Carl HiaasenRecensioni

An action packed tale, plenty of hilarious situations, some fun and interesting animal facts, a fun social commentary, and well-drawn and realistic characters add up to make this one wild adventure that kids and adults alike won’t want to miss!

Meet the Cray family of Florida: Wahoo Cray’s dad, Mickey, is a professional animal wrangler, and the family’s backyard is a pretty wild place; it’s a real zoo! However, over the years, his dad’s unpredictable behavior and terrible business sense have led to a steady decline in income, and when Wahoo’s mom is forced to take a long term job in China in order to pay the bills, Wahoo is left to help manage the animals AND his temperamental dad. When Mickey agrees to take on an on-location job in the Everglades with a reality television show, no one is prepared for the chaos that will ensue.

The host of Expedition Survival! is the world famous Derek Badger, who turns out to be a pampered, egotistical and idiotic fool. Not only does he fake all of the adventures in the episodes of his show, he has little or no regard for anyone or anything that won’t help him continue his rise to fame and stardom. Mickey has no patience for Derek’s antics, and has no problem telling him what a joke he is, much to the everyone’s chagrin. Wahoo knows how important this job is to his family’s finances, and therefore he does everything he can to keep his dad and Derek from coming to full-out blows. On top of all that, as Mickey and Wahoo are getting ready to leave for the Everglades, a classmate of Wahoo’s, Tuna, decides to tag along in order to escape her abusive alcoholic dad. Wahoo and Tuna end up developing a great friendship, and it’s a good thing, since it will take the two of them to get through the adventure they’re in for!
On the shelf, CHOMP will smartly take its place right alongside Carl Hiaasen’s previous iconic and colorful novels for young readers, Hoot, Flush and Scat. Its bright yellow cover and graphic alligator will surely grab kids’ attention and lure them in for this fantastic story.

CHOMP does tackle a few heavy issues: animal cruelty, financial hardship and homelessness, reality television, alcoholism, abuse, conservation and protection of wildlife resources. However, with Hiaasen’s well-loved style and humor, the issues are smoothly--meshed with this zany and unpredictable story, and readers of all ages will learn a few lessons along the way.

Reviewed by KSD

Once you get past the shocking number of swears on the first two pages, it was quite funny for the most part. There were a few things I didn’t like.

This one wasn't as good as some of the other "Skink" stories, imho. That said, however, it was still a good read with great characters and an engaging plot. I have yet to find a bad Hiaasen book, so even though I thought it wasn't as good as some of the others, I still enjoyed it tremendously.½

Good tale! I think it would be a good one for boys. Not the usual hilarity of Carl Hiaasen, but an engaging page turner. Great to see the kids outwit the baddies!

Thought it was going to be just another cozy mystery, but it was very edgy. I was pleasantly surprised on how much I liked this book.

Read along with my 5th grader. I didn’t realize until recently that Hiaasen wrote middle school level books. I’ve always found his humorous writing style entertaining and have enjoyed his adult books for a good quick read. This was no different. The story is entertaining and insightful with all the wit and humor you can find in his adult books. Both my son and I enjoyed reading this.

AR: 5.5

Razor Girl is a good story in that from beginning to end it keeps its same pace. By the end of the story the reader knows who all of the characters are and is happy to find that the story came to a nice end. Four stars were given in this review to Razor Girl and is highly recommended.

Only Carl Hiaasen, a native Floridian, could expose the hijinx of the world's most famous rat (I mean mouse). Disney seems to be a governmental entity with more power than some third world nations.

Wrecker is a 2024 Lone Star selection.

Wrecker (Valdez Jones VIII) lives on Key West and never plans on leaving. Wrecker can handle anything. He lives a pretty simple life of cleaning a grave after the graveyard closes, going to work, fishing, boating, and keeping up with his step-sister. It's when he's out on the water that he comes across a grounded speedboat. The guys ask for help and pay Wrecker a tidy sum even though Wrecker's boat doesn't have the power to help. The lead man ("silver mustache") ends up seeking Wrecker's help later. As Wrecker cleans a woman's grave, he could also keep his eye on the silver mustache's friend's grave. Now Wrecker has two graves that he cleans and watches over, but Wrecker isn't stupid. He knows these guys aren't up to any good. Unfortunately, they need Wrecker's skills. These skills earn Wrecker some really good money; but, if he gets caught, it'll be jail time.

Wrecker spars with Willi, a female friend from school, who hints that she and Wrecker should date. Willi is no damsel in distress. Willi's parents are mostly absent, allowing her to do as she pleases. She visits a grave after dark, singing and lighting candles in the dead man's honor. You find out why towards the end of the novel. Because she's in the graveyard, she sees the goons that show up guarding a tomb. She and Wrecker end up working together to eliminate the criminals from Key West. Wrecker also spars with his family. His dad, who left him and his mom years ago, returns to play his music, which he continually gets sued for copyright. His mom constantly gets cosmetic surgery and takes care of her husband who nearly dies from Covid. The novel takes place during Covid, so mask wearing and vaccines are part of the plot. Wrecker lives with his step-sister because he and his step-father get along well if they don't live in the same house. His step-sister gets around in a wheelchair after being hit by a drunk driver and advocates for the environment. She working especially hard to get the cruise ships to stop coming to Key West. The ocean started healing during Covid, but the ships want to return, which will hurt the ocean again.

I liked Wrecker--he's a survivor and he's clever. He is not a goody-goody by any means, but he isn't a bad guy either. He does his own thing and is quite good at many things. I listened to the audio and found it a book that I think many boys may enjoy.½

Adventure story set in Key West featuring a teenage protagonist who owns his own boat and gets caught up in a smuggling ring. The COVID-era details and a subplot about the ecological damage caused by cruise ships make this story feel very much of a (recent) time and place. This was my first Hiaasen, and I plan to read more with my children.

Mickey Cray and his high school age son Wahoo, named for a wrestler not the fish, are animal wranglers in the Florida Everglades. They are hired to help with the production of the Untamed Channel’s smash hit show Expedition Survival!
The host, Derek Badger, a pot-bellied impostor of a survivalist believes his own studio biography and thinks he can put the “real back in reality
television.” What ensues involves multiple failed attempts by Badger to be heroic and brave for the camera with a variety of animals and reptiles from Alice the semi-tame alligator to a Mastiff bat that does some painful damage to the television star. Anyone who enjoys watching The Animal Planet or The Discovery Channel will love this book.
A sub-plot involving a classmate of Wahoo who comes along because of her drunken father’s abuse adds more excitement to an already full plot but you have to love Tuna Gordon and how she spouts the scientific name for every creature they encounter along the way.
This is a laugh-out-loud book and middle school students as well as high school students will enjoy Chomp.

From Florida originally myself and it's a faithful portrait of the eccentrics and lowlifes that populate the area. Witty, funny, and genuinely captivating read.

I can always count on Carl Hiaasen for a fun read, and this was no exception. I love how well he knows Florida, which often transcends setting to become a character in its own right. As for the characters themselves, they're Hiaasen's usual assortment of stereotypes and exaggerated personalities, with over-the-top southern quirks and religious eccentricities. Everyone -- from lottery winner JoLayne Lucks to the ensemble of oddballs surrounding her -- is crafted with a level of detail that makes each person both outlandish and utterly believable.

I loved the way Hiaasen merged his vivid characters with his unique brand of Florida craziness. And, as usual, Hiaasen used his narrative to lightly jab at journalists, religious scams, and conspiracy theories. Overall, this story is fun, fast-paced, and cleverly absurd.

(1993)Pretty good story about a bar dancer who is battling her ex-wife for custody of daughter and is trying to fend off a lecherous Florida Congressman who wants her for kinky sex. A Miami homicide detective is drawn in to help the dancer (an ex-FBI employee).

(2002)(audio) very good & funny story about a rock & roll star that dies mysteriously and the obit writer that tries to find out who & why he was murdered. Turns out it was his washed-up singer wife who wanted her husband's latest hit song but he wouldn't let her cover it. Hiaasen is very good story teller about Miami area politics and personalities.

I had heard good things about this and I saw it at the library so I decided to read it.

I think it's probably great for kids but it left me a little cold. I think it's a nice way to get the idea of protecting animals across to kids and bring it all closer to home than worrying about more exotic tropical animals.

No real issues with the book - I'm just the wrong audience.

Excellent

I need to start by saying that I love Carl Hiaasen's books. His unique blend of humour and mystery works beautifully for me. However, I was a little skeptical of this novel because of the abomination that was the horrid movie with Demi Moore and Burt Reynolds. It took me about 50 pages to be able to separate the book from the movie, and I'm so glad I did! As with all the stories Hiaasen tells, this one is intricately plotted, convoluted in the best way, and filled with off-the-wall characters -- all written with Hiaasen's signature humour.

This book has elements of a suspenseful thriller and a family drama, yet it's also innately funny. I chuckled aloud often while reading, and found myself greatly enjoying all the shenanigans.

Hiaasen is a master of writing about the absurdities of Florida's underbelly. The story pivots around the gritty glamor of the strip club scene, intertwining with the ridiculous yet completely believable antics of corrupt politicians. In Hiaasen's skilled hands, the ridiculous becomes the norm. I couldn't believe how often I was both amused and appalled on the same page!

Hiaasen's satire is stellar. His wry sense of humour is incredibly sharp, poking fun at societal norms while exposing the grimy side of the human psyche. I can't wait to pick up another book by him!

I liked it up until the point I knew exactly what was going to happen; and I knew way too soon.

I don't generally rate thrillers--or other genre novels--with five stars as a matter of literary and critical principle. In the case of this hilarious high comedy, I am delighted to make an exception.

Setting: Florida
I found the monkey creepy and distracting from the overall story, but otherwise this was a fun murder mystery with some funny bits and a fairly interesting cast of characters, all of them a bit caricatured, but good enough for light entertainment.

One of my favorite Hiaasen books in a long time. Completely over the top but just what I needed right now.

Another great Hiaasen novel! Bunny Starch, disliked and feared Biology teacher at Truman private school has disappeared after an arson set a fire in the swamp where the class went for a field trip. A young loner nicknamed Smoke is missing. After a recent altercation with Mrs. Starch and with a history of arson, things do not look good for this young man. But Nick and Marta, Smoke's classmates, do not believe Smoke capable of foul play - well at least Nick doesn't. But there is also the matter of an oil company, an eco-warrior, and an endangered panther to contend with. And where is Mrs. Starch? Filled with great characters, descriptive scenery and a plot that twists and turns like a one lane country road, Scat is an enjoyable read that you will savor to the end.

Very cute book and not just for younger readers! A father of two precocious children gets in trouble for challenging an environmental scofflaw in a very unconventional manner. The children work in secret to find a way to bail out their father and put an end to the dangerous pollution that launched the whole crisis while their mom tries to keep everyone out of trouble and keep her family together. Cleverly written, good characters and not in the least bit sugar-coated or overly sentimental.