Scat

By Carl Hiaasen

Rating: 4 stars

Mrs. Starch is the toughest biology teacher at the Truman School and Nick and Marta squirm every time they are in class. When she embarrasses class tough kid Duane, also known as "Smoke," he threatens her. Then, while on a field trip in nearby Black Vine Swamp a wildfire breaks out and Mrs. Starch disappears. Then suddenly she leaves a message informing the school that she needs to be away on family business, but no one has actually seen her or talked to her in person. Nick and Marta feel like things don't add up, especially when it turns out that wildfire was actually arson and Duane immediately gets the blame. With Mrs. Starch still missing and Duane on the run, Nick and Marta decide to do some investigating on their own. What really happened to Mrs. Starch? Is Duane responsible? What is really going on in Black Vine Swamp? The pace is good and readers will find the story interesting although they may not fully guess what happened with Mrs. Starch. An enjoyable tale that Hiaasen fans will readily devour.