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Squirm

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As in all of Carl Hiassen’s books, adventure and suspense abounds in Squirm. Throughout the novel, you will be immersed in nature with settings that extend from sea to shining sea. 

SUMMARY
   Billy Dickens is multifaceted. In short, he loves snakes, he stands up for others, and cares deeply for his family. He once saw a motorcycle swerve intentionally to hit a snake. That bike ended up in the bottom of the lake. He has myriad weaknesses too. Weakness #1 – his father. Billy Dickens doesn’t know his father. He never has. He wants to know him. Little does he know, he will. Very soon.
   
   Dennis Dickens gets bored very easily. He could not keep a job for more than a couple months before he got so bored he left Florida and his family all together. He is not the villain in this story, though. He’s doing quite well now. He has a new wife and stepdaughter. He certainly is not bored now. His new job involves flying drones, spying on poachers, and scaring big game away from such illegal hunters. He is doing what he loves now, but he still has a weakness too. Weakness #1 – his son.
   
   While Dennis Dickens is not the villain, Lincoln Chumley Baxter is. An avid, big game poacher, Baxter hopes to get his hand, or his gun, on his biggest gamble of all, a grizzly bear. Last time he went for the giant bear, a drone scared it away. He will do whatever it takes to make sure it does not happen again.
    
   Billy convinces his mother to let him go on a “camping trip” with his father. This “camping trip” turns into a wild goose chase where Billy and Dennis chase Baxter, and Baxter chases the grizzly.

AUTHOR PRAISE/CRITIQUE
   Squirm is now one of my favorite Carl Hiassen books, as I have loved his other titles (Hoot, Chomp, Scat, and Flush).  The “camping trip” that Billy takes with his father made me want to take a road trip of my own. Not only is the plot well developed, but the characters seem to be real people when Hiassen describes their relatable and not-so-relatable traits.

RATING AND REASONING
    I give Squirm 4 stars. While the plot is quite predictable, it makes for an interesting story. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel. Carl Hiassen has outdone himself once again.

Audience: 5th and 6th graders
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Date Published: September 25, 2018
ISBN: 9780385752978
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Fiction/Adventure




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