Hoot By: Carl Hiaasen

Summary Roy Eberhardt just moved to Florida in the town Coconut Cove, and is being bullied by Dana Matherson. One day on the school bus, Roy sees a boy running away from the bus barefoot. He tries to get off the bus, but his bully Dana grabs him by the throat. Roy gets free by punching Dana in the nose, and breaking it, but cannot catch the running boy because he is hit in the head by a golf ball. Roy was sent to the vice-principal's office and the vice- principal suspends Roy from the bus for two weeks and tells him to write an apology letter to Dana. He tries to call a truce with Dana, but Dana refuses. Read To Find Out about the running boy and what will happen to Roy.

Response Dear Carl Hiaasen, I am a student from Birmingham Public Schools and I had a few questions to ask. 1. Why did you name the main character Roy Eberhardt? 2.Why was the setting in Montana? From, Andrew Flaherty

Exploration Flush: The story is about a boy (Noah) whose dad (Paine) doesn't always think about what he does before he does it. Noahs Dad was put in jail for sinking the "Coral Queen" His dad used to work with a man named Dusty Muleman who said that one day he was going to form a new business. Dusty owns a gambling facility that was parked in Indian Territory and made a deal with the Indians that he could gamble on their waters and pay them a part of the profit. Since his ship, the Coral Queen, never leaves the dock, passengers do not get seasick and continue to gamble and spend money. In order to save money, he dumps his waste from the holding tanks into the ocean at night when nobody is looking. Noah's dad is a person who stands up for the environment and sinks Dusty's boat and is then put in jail. Noah and his sister (Abbey Underwood) decide to try and find a way to stop him. Read to find out how they stop him.

Exploration Chomp: The story takes place in southern Florida. The main character, Wahoo Cray, is the son of an animal wrangler named Mickey. Mickey is competent and brave, but he tends to be impulsive and scattered, perhaps due to a recent concussion. Wahoo is quiet and methodical, the opposite of his father and the opposite of the impression his name might give. Wahoo's mother expects him to look after Mickey and keep him out of trouble, even though Wahoo is just a boy. Wahoo and his father take a job wrangling animals for a so-called reality show, "Expedition Survival!" for their latest episode, to be filmed in the Florida Everglades. The Crays need the money to catch up on their mortgage and truck payments. Read for more imformation

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