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53 of 64 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Richie's Picks: FLUSH, October 1, 2005
IN the spring of 2002 I wrote about Carl Hiaasen's first children's book, HOOT:
"Carl Hiaasen does an incredible job of showing the different styles of activism that different people resort to. He presents the reader with the contemporary clash of free enterprise versus global ecological issues. He has a lot to say between the lines about parenting, and he has some great insights into the methods of dealing with bullies.
"I've never read his adult books, but I sure hope Hiaasen writes more books for kids. HOOT is one heck of a first step into the world of children's literature."
So I was, of course, ecstatic that both the 2003 Newbery committee and 2003 Best Books for Young Adults committee recognized HOOT.
I was somewhat less thrilled about having to wait three long years for the pleasure of reading a second children's book by Hiaasen. And while FLUSH is a completely different story, everything that delighted me three years ago about reading HOOT is equally applicable to FLUSH.
"The deputy told me to empty my pockets: two quarters, a penny, a stick of bubble gum, and a roll of grip tape for my skateboard. It was pitiful.
" 'Go on inside. He's waiting for you,' the deputy said.
"My dad was sitting alone at a bare metal table. He looked pretty good, all things considered. He wasn't even handcuffed.
" 'Happy Father's Day,' I said.
"He stood up and gave me a hug. 'Thanks, Noah,' he said."
So begins FLUSH, the story of what happens after Paine Underwood pulls the plug on the Coral Queen and willingly gets arrested for doing so.
The Coral Queen is a three-tiered casino boat owned by Dusty Muleman. Dusty has been making a killing off of the boat's operations because he worked a deal with the local Native Americans to park the boat in a marina on their lands, give them a cut of the take and, thus, avoid having to take the customers a few miles offshore to gamble like all the other casino boat operators are required to do. What Noah's dad is so hot about is that he is sure that the raw sewage periodically washing up on Thunder Beach is the result of the Coral Queen's holding tanks being emptied illegally into the water.
A 60 Minutes piece about the author that was broadcast last month, "Florida: 'A Paradise of Scandals' "http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/04/15/60minutes/main688458.shtml, introduces Hiaasen:
"In a little less than a century, the state of Florida has been transformed from a largely uninhabited swamp to the fourth-largest state in the union. And no one has written about that transformation more successfully than Carl Hiaasen.
"Part humorist, part muckraker, his satirical novels about greed, crime and corruption in the Sunshine State have become fixtures on the best-seller list and embraced by influential literary critics who compare him to Mark Twain and H.L. Mencken.
"He is also an award-winning children?s author and a former investigative reporter-turned-columnist for the Miami Herald.
"And he has made a career of documenting, analyzing and interpreting what may be the most bizarre state in the union -- and one, Hiaasen says, is 'a victim of its own geography.' "
In the 60 Minutes interview Hiaasen talked about how being out on the water in his skiff is like church for him. In that regard, reading FLUSH feels like you are peering in even closer at the heart of Carl Hiaasen.
When I discussed HOOT three years ago, I mentioned that it contained humor, a bit of sadness, and a touch of suspense. All three qualities are once again present in FLUSH. So are the wildly quirky characters, from the bully (Jasper Muleman Jr.), to the brute (Luno), to the buxom blonde (Shelly), the bum (Lice Peeking), the bumbling attorney (Mr. Shine), and the mysterious pirate.
Carl Hiaasen is a master at storytelling. That he has utilized his superb talents to once again write a satirical novel about greed, crime and corruption in the Sunshine State for children (and me) is cause for celebration.
Thanks, Carl!
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Grandpa and Granddaughter Recommended!, May 30, 2007
There aren't many books that can appeal to both a grandfather and granddaughter, without leaving one or both of them feeling just a little shortchanged. Flush is that very, very rare exception!
Carl Hiassen has mixed in his usual elements into a froth that's appropriate for youths, but remains equally appealing to adults. There's a comic bad guy who values profit over quality of life (in this case the owner of a floating casino); a few witless thugs (both adult and kid-sized) and a man with anger management issues (a little reminiscent of the guy in Sick Puppy). But the heart of the story rests with the narrator, Noah and his little sister Abbey, two kids that share their dad's love for the Florida Keys.
Noah's dad has already tried to stop the Coral Queen casino boat from dumping raw sewage into water around the Keys, by sinking it. Unfortunately, the efforts of the local sheriff have restricted his ability to follow through once the boat is raised and reopened within a week. That leaves Noah and Abbey to find a way to shut down the boat, and clear their dad before their mom loses her patience and leaves him. But how do you prove that a specific boat is the source of foul bacteria and worse, especially when there's rat in the Coast Guard office that tips off the boat's operator whenever they are about to pop a surprise inspection?
It helps if you're resourceful and don't mind riding your bike everywhere. It also helps if you befriend a semi-rough blonde with a barb wire tattoo, and can stay clear of the boat owner's bully of a son.
I bought this book for my 10 year old granddaughter and she loved it! Then I read it and loved it. Within a month or so I suspect that everyone in the family will have finished it, with similar results.
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not Just for the Young Reader - Five Stars!, June 13, 2006
This time I didn't make the mistake of not realizing that Flush was a "young readers" book when I ordered it as I did with Hoot, his first such novel. I didn't care, because based on my prior experience, I expected an entertaining and pure Hiaasen adventure and I was not disappointed.
Hiaasen has a way of writing his pro-ecology novels whether for us seasoned citizens or for younger readers which demands constant refueling on the part of the reader. His villians are alway very villanous and his good guys are often flawed, but always but always endearing.
In this book the good guys are a family named Underwood, Mom and Dad (Donna and Price) and the kids (Noah and Abbey). Price has taken offense that a bad guy named Muleman who owns a casino boat tied up in their harbor sees fit to simply empty the boat's holding tanks into the harbor rather than into a pump out system. To deal with the issue he has gone aboard the boat and pulled the seacocks sending the Casino Queen to the bottom. Following his arrest Price refuses to let his wife bail him out and decides to use his incarceration as a bully pulpit to talk to the press about Muleman's activities. He references Nelson Mandela as his role model.
Muleman has insulated himself from investigation and prosecution in numerous ways and the remainder of the book involves getting Dad out of jail and keeping him out, exposing the truth about Muleman and generally seeing that justice is done.
As usual it is done in a very entertaing and creative way. There are other characters who populate the book you will enjoy as well. So, no matter that Hiassen wrote this for young readers. You are only as old as you feel and after reading this you will feel yound indeed.
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