Flush, by Carl Hiaasen

I loved Hiaasen’s Hoot when I read it several years ago, and I recommend it just as much as Flush (which is not a sequel to Hoot).  Adults may be familiar with his earlier mysteries, but Hiaasen has since branched into children’s literature.  

Flush is the story of a family and how they deal with the father’s well-meaning but legally questionable attempts to make things right where they are wrong.  We meet Noah at the beginning as he is waiting to meet his father in a visitor’s room…at the local jail.  This is not an unusual occurrence, but this is the first time it is for a more weighty reason: Noah’s father has sunken a casino boat because he believes that the owner is dumping sewage into a protected area of the Florida Keys.  Unfortunately, he does not have substantial evidence that this is the case.  Noah’s father is a strong believer in doing the right thing, but he doesn’t always like to do things by the book.  It is more efficient, after all, to do things himself rather than try and get the law involved.  Noah and his sister become involved in helping prove their dad correct and have enough adventurous experiences and humorous interludes to fill a book (pun intended!).  Along the way, they learn a lot about how there are many different ways of doing the right thing and they don’t all have to end in an orange jumpsuit.  

I loved reading Flush; it’s great for kids 10 and up.  Adults may enjoy it too, and if you’re a Carl Hiaasen fan don’t hesitate to read his books for young readers!  There’s nothing wrong with grown-ups reading kids’ books: I do it every day, and meet many other adults and parents who also do so.  A good story is a good story, is what I always say.