I love Carl Hiaasen books. Those written for kids are especially wonderful. Now the back of this book says that it is the first time Hiaasen has written for Teens, and while our protagonists are teens, I do not see a reason why this wouldn't make a wonderful read a loud story. Yes there is a kidnapping, and Skink is one of a kind, but besides a little crocodile dining, and the word ass a few times, the book is relatively clean. It can be a little violent, but much cleaner than Harry Potter or Hunger Games.

So onto the story. Malley is an annoying girl who pushes all her parents buttons. Instead of heading to boarding school up north, she runs away with a guy she found in an online chat room. This character is mostly absent from the story til the end, which is a good thing as she is highly annoying. If I was her cousin I'm not sure I would be gung ho to save her, but fortunately I am not her cousin, Richard is. And he thinks he is about the only one who can save her, mainly because she will not talk to anyone else.

Richard is the type of kid everyone wants their kid to grow into. He's not a goody two shoes, just an overall good kid, who did something kind of bad that his cousin hold over his head like a weapon. He likes to walk along the beach and watch turtles hatch. In the midst of his cousin running away he meets a not so crazy, kind of dead man. Skink.

Skink is a reoccurring character in many Hiaasen adult books. I can not say he has been cleaned up in this book, but but his language has. He is a character that is hard to describe and is what helps move our action forward. If hes not teaching underage Richard to drive, he is doing crazy dances to chase off a lunatic.

Everything that Hiaasen puts into this book is what makes it worth the read. It has adventure, heart, and even a few morality lessons.

So I started this book over a year ago with my book club kids. I may not have finished then due to time constraints, but I liked it enough to pick it back up. I would say I read to the end, but to do that i would have to read books 2 and 3.

Grace is the granddaughter of a diplomat. Her mother as passed on, but it was no accident, it was Murder. No that Grace is back in her mothers home, she is back on the search for the scared man.

An interesting story, not as light and fun as other Carter series, but still a joy to read. It could almost be a read a like for We Were Liars, except I like this book. The clouding of memories hides the truth. a current hot topic in YA, but not too overdone in this title. I will probably have to read the next two.

This is a story of a chair, and how it is more than a chair. It passes from person to person until it finds it way back home.

I love a book that shows a child using their imagination. They see octopi in the weeds and monsters in squirrels. This book shows that with a little imagination, you never have to stay in one place when you take a staycation.

What goes into a perfect cup of tea? For everyone it's different. Here we follow a queen on her quest, where she learns more than just how to make tea.

This is both a graphic novel and a wordless picture book. It's an adorable story of a little boys picture monster coming to life and them playing in the forest. Lots of imagination.

What brings the spring? Is it nature or is it fairies. The story is nice and rhymey however it is the beyond adorable illustrations that make this book a home run of a fairy tale.

This book straddles two lines. I like that you can have a princess who is not happy and smiles all the time. That it is okay to say no to a prince. That when you are ready you will smile and be happy. I was hoping it would be more about “resting witch face” where it does not mean you are not happy just because you do not look happy. Instead it's about finding the right prince for you, and once you do, the smiles and laughter will come. This is the part, that while I love a happy ending, is just too simple. Nothing about what made them smile, and made them happy with each other. I know I ask a lot of a picture book, but it can be done. The illustrations are on point and well done.

Okay I’ll admit it, I’ve seen most of these on Pinterest. That being said I never paid attention to the fact that they were all by the same person. What are these? Little Counted cross stitch samples with lots of profanity, or or hillbilly sayings. Part of me wishes the book was more than just pictures. I should have some patterns, but then again, the designs are so simple, they would be easy to copy from picture. No pattern needed. This is more of a coffee table book, that I feel will be a flash in the pan, and have very little staying power.

What a wonderful story. Remember the old nursery song about a diamond ring and a mocking bird? Well this is a newer, if similar story. But instead of buying things, it's about always being there. I absolutely loved it. The illustrations were icing on this cake. Both colorful and fun, but simplistic in the best way.