Flush

Even though I read Flush quite awhile ago I never got around to writing a review. When I went to the Maud Hart Lovelace web site to see who won the 2009 awards and saw that Carl Hiaasen's book had won, I felt bad I didn't have a review published. Flush is a book I recommend along with Hiaasen's other children's novel, Hoot because I enjoyed reading both of them. Hoot won the Newbery Honor in 2003. They are great mysteries and in both, the protagonist takes on a cause for the environment. In Hoot, I wish that Roy would have solicited the help of his classmates earlier on in his campaign to save the habitat of the endangered burrowing owl. (It could have been a really awesome Public Achievement project!)
In Flush, many of the adults in the story are so corrupt it gives Noah and his sister Abbey more of a challenge to help their father's cause. It is pretty scary stuff. The father is in jail (intentionally) for trying to deliver his own kind of justice to a casino on a boat business that is dumping their sewage in the Florida keys, Noah feels he needs to help him. And Noah has a very complicated and clever way to catch the law-breakers. You will not be putting this book down until you've finished!

Savvy

Who wouldn't want their own savvy? Mibs'(short for Mississippi) oldest brother Rocket's savvy is electrifying and her other brother, Fish has a water problem but what will Mibs' savvy be? She waits for her all important thirteenth birthday to find out. But things don't go as planned, her father is in a serious car accident and all that Mibs can think about is getting to her father to help him get well. Her siblings and children of a pastor and his wife (who are caring for them in her parents' absence) have quite the adventure. You will never look at a pink bus in the same way again!
This book written by Ingrid Law was one of those awarded a 2009 Newbery Honor. Hey SJV kids—do you know what person on staff at our school has read all of the Newbery Medal books? Let me know who you think she or he is.