is the story of Roy Eberhardt, new to Florida (again) and just starting school. While trying to avoid being beaten by the school bully Dana Matherson, Roy catches a glimpse of a running boy. While Roy tries to figure out who that kid is, he finds himself involved in an intricate problem - one involving an uncaring pancake franchise and burrowing owls.
Things I Liked:
I really think the best part about this book was the quirky characters. I loved hearing the stories about Roy, Beatrice, Dana, and many of the minor characters as well. I also thought the plot was very fun - middle grade boys will especially eat this up. I actually listened to the audio version of the book, and I really liked the narrator's different voices.
Things I Didn't Like:
I am not terribly fond of books that have such an overt message. I don't mind issue books, but I really don't want to be beaten over the head with it. I think the humor helped a lot, but I didn't get into the story. Sometimes it seemed like not enough was happening and it got a bit dull. I was also a little disappointed in how the story got to its ending. I liked the ending, but I thought it would have been smarter to go a different route.
Read-alikes:
I think most of Hiaasen's middle grade books are similar: Flush
and Scat
A bit like Holes by Louis Sachar
BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
mrg-factor: none
v-factor: none
Overall rating: ***
What do you think of issue books? Like em? Hate em? Only if you agree with them?
