Carl Hiaasen is one of the most entertaining writers around. In his latest YA nature lovers book, Squirm, he makes a rare departure from Florida to the Rocky Mountains. Snake-loving, socially awkward Billy Dickens has little memory of his dad. But he knows Mom gets a regular check from him. Mom tries to keep Billy from knowing anything about his dad, but Billy manages to reconstruct the return address on a shredded envelope and promptly books a ticket to Montana to surprise his dad.
Dad is working mysteriously in the mountains, but Dad's wife and stepdaughter take Billy in. As Billy learns about what his dad is actually doing, they team up to thwart a wealthy poacher. Back in Florida, and then back in Montana, they face off with a guy who loves his money, loves to hunt, and has no respect for endangered animals (or plentiful species, for that matter).
Squirm is a fun story, and Hiaasen fills it with his trademark nature-loving, anti-development characters. Billy's family (and step family) are quirky and lovable, and he is brave, smart, and a little bit pathetic (in a lovable way). Hiaasen takes some plot shortcuts at times, but I still enjoyed the story.
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