We have updated our Privacy Policy Please take a moment to review it. By continuing to use this site, you agree to the terms of our updated Privacy Policy.
From Newbery Honoree Carl Hiaasen comes this New York Times bestseller in which an eccentric eco-avenger, a stuffed rat named Chelsea, a wannabe Texas oilman, and an angry panther can’t stop two kids on a mission to find their missing teacher!
When Mrs Starch, the most feared biology teacher in Florida, goes missing during a school trip to the Black Vine Swamp, her class is secretly relieved.
The school principal tries to cover it up as a ‘family emergency’, but Nick and Marta just aren’t convinced. They think it’s much more likely to have something to do with Smoke, the local troublemaker – whose run-ins with Mrs Starch are infamous – and decide to do some investigating of their own.
But there’s more going on in Black Vine Swamp than either one of them could guess. And Nick and Marta must see off an eccentric eco-avenger, a stuffed rat named Chelsea, a crooked oil prospector, a singing substitute teacher, and an angry Florida panther before they really begin to see the big picture.
When Mrs Starch, the most feared biology teacher in Florida, goes missing during a school trip to the Black Vine Swamp, her class is secretly relieved.
The school principal tries to cover it up as a ‘family emergency’, but Nick and Marta just aren’t convinced. They think it’s much more likely to have something to do with Smoke, the local troublemaker – whose run-ins with Mrs Starch are infamous – and decide to do some investigating of their own.
But there’s more going on in Black Vine Swamp than either one of them could guess. And Nick and Marta must see off an eccentric eco-avenger, a stuffed rat named Chelsea, a crooked oil prospector, a singing substitute teacher, and an angry Florida panther before they really begin to see the big picture.
Newsletter Signup
By clicking ‘Sign Up,’ I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Hachette Book Group’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
Reviews
Carl Hiaasen is a supremely entertaining writer whose novels also bear a timely message ... all the Hiaasen trademarks are there: wit ... an abiding belief in the power of the individual to alter things, and an instinct for ingenious plotting that never lets him down
Fast, frenetic fun
Like PG Wodehouse and Terry Pratchett, Carl Hiaasen always returns to the same fictional - or semi-fictionalised - world, but manages to unearth an apparently endless supply of convoluted plots and entertaining characters with improbable names ... a funny and furiously fast-moving noel populated by engaging characters and fuelled by a strong sense of moral outrage
As ever with Hiaasen, rambunctious humour and twisted, French-farce plotting make the book a joy to read
An exciting, unputdownable read
Zany, fast-moving and humorous, Scat is a compelling eco-thriller
An enjoyable and terrifically paced read
A real nail-biting eco-thriller setting the can-do optimism of youth against the greed of the baddies