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Flush (Hardcover)
by Carl Hiaasen
| Category:
Fiction, Pro-ecology novel, Ages9-12, Children's books |
| Market price: ¥ 178.00
MSL price:
¥ 168.00
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| Stock:
Pre-order item, lead time 3-7 weeks upon payment [ COD term does not apply to pre-order items ] |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
A strong environ-novel dealing with environmental concerns that younger readers can understand and support. |
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Author: Carl Hiaasen
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Pub. in: September, 2005
ISBN: 0375821821
Pages: 272
Measurements: 8.9 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BC00210
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- MSL Picks -
Noah and his sister, Abbey, are more understanding of their volatile dad's latest arrest than their mother, who begins talking of divorce. Dad sank the Coral Queen, a casino boat on a Florida Key because, he alleges, its owner, Dusty Muleman, has been illegally dumping raw sewage into the local waters. Soon enough the kids begin trying to gather proof that will vindicate their father and put the casino out of business. The colorful cast includes a drunken lout named Lice who disappears before he can be persuaded to testify against Dusty, his former boss. His rough-around-the-edges girlfriend, Shelly, comes through, though, helping the siblings dump dye in the boat's holding tanks, which finally brings the matter to court. Dusty's son, Jasper, is a chip off the old block, threatening and beating Noah on several occasions until he and, later, Abbey are rescued by a mysterious stranger who turns out to be their grandfather, long ago thought to have died in South America, probably while involved in drug smuggling. As the tale ends, he's back to Colombia to settle old scores. The plot would practically disappear if any one of the major characters had a cell phone, but the environmental story is front and center and readers will be hooked as the good guys try to do the right thing. This quick-reading, fun, family adventure harkens back to the Hardy Boys in its simplicity and quirky characters.
Target readers:
Young Adult
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Carl Hiaasen is a columnist for the Miami Herald and is the author of many bestselling novels, including Basket Case and Skinny Dip. Hiassen’s first novel for young readers, Hoot, was also a bestseller, and received a Newbery Honor Award. The author lives in the Florida Keys.
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You know it's going to be a rough summer when you spend Father's Day visiting your dad in the local lockup. Noah's dad is sure that the owner of the Coral Queen casino boat is flushing raw sewage into the harbor - which has made taking a dip at the local beach like swimming in a toilet. He can't prove it though, and so he decides that sinking the boat will make an effective statement. The boat is pumped out and back in business within days and Noah's dad is stuck in the clink. Now Noah is determined to succeed where his dad failed. He will prove that the Coral Queen is dumping illegally somehow. His allies may not add up to much–his sister Abbey, an unreformed childhood biter; Lice Peeking, a greedy sot with poor hygiene; Shelly, a bartender and a woman scorned; and a mysterious pirate - but Noah's got a plan to flush this crook out into the open. A plan that should sink the crooked little casino, once and for all.
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The Coral Queen had gone down stern first in twelve feet of water. Her hull had settled on the marly bottom at a slight angle with the bow aiming upward.
She was a big one, too. Even at high tide, the top two decks were above the water line. It was like a big ugly apartment building had fallen out of the sky and landed in the basin.
Abbey hopped off my handlebars and walked to the water's edge. She planted her hands on her hips and stared at the crime scene.
"Whoa," she said. "He really did it this time."
"It's bad," I agreed.
The Coral Queen was one of those gambling boats where passengers line up to play blackjack and electronic poker, and to stuff their faces at the all-you-can-eat buffet. It didn’t sound like a ton of fun to me, but the Coral Queen was packed to the rafters every night.
There was one major difference between Dusty Muleman's operation and the gambling cruises up in Miami: The Coral Queen didn't actually go anywhere. That's one reason it was so popular
By Florida law, gambling boats are supposed to travel at least three miles offshore - beyond the state boundaries - before anyone is allowed to start betting. Rough weather is real bad for business, because lots of customers get seasick. As soon as they start throwing up, they quit spending money.
According to my father, Dusty Muleman's dream was to open a gambling boat that never left the calm and safety of its harbor. That way, the passengers would never get too queasy to party.
Only Indian tribes are allowed to run casino operations in Florida, so Dusty somehow persuaded a couple of rich Miccosukees from Miami to buy the marina and make it part of their reservation. Dad said the government raised a stink but later backed off, because the Indians had better lawyers.
Anyway, Dusty got his gambling boat - and he got rich.
My dad had waited until three in the morning, when the last of the crew was gone, to sneak aboard. He'd untied the ropes and started one of the engines and idled out to the mouth of the basin, where he'd opened the seacocks and cut the hoses and disconnected the bilge pumps and then dived overboard.
The Coral Queen had gone down crosswise in the channel, which meant that no other vessels could get in or out of the basin. In other words, Dusty Muleman wasn't the only captain in town who wanted to strangle my dad on Father's Day.
I locked my bike to a buttonwood tree and walked down to the charter docks, Abbey trailing behind. Two small skiffs and a Coast Guard inflatable were nosing around the Coral Queen. We could hear the men in the skiffs talking about what had to be done to float the boat. It was a major project.
"He's lost his marbles," Abbey muttered.
"Who–Dad? No way," I said.
"Then why did he do it?"
"Because Dusty Muleman has been dumping his holding tank into the water," I said.
Abbey grimaced. "Yuck. From the toilets?"
"Yep. In the middle of the night, when there's nobody around."
"That is so gross."
"And totally illegal," I said. "He only does it to save money."
According to my father, Dusty Muleman was such a pathetic cheapskate that he wouldn't pay to have the Coral Queen's sewage hauled away. Instead his crew had standing orders to flush the waste into the basin, which was already murky. The tide later carried most of the filth out to open water.
"But why didn't Dad just call the Coast Guard?" my sister asked. "Wouldn't that have been the grown-up thing to do?"
"He told me he tried. He said he called everybody he could think of, but they could never catch Dusty in the act," I said. "Dad thinks somebody's tipping him off."
'Oh, please," Abbey groaned.
Now she was starting to annoy me.
"When wind and the current are right, the poop from the gambling boat floats out of the basin and down the shoreline," I said, "straight to Thunder Beach."
Abbey made a pukey face. "Ugh. So that’s why they close the park sometimes."
"You know how many kids go swimming there? What Dusty's doing can make you real sick at both ends. Hospital-sick, Dad says. So it's not only disgusting, it's dangerous."
"Yeah, but–"
"I didn't say it was right, Abbey, what Dad did. I'm only telling you why."
My father hadn't even tried to get away. After swimming back to the dock, he'd sat down in a folding chair, opened a can of root beer and watched the Coral Queen go down. He was still there at dawn, sleeping, when the police arrived.
"So, what now?" Abbey asked.
A dark bluish slick surrounded the boat, and the men in the Coast Guard inflatable were laying out yellow floating bumpers, to keep the oil and grease from spreading. By sinking the Coral Queen, my father himself had managed to make quite a mess.
I said, "Dad asked me to help him."
Abbey made a face. "Help him what–break out of jail?"
"Get serious."
"Then what, Noah? Tell me."
I knew she wasn't going to like it. "He wants me to help him nail Dusty Muleman," I said.
A long silence followed, so I figured Abbey was thinking up something snarky to say. But it turned out that she wasn't.
"I didn't give Dad an answer yet," I said.
"I already know your answer," said my sister.
"His heart's in the right place, Abbey. It really is."
"It's not his heart I'm worried about, it's his brain," she said. "You'd better be careful, Noah."
"Are you going to tell Mom?"
"I haven't decided." She gave me a sideways look that told me she probably wouldn't.
Like I said, my sister's all right.
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John (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-26 00:00>
This time I didn't make the mistake of not realizing that Flush was a "young readers" book when I ordered it as I did with Hoot, his first such novel. I didn't care, because based on my prior experience, I expected an entertaining and pure Hiaasen adventure and I was not disappointed. Hiaasen has a way of writing his pro-ecology novels whether for us seasoned citizens or for younger readers which demands constant refueling on the part of the reader. His villains are always very villainous and his good guys are often flawed, but always but always endearing. In this book the good guys are a family named Underwood, Mom and Dad (Donna and Price) and the kids (Noah and Abbey). Price has taken offense that a bad guy named Muleman who owns a casino boat tied up in their harbor sees fit to simply empty the boat's holding tanks into the harbor rather than into a pump out system. To deal with the issue he has gone aboard the boat and pulled the seacocks sending the Casino Queen to the bottom. Following his arrest Price refuses to let his wife bail him out and decides to use his incarceration as a bully pulpit to talk to the press about Muleman's activities. He references Nelson Mandela as his role model. Muleman has insulated himself from investigation and prosecution in numerous ways and the remainder of the book involves getting Dad out of jail and keeping him out, exposing the truth about Muleman and generally seeing that justice is done. As usual it is done in a very entertaing and creative way. There are other characters who populate the book you will enjoy as well. So, no matter that Hiassen wrote this for young readers. You are only as old as you feel and after reading this you will feel young indeed. |
A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-26 00:00>
Another strong environ-novel by Hiaasen. Great family entertainment in the style of Hoot. Hiaasen shines a light on the greedy who would thoughtlessly destroy our environment for the sake of profit. Adults and children alike can do something to help. Great character development and sub-plots. Hopefully, as was done with Hoot, a feature film will be made from this one. |
Minnie (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-26 00:00>
I bought this book a year ago. It was just out. And I hadn't even finished the first book, but I bought it because it looked so good. I read the books at the same time but my favorite out of the two was flush. I finished the first book that Carl wrote called Hoot, then finished this one, Flush. Flush is better than Hoot. And it is a must for everyone. Couldn't read a better book. It's funny, and smart. I can't say enough. |
A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-26 00:00>
I had to read this book from school. My first impression was, "Wow, nice cover!" But this book is so much more than that. Great book from start to finish. I recommend it to all ages from 6-60! |
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