether or not Duane “Smoke” Scrod Jr. could have caused the fire that seems to be linked with Ms. Starch’s disappearance. Who is driving around in Ms. Starch’s car? And most notable of all: What is going on in Black Vine Swamp? Carl Hiaasen’s witty writing and intense plot are what make this book such an excellent story.
Wahoo Cray lives in a zoo. His dad is an animal wrangler who trains animals for television shows, so his backyard is full of animals like alligators and snakes. When Wahoo’s dad gets a job for a television show called “Expedition Survival,” Wahoo and his dad are exuberant because of the pay that they receive from the show. However, the job is made more difficult by its headstrong star, Derek Badger, who decides that the show has to be more authentic. He decides that the show should stop faking its exploits with trained animals and should instead foray into Everglades National Park where they will use real animals to make the show more believable. “Chomp” is the story of how the hazardous expedition unfolds. Wahoo befriends a girl named Tuna who is running away from an abusive father. Wahoo brings Tuna on the expedition into the Everglades, which seems to be doomed to failure after Derek gets bitten by a bat and disappears. When it seems as if the expedition can’t get worse, Tuna’s dad appears on the scene, desperately looking for his daughter. This is a hilarious story about a father-and-son relationship whose adventures will leave you in uncontrollable waves of laughter. However, this book has some delicate topics so it would be best for readers age 10 and up.
Noah Underwood’s dad is in jail for sinking a casino boat owned by Dusty Muleman. Noah’s dad believes that Muleman, a local entrepreneur, is dumping sewage from his boat into the ocean, so he sinks Muleman’s massive boat. Flush is the story of how Noah attempts to clear his father’s name. Noah and his sister, Abbey, plan to prove that what Muleman is doing is illegal and thereby get their father out of jail. But if Muleman isn’t guilty and Noah’s dad was just being rash, Noah’s snooping around Muleman’s boat could put him in deep trouble. Even in the unlikely event that Mr. Muleman was dumping sewage in the ocean, Noah’s dad may not get out of jail because he still sunk a massive boat that was someone else’s property. I would recommend this book for anyone looking for an adventure story about a boy who isn’t afraid to speak up and make a difference. This book may have some topics that would be best for kids 9 and up, but that doesn’t change how awesome it is!
By Josh Stiefel
Josh Stiefel is a fifth grader at Yeshivat Noam. He’s been known to devour books. He also likes cheesecake.
