Wahoo Cray has a silly name, but he's a serious kid. You kind of have to be if your dad is an animal wrangler and your backyard is filled with alligators, snakes, snapping turtles, and all manner of creatures that are used in TV shows and movies. When Wahoo's dad, Mickey, is hired to wrangle animals for the reality TV show Expedition Survival, they find themselves in over their heads. Not because of the animals; they're easy and predictable. No, it's Derek Badger, the faker-than-fake star of the survivalist show with an overinflated ego, who's impossible to deal with. Throw in Wahoo's friend Tuna, who's an amateur taxonomist on the run from her gun-happy alcoholic father, and you've got a classic Hiaasen, south-Florida story.
In both his adult and kids books (Chomp is the latter), Hiaasen has a strong environmental message, as well as a penchant for taking out big-city know-it-alls, usually by means of Everglades rednecks and some zany hijinks. Chomp is no exception. Derek Badger gets what's coming to him, and we learn to respect nature and not believe everything we see on those survival reality shows. It's a cute book, the characters are fun, and if you're into Hiaasen's brand of kids' books, you'll enjoy it.
[This is the first in a series of animal-themed posts I'll be writing this month. This is an unintentional series.]
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