Skip to main content

Squirm

By Carl Hiaasen
Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2018. Fiction

In typical Hiaasen fashion, “Squirm” is a book about taking care of the world we live in packed into an insane adventure full of hi-jinks, wild animals, and the great outdoors. Unlike Hiaasen’s other books, “Squirm” offers a slightly more serious story, with a little less silliness than his usual style, but with the same classic wit that always make his books a delight for young and older readers.

“Squirm”, while told with a little less humor than Hiaasen’s other books, still offers a story full of excitement, with a whole lot of heart, and an important message at the center. “Squirm” asks readers to consider the implications of their actions, both involving wildlife and people. While the main adventure deals with a poacher trying to kill protected species, and the illegality and unethical nature of his decisions, the underlying story is about Billy and his father coming to terms with their fragile relationship.

Readers will enjoy both the chaos of the wildlife adventure and the embedded tale of familial love and forgiveness. And as always, Hiaasen doesn’t skimp on exciting animals.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) by Pamela Espeland & Elizabeth Verdick

If there's one book today's kids need to read, it is Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) . The authors provide a fun format for teaching etiquette to children. They discuss proper behavior at home, at school, at other people's homes and in public places. The information is completely up-to-date with cellphone manners and netiquette included. Fun, cartoony illustrations are on practically every page giving the book great visual appeal. This book is perfect for boys and girls in the fourth grade or older. WARNING: Bodily functions are discussed.

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin Illustrated by Leslie Evans Charlesburg; 2009; unpaged Faces of the Moon is a short nonfiction book that describes the different phases of the moon and why the moon appears like it does on certain nights. This book is short and sweet so even the youngest of moon lovers will enjoy it. The layout is simplistic and easy to follow. I don’t know much about the moon so I found it very interesting.

Review: The Factory

The Factory By Catherine Egan New York, NY : Scholastic Inc., 2025. Fiction. 306 pages.  Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle has been invited to join the Factory, a secretive research facility in the desert which ostensibly extracts renewable energy from the electromagnetic fields of its young recruits. But Asher soon realizes something sinister is going on. Kids are getting sick. The adults who run the Factory seem to be keeping secrets. And the extraction process is not only painful and exhausting, but existentially troubling. Asher makes a handful of new friends who help him with an investigation that turns into a resistance, which turns into...a cliffhanger! The Factory is a page-turning sci-fi with multidimensional characters, an intriguing plot, and refreshingly straight-forward writing. Egan weaves in detail about climate crises and social unrest, making the story's dystopian setting feel rich and plausible. With its sophisticated themes and accessible storytelling, I would recomm...