Wrecker

 

My Thoughts:

Middle level books are great examples of good literature that tells a good story, teaches lessons of ethics and morality, and/or shows the gumption and creativity of young adults. In addition, middle level books are full of authors that I trust, including Carl Hiaasen.  Like his Newbery Honor book Hoot, Hiaasen mixes ecology (reef preservation, ban on large cruise ships) and mystery with humor (iguana poop) and contemporary issues. I mistook the cover for a science fiction book, but now that I see it on a larger computer screen, I realize that there are fishes on the cover. I blame it on reading on my phone. 

Here is what I like about Hiaasen's writing style. He grabs interest right away, especially younger male reluctant readers. There is enough intrigue and action to keep readers reading, even if they struggle. This would also be a good book to read at the beginning of class or the beginning of SSR, SURF or any other sustained silent reading protocol teachers do.

If they like this, I would try other YA books by Hiassen, or go old school to Gary Paulsen or Lemony Snickett. 

From the Publisher:

Valdez Jones VIII calls himself Wrecker because his great-great-great-great-great-grandfather salvaged shipwrecks for a living. 

So is it destiny, irony, or just bad luck when Wrecker comes across a speedboat that has run hard aground on a sand flat? The men in the boat don't want Wrecker to call for help—in fact, they'll pay him to forget he ever saw them. 

Wrecker would be happy to forget, but he keeps seeing these men all over Key West—at the marina, in the cemetery, even right outside his own door. And now they want more than his silence—they want a lookout.

He'll have to dive deep into their shady dealings to figure out a way to escape this tangled net. . . .

Publication Information:

Author: Carl Hiaasen

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (September 26, 2023)

Pages: 329 pages