A chance encounter with the unpredictable former governor known as Skink coincides with Richard's growing concern that his cousin Malley has bitten off more than she can chew running off to meet a stranger she met online. Soon Richard and Skink are following Malley's coded messages to rescue her.

Reserved for perryfran, wishlist tag. Mailed 09/06/15.

Thanks for the wishlist tag! I enjoy Hiaasen -- even his YA novels.

I always enjoy Hiaasen's novels which take place in Florida and are full of humor and an abundance of wacky characters. Skink, the ex-governor of Florida who lives in the wild and is fighting to try to preserve Florida's natural habitat, has appeared in several of Hiaasen's novels and is one my favorite characters.

This novel is one of his novels aimed at younger readers and although it is toned down quite a bit from his adult books, it was still very enjoyable. In it, Richard is concerned for his cousin, Malley, who has runoff with her "boyfriend" because she didn't want to attend a boarding school in cold New Hampshire. But is her boyfriend who he purports to be? Richard thinks not and feels her cousin is in big trouble. Then he happens to meet Skink who he finds buried in the sand to protect the eggs of sea turtles. After Richard tells Skink about his missing cousin, Skink agrees to help him locate her and rescue her if need be. Off they go and based on Malley's phone call to Richard, they are able to pinpoint where she might be. She had given Richard a clue about seeing an ivory-billed woodpecker which are supposedly extinct. But Skink swears he had seen one and knows where their nesting grounds are. And Malley's boyfriend? He's definitely not who he claims to be and is holding Malley against her will.

I enjoyed this one. It was as usual with Hiaasen full of environmental issues including preserving endangered species such as the woodpecker. The novel also mentions Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring and how it documented in 1962 the adverse environmental effects caused by the use of pesticides. This was a must read for Skink and was passed on to Richard. And of course, the novel was also very humorous in Hiaasen's style.

Adding to the ABC bookring/box - 3 books. Enjoy!

I've only read one of Hiassen's stories (Squeeze Me). I absolutely adored it, so there was no question which book I was going to pull from the ABC book box that arrived today. Thanks for sharing!