SCAT by Carl Hiaasen

One of the best parts about working at ICPL is getting to talk to patrons about books.  Recently I had a conversation with a patron who had just listened to a great audio book.  He liked not only the story but how the book was read.

Last weekend I took a road trip, and remembering his recommendation I checked out a copy of SCAT by Carl Hiaasen.  As I hit the road and started the first disc I was surprised to hear none other than Ed Asner reading to me.

SCAT, by Carl Hiaasen, is a mystery for young teens set in Florida.  When Mrs. Starch, the most feared Biology teacher at The Truman School takes her class on a field trip to the Black Vine Swamp in the Everglades, the kids expect nothing more than a day swatting mosquitoes.  But then a grass fire breaks out, and as everyone is herded along the boardwalk back to the buses, Mrs Starch heads back into the smoke to retrieve a student's dropped inhaler.

The next day the Headmaster announces that Mrs. Start has taken an indefinite leave of absence due to a family emergency. But two of her students, Nick and Marta, don't believe it.  No one has seen Mrs. Starch since she headed back into the smoke, and as far as anyone knows she has no family.  Nick is positive he heard the cry of an endangered Florida Panter as they were being rushed out of the swamp.  Nick and Marta intend to find out what's going on, and if the kid at their school named "Smoke" had anything to do with the fire.

Hiaasen has written four great books for young adults: Hoot, Flush, Scat, and Chomp, and all are available at at the Iowa City Public Library.