Editorial Reviews
From the Publisher
"The book itself is just a wonder, part love poem about the Florida wilds, part road-trip novel, and part thriller. The second half of the book is a nail-biter to rival Cape Fear. I love Hiaasen for adults. I love Hiaasen for kids. But most of all, I love this Hiaasen, which brings the two writers together in one book." —Cory Doctorow"Skink and Richard make quite a dangerous and entertaining duo in a story that careens perfectly from one crazy situation to the next. Reluctant readers (especially guys) will surrender themselves to this page turner. Cross your fingers that we haven’t seen the last of Skink!" — Booklist, starred
"If you were pursuing your cousin’s kidnapper across Florida, you would want a man like Skink at your side. Maybe." — Kirkus Reviews
"Skink is larger than life.... A presence to be reckoned with." — The Horn Book
"A high stakes, action-packed comedy with a lot of heart." —VOYA
The New York Times Book Review - Jen Doll
It's a quintessentially Hiaasen romp for a younger set, combining a message of taking care of the world with suspense, humor, a generous helping of Florida wildlife and much heart.
Publishers Weekly
06/23/2014
Rather than be shipped off to boarding school, Richard Sloan’s cousin Malley runs away with a questionable acquaintance she met online. Richard shares his worry over her fate with a strange, one-eyed man he stumbles across on a Florida beach. Hiaasen’s adult readers will immediately recognize Skink, the former governor turned eco-warrior, who first appeared 25 years ago in Double Whammy. Skink commandeers Richard’s mission to find Malley and tutors his young new friend on carnivorous gators, wild pigs, driving (Richard is still a year away from a learner’s permit but no matter), and how to prepare roadkill for human consumption. What happens to Malley during her abduction is never explicitly stated, but the implication of what a criminal is doing with a handcuffed 14-year-old girl rides uneasily alongside the kookier elements of the story. Still, there is much to enjoy. Hiaasen’s concern for the environment and its most vulnerable denizens is again on full display, and Richard has a memorable epiphany when he loses his phone in Choctawhatchee Bay: “Pursuing a desperate criminal through the wilderness drastically rearranges your priorities.” Ages 12–up. Agent: Esther Newberg, ICM. (Sept.)
Children's Literature - Lois Rubin Gross
When a teenaged girl goes missing, her devoted cousin goes in search of her with some help from a more-than-usually unusual ex-Florida governor known as Skink. Clinton Tyree, the highly eccentric former Florida pol and Vietnam veteran, has made a successful transition from Hiassen’s adult novels to a book for teens. Happily, this is a YA novel without pandering or plot reduction. The story would tell just as well for adults, and the potential for crossover is great. The book begins with every parent’s worst nightmare, a runaway girl who hooks up with an Internet predator, Talbo Chock. Determined to save his cousin/best friend, Richard hits the road with the oddest ex head of state ever to grace Florida, and that’s saying something. Skink, who left office ignobly, has become an environmental crusader, a unifying theme for all of Hiassen’s juvenile books. Together this unlikely pair goes on an adventure that is, in equal parts, outrageously foolhardy and amazingly entertaining. Cousin Malley’s stupidity at hooking up in a chatroom is never dismissed, but Hiassen keeps it non-threatening enough for even slightly younger readers. Lots of nature lore creeps into the hollows of the plot so that the book is both suspenseful and subversively informative. The odd couple pairing of short, skinny Richard with the scraggly but unusually resilient Skink is absolutely winning and brings to the book the literary trope of the mentor and sidekick relationship. However, Richard is no slouch in the resiliency department, putting to use his abilities as a hiker, boater, and fisherman while also fulfilling every young boy’s dream of getting an illegal driver’s license handed to him by a Morgan Freeman inspired state patrolman. Please, Mr. Hiassen, could we have more of Richard, rebellious Malley, and the most unique anti-hero ever, Skink? Reviewer: Lois Rubin Gross; Ages 12 up.
VOYA, October 2014 (Vol. 37, No. 4) - Susan Redman-Parodi
Richard’s cousin, Malley, fails to meet him on the beach one night, and Richard has a bad feeling. While Malley is not a stranger to getting into trouble, Richard thinks that this time, she may be in over her head. He first encounters Skink when he is waiting for Malley on the beach that night. A former governor of Florida, Skink, a civil servant-turned-reprobate and passionate defender of the environment, has disguised himself in a mock sea turtle nest on the beach in the hope of catching a turtle-egg poacher. Skink proves to be a valuable asset to Richard in the quest to find Malley. She has run off with a person she met online in order to avoid being shipped off by her parents to a New England boarding school. Skink convinces Richard that Malley is in danger and needs to be rescued. After a disturbing phone call from Malley, Richard’s anxiety grows, and he agrees to enlist Skink to help find his cousin. The unlikely duo slogs through the Florida swampland to save Malley. Malley’s cryptic cell phone clues lead Skink and Richard into some tenuous situations that enable the reader to see Richard’s character grow. Skink nurtures Richard through these experiences. This is a comically charged plotline that highlights the serious issue of online safety. Hiassen’s characters are layered, and the evolution of his classic Skink (seen in other novels) is perfect billing for a young adult audience. The reader will need to make certain allowances for unbelievable scenarios; however, for the reader who is willing to suspend disbelief, this is a high stakes, action-packed comedy with a lot of heart. Reviewer: Susan Redman-Parodi; Ages 12 to 18.
School Library Journal
08/01/2014
Gr 9 Up—Richard and his cousin Malley are best friends. But while Richard is pretty levelheaded, Malley tends to get into trouble. So Richard is only mildly surprised to discover that she's run off with a guy she met on the Internet in order to avoid being sent to boarding school in New Hampshire. Richard wants to go find her, and luckily he runs into what may be the perfect person to help him do just that: a ragged, one-eyed ex-governor of Florida named Skink. With Skink at the helm, the two set off across Florida in search of Richard's cousin. While Malley's character is not as fully developed as the others and the story seems highly improbable, Skink, a favorite character from Hiaasen's adult novels, is incredibly memorable. Whether it's diving in to a gator-infested river after a rogue canoe, getting his foot run over by a semi while trying to save a baby turtle, or hiding out in the sand to save the next turtle, Skink is always full of surprises. And like a cat with nine lives, one never knows how he'll make it out or what will happen next. One thing's for sure: readers will want to be along for the ride. Although the ending meanders, fans of Hiaasen's novels won't mind the detours one bit.—Necia Blundy, formerly at Marlborough Public Library, MA
Kirkus Reviews
2014-06-18
If you were pursuing your cousin’s kidnapper across Florida, you would want a man like Skink at your side. Maybe.Skink, as readers of Hiaasen’s novels for adults know, was once governor of Florida and is now a genially lawless reprobate who takes “eco-terrorism” to a whole new level. Richard first meets him completely buried in the sand on a beach lying in wait for a sea turtle–egg thief. That one extraordinary encounter turns into an unlikely partnership when Richard’s spirited cousin, Malley, runs off with a guy she met on the Internet in order to avoid boarding school, a joy ride that quickly goes sour. On the road with Skink, Richard develops a taste for roadkill (Skink won’t eat any other kind of meat), learns how to drive (Skink injures his foot saving a baby skunk from a semi) and reads Silent Spring (Skink is horrified Richard hasn’t encountered it in school). They follow Malley’s cryptic cellphone clues into a swamp that just may be ivory-billed–woodpecker habitat for a classic Hiaasen showdown. While this confrontation goes on a bit too long, that doesn’t diminish the pleasure of the developing relationship between Skink and the fatherless Richard, as trusty a protagonist as ever was.Hiaasen’s fierce love for the wilds of Florida, his fundamental commitment to decency and his penchant for the bizarre are all on full display in this, a read as agreeable as his hero is. (Fiction. 10-15)
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