What do you think?
Rate this book
Squirm
Some facts about Billy Dickens:
* He once saw a biker swerve across the road in order to run over a snake.
* Later, that motorcycle somehow ended up at the bottom of a canal.
* Billy isn't the type to let things go.
Some facts about Billy's family:
* They've lived in six different Florida towns because Billy's mom always insists on getting a house near a bald eagle nest.
* Billy's older sister is dating a jerk. It's a mystery.
* Billy's dad left when he was four, and Billy knows almost nothing about him.
* Billy has just found his dad's address--in Montana.
This summer, Billy will fly across the country, hike a mountain, float a river, dodge a grizzly bear, shoot down a spy drone, save a neighbor's cat, save an endangered panther, and then try to save his own father.
* He once saw a biker swerve across the road in order to run over a snake.
* Later, that motorcycle somehow ended up at the bottom of a canal.
* Billy isn't the type to let things go.
Some facts about Billy's family:
* They've lived in six different Florida towns because Billy's mom always insists on getting a house near a bald eagle nest.
* Billy's older sister is dating a jerk. It's a mystery.
* Billy's dad left when he was four, and Billy knows almost nothing about him.
* Billy has just found his dad's address--in Montana.
This summer, Billy will fly across the country, hike a mountain, float a river, dodge a grizzly bear, shoot down a spy drone, save a neighbor's cat, save an endangered panther, and then try to save his own father.
276 pages, Hardcover
First published September 25, 2018
1864 people are currently reading
4979 people want to read
About the author
Carl Hiaasen
99 books9,824 followersCarl Hiaasen was born and raised in Florida. After graduating from the University of Florida, he joined the Miami Herald as a general assignment reporter and went on to work for the newspaper’s weekly magazine and prize-winning investigations team. As a journalist and author, Carl has spent most of his life advocating for the protection of the Florida Everglades. He and his family live in southern Florida.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 729 reviews
October 14, 2018
Some of Mr. Hiaasen's stories are good and some are not. This is aimed for a younger audience. 1 of 10 stars
November 21, 2018
Ahoy there me mateys! A while back I was introduced to this author because of a cat on the cover of scat. I enjoyed that book so much that I decided to listen to all of Hiaasen’s other juvenile books. This be a review of the other four books: hoot, flush, chomp, squirm. These books have some common themes. All of them involve a young boy who lives in Florida, gets bullied, loves animals, has a quirky sense of humor, makes new friends, and saves the day. Weird names also seem to be a trend. While the bad guys are very two-dimensional, the good guys are quirky and fun. Also there tends to be loving, if odd, parents involved which is nice.
hoot: This was apparently a best novel nominee for the Newbery medal. I also think at some point I watched some of the movie with me nephews. In this one, Roy Eberhardt moves to Florida. He is chosen to be the school bully, Dana Matherson’s, new punching bag. It is while being smashed into the school bus window that Roy first sees “the running boy” who is running away from the school bus and appears to be wearing no shoes. Roy is pulled into a mystery to find out who the boy is and what he is doing. The running boy is called “Mullet Fingers” and is on a quest to fight a pancake house and save the owls. I loved Roy and the girl Beatrice. I loved the pancake house actress.
flush: In this one a boy named Noah is determined to help his dad stop the local casino boat from dumping sewage into the water. His sister Abbey joins in. Me favourite character was Shelley. There are side plots about the kids trying to save their parents marriage. Also this is one of those books where the dad actually acknowledges faults and takes steps to improve. I particularly loved the family dynamics in this one.
chomp: This was me other favourite. This book follows a boy named Wahoo (worst name ever) as he works with his dad as an animal wrangler for a wildlife reality tv show. His friend Tuna (second worse name ever) joins him on location. This was a tongue-in-cheek look at reality television and made me laugh. The reality star, Derek Badger, is something else. It is over-the-top and ridiculous and I loved it.
squirm: This book was slightly different in that part of it takes place in Montana and there is an absent dad who certainly doesn’t win any awards for best parent. In this book, Billy is determined to meet his father and gets answers to his questions. Like in hoot, snakes are a major theme. For me this plot was the strangest. There is supposed to be a mystery in terms of what the exactly Billy’s father does for a living. The answer was not that interesting to me and the dad seemed to be an idiot in general. I did like Billy though.
I was very glad to read these books. They are rather lighthearted and silly but I can see the appeal for younger readers. They certainly appealed to this older one too. Me personal preference of reading order be scat, chomp, flush, hoot, then squirm. Scat and chomp in particular had some laugh out loud moments. I highly recommend. Arrr!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...
hoot: This was apparently a best novel nominee for the Newbery medal. I also think at some point I watched some of the movie with me nephews. In this one, Roy Eberhardt moves to Florida. He is chosen to be the school bully, Dana Matherson’s, new punching bag. It is while being smashed into the school bus window that Roy first sees “the running boy” who is running away from the school bus and appears to be wearing no shoes. Roy is pulled into a mystery to find out who the boy is and what he is doing. The running boy is called “Mullet Fingers” and is on a quest to fight a pancake house and save the owls. I loved Roy and the girl Beatrice. I loved the pancake house actress.
flush: In this one a boy named Noah is determined to help his dad stop the local casino boat from dumping sewage into the water. His sister Abbey joins in. Me favourite character was Shelley. There are side plots about the kids trying to save their parents marriage. Also this is one of those books where the dad actually acknowledges faults and takes steps to improve. I particularly loved the family dynamics in this one.
chomp: This was me other favourite. This book follows a boy named Wahoo (worst name ever) as he works with his dad as an animal wrangler for a wildlife reality tv show. His friend Tuna (second worse name ever) joins him on location. This was a tongue-in-cheek look at reality television and made me laugh. The reality star, Derek Badger, is something else. It is over-the-top and ridiculous and I loved it.
squirm: This book was slightly different in that part of it takes place in Montana and there is an absent dad who certainly doesn’t win any awards for best parent. In this book, Billy is determined to meet his father and gets answers to his questions. Like in hoot, snakes are a major theme. For me this plot was the strangest. There is supposed to be a mystery in terms of what the exactly Billy’s father does for a living. The answer was not that interesting to me and the dad seemed to be an idiot in general. I did like Billy though.
I was very glad to read these books. They are rather lighthearted and silly but I can see the appeal for younger readers. They certainly appealed to this older one too. Me personal preference of reading order be scat, chomp, flush, hoot, then squirm. Scat and chomp in particular had some laugh out loud moments. I highly recommend. Arrr!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...
October 24, 2018
I really enjoy Hiassen's books, preferring his adult fare. This book is written for tweens, not even young adults. The humor is pretty dumbed down (e.g., MeTube and other misnamed social media platforms.) The basic story made little sense. Father abandons family, but sends a monthly check. Mother is kind of cuckoo and moves around Florida to be near bald eagle nests. The son decides to track down father despite his simmering anger, and finds him with a new Crow Indian family in Montana, where he has a mysterious job involving nature and drones. Somehow he gets over his anger. Highlights of the book were the son's unwavering war on bullies, and affinity for nature (very Hiassenesque.) Just didn't work for me.
January 29, 2021
Billy Dickens is an atypical teen leading an atypical life. He hasn't seen his father since he was a baby, and he, his sister and mother live in remote rural southern Florida, where she drives an Uber. Billy is not much for kids his own age, but he admires snakes and birds -- especially the big raptors. All seems well, if a bit insular. But when Billy understands that his father needs help, he leaves Florida and flies up to Montana for the first time ever.
SQUIRM (2018) is the newest of Carl Hiaasen's "young adult" novels, a series pitched at kids in the fifth through ninth grades. As in the adult series, adventure is there, and the author's concern for endangered species, but there's no swearing in this series of books (a typical outburst is "Who the $#@! is this?"), which is a notable departure from adult Hiaasens. Overall SQUIRM is a well-constructed book and like the others in the series, holds interest. NOTE: The books in this series, like HOOT, SQUIRM and SCAT, all have one-word titles; Hiaasen's adult books, like SICK PUPPY or SKIN TIGHT, all have two-word titles.
SQUIRM (2018) is the newest of Carl Hiaasen's "young adult" novels, a series pitched at kids in the fifth through ninth grades. As in the adult series, adventure is there, and the author's concern for endangered species, but there's no swearing in this series of books (a typical outburst is "Who the $#@! is this?"), which is a notable departure from adult Hiaasens. Overall SQUIRM is a well-constructed book and like the others in the series, holds interest. NOTE: The books in this series, like HOOT, SQUIRM and SCAT, all have one-word titles; Hiaasen's adult books, like SICK PUPPY or SKIN TIGHT, all have two-word titles.
November 7, 2018
I do not like snakes, but I did like Billy Dickens. It is true, he does not let things go. His drive to right the wrongs he witnesses is relentless and his methods quite creative. In this book we spend an exciting summer with Billy and his family in Florida and in Montana (an excellent place to visit in the summer). Boys will enjoy this book and all the animal shenanigans. Girls will find the relational dynamics to be of interest. Recommended!
October 10, 2018
Carl Hiaasen's juvenile books are never as whacked-out as those he writes for adults. Still, he manages to get a pro-environment and anti-development message into all of his books, as well as his love of Florida.
This time, Billy Dickens is a middle school kid who likes snakes, sticks up for downtrodden classmates and has absolutely no relationship to his long-estranged father. That all changes when he discovers his father's address and embarks on an adventure that involves bears, snakes and drones.
This is a quick little read with enjoyable characters and a mildly written tension-filled plot filled with snakes . . . the kind that squirm on the ground and those that squirm on two legs.
This time, Billy Dickens is a middle school kid who likes snakes, sticks up for downtrodden classmates and has absolutely no relationship to his long-estranged father. That all changes when he discovers his father's address and embarks on an adventure that involves bears, snakes and drones.
This is a quick little read with enjoyable characters and a mildly written tension-filled plot filled with snakes . . . the kind that squirm on the ground and those that squirm on two legs.
March 25, 2019
Filled with colorful characters leading atypical lives, Carl Hiaasen's junior novels never fail to keep me guessing. In Squirm we meet Billy Dickens, a Florida boy with a love for snakes but less affection for people. His mother, a fanatic for baby eagles who refuses to live more than a short distance from an eagle's nest, packs up and moves her family to a new place whenever the nearest nest goes dormant. This lifestyle inhibits Billy from making friends, but his older sister hates moving more than he does. Belinda is at the breaking point with their mother, who shows no signs of changing her eagle-watching habits. Billy's father left when Billy was too young to remember him, and the man's whereabouts are a secret closely guarded by Billy's mother. So curious has he become over the years that when he pieces together enough information to locate a home address for his father in Montana, Billy tricks his mother into letting him travel there with no confirmation on the other end that his father is willing to receive him. Let the adventure begin.
Billy's father has a new wife, Little Thunder-Sky (Lil), and a stepdaughter, Summer Chasing-Hawks. Both are Native Americans of Crow descent. When Billy arrives, his father isn't there; he's on a mission for his secret job, which Lil and Summer are tightlipped about. Whatever it is pays enough to send good money to Billy's mother every month. Billy isn't content to meet his stepfamily and not see his father, and his father has no intention of letting that happen. Soon Billy is entangled in a plot that involves poaching, high-tech drones, and a rich man named Lincoln Chumley Baxter IV who's used to getting what he wants. Baxter's current shenanigans won't go smoothly if Billy or his father can help it, though their own relationship is in serious need of mending. Can Billy's skill at handling wild animals tip the scales in favor of the good guys, and can two halves of a broken family heal into something resembling a whole?
Squirm leans heavily on coincidence and is less cohesive than Hoot or Scat, but I like Carl Hiaasen's style. The protagonists of his junior novels face long odds with humor and dignity, opposed by villains older and more experienced than they. In the end, though, most everything turns out right. You won't come across big emotional scenes or a climax spilling over with tension, but that's not Carl Hiaasen's game, and I'm all right with that. I'd rate Squirm one and a half stars; I would round up to two if not for a specific plot element in the closing pages that I won't disclose for the sake of avoiding spoilers. I enjoyed this book, and the author's fans will probably find it a pleasant read at the very least. It's worth your time.
Billy's father has a new wife, Little Thunder-Sky (Lil), and a stepdaughter, Summer Chasing-Hawks. Both are Native Americans of Crow descent. When Billy arrives, his father isn't there; he's on a mission for his secret job, which Lil and Summer are tightlipped about. Whatever it is pays enough to send good money to Billy's mother every month. Billy isn't content to meet his stepfamily and not see his father, and his father has no intention of letting that happen. Soon Billy is entangled in a plot that involves poaching, high-tech drones, and a rich man named Lincoln Chumley Baxter IV who's used to getting what he wants. Baxter's current shenanigans won't go smoothly if Billy or his father can help it, though their own relationship is in serious need of mending. Can Billy's skill at handling wild animals tip the scales in favor of the good guys, and can two halves of a broken family heal into something resembling a whole?
Squirm leans heavily on coincidence and is less cohesive than Hoot or Scat, but I like Carl Hiaasen's style. The protagonists of his junior novels face long odds with humor and dignity, opposed by villains older and more experienced than they. In the end, though, most everything turns out right. You won't come across big emotional scenes or a climax spilling over with tension, but that's not Carl Hiaasen's game, and I'm all right with that. I'd rate Squirm one and a half stars; I would round up to two if not for a specific plot element in the closing pages that I won't disclose for the sake of avoiding spoilers. I enjoyed this book, and the author's fans will probably find it a pleasant read at the very least. It's worth your time.
February 1, 2019
Y'all I'm doing better in 2019. This review is only weeks late as opposed to months, or a year *cough* *cough*.
***SPOILER ALERT****
This is not a review. It is a rant. There will be spoilers.
*******************
I Ok. So let me just say this book made me VERY uncomfortable to put it lightly. I wanted to DNF so many times, but I was 62% in and I couldn’t let all my strife be for naught.
So first I read all of the previous books in the series. It’s been a while give or take eight or so years. But if I remember correctly the books were all kinda cooky, happened in Florida, everglades-esque, the main character was also always kinda weird, obsessed with one animal or another, but it was what it was. I remember seeing the book had come out and being interested. Just so happens I’m scrolling through the kindle shop (they got me with that $.99 three month kindle unlimited thing) and I see that the book is on sale for $1.99 (there was a reason) so of course I buy it. I mean, come on?
I don’t know if I’m just getting on in my years (twenty will do that to you) or if this book was just a wreck, but I’m banking on the latter.
So basic gist main character’s name is Billy, he obsessed with snakes, a loner. Strange. But expected. He lives with his mom and his sister, dad is a dead-beat who left when Billy was four (three?) but he sends a check every month. Okay not so bad. (Will say that I was not believing this skinny little twelve year old picked up a whole grown woman to stop her from getting trampled by a bison. Like boy let her do her, take her selfies and get trampled.)
Now, Billy’s mother is a bit of a weirdo also. She’s obsessed with eagles. As in they literally move every few years so that they can be near an eagle nest. Weird. But not unexpected. Also the mom is also quite taken with animals (especially birds) who mate for life? May or may not have to do with her failed love life, but I dunno.
Billy’s sister has really no character. She’s just a catalyst through which the author mocks social media through the clueless Billy. She’s just there to take selfies and use facegram or instatube or whatever (Billy mixing up the names of social media sites was not remotely funny).
Now here’s where it gets messy. The dad. So dead-beat walks out on his wife and his two kids and moves to Minnesota (correct me if I’m wrong didn’t really try to commit any of this to memory) to save animals with a drone…Yes you read that right. Like he legit scares off animals with a drone so they won’t get offed by poachers. (Like I said I might just be too old. Maybe it was supposed to be funny…or…something?)
And this is where it gets worse. The Native American aspect. The book series on a whole kind of speaks towards animal conservation, endangered species and all that good stuff. In *THIS* particular book, however, the author puts this same idea towards Native Americans. And it just feels…off. Like he’s putting them in the same place as the bison that almost got killed off. I dunno it was just weird all around. So, any who, drone boy, who, as I said left his whole family in Florida and moved to Minnesota is now “married” (they don’t actually get “officially” married they just go on a camping trip along with the new step daughter and call it a day, which also left a bad taste in my mouth like okaaay?) to a Native American woman whose name is something like Thunder Sky Hawk (something to that effect) who also has a daughter around the same age as Billy. Somehow this guy inherited some money so he’s well off, nobody knows (or he thinks they don’t) so he lies and says he has a job with the government so they won’t know that he really is still an idiot. This guy has no good characteristics.
The new “wife”, Lil, okay so now I think I have her name “Little Thunder Sky” (don’t take my word for it), which Billy’s mom remarks is simply beautiful. (The dynamic was all kinds of weird here cause the author was giving all kinds of vibes that Billy’s mom still wants to be married to his idiot dad. Y’all it’s a mess.)
The stepdaughter, Summer. So this girl is sooo annoying. She’s so happy that their white savior rescued them from the “rez”, but at the same time feels so separated from her people (the Crow as she lets us know MULTIPLE times throughout the book). She’s also complete with a “full-indian” abusive dad who is now rotting in jail. At one point they are scaring off an animal so the poacher they’re following around won’t bag it. Drone Boy is blowing a whistle, snake boy is blowing a car horn and full-blood Crow Summer is out here banging on a tree like a mad-woman. It just made me so uncomfortable. Also she thought it made sense to tell a man with no morals, a stinking-rich poacher with A GUN, that he better not do anything to her cause she is FULL CROW. HUH???
I was legit waiting to see that the author was a LEAST 1/16 Crow cause he just went and exploited these people so much. Belittled them. Equated them to animals. Tried to act politically correct by saying that the white man really freaking messed their lives up, but then turns around and has them looking up to this lying, dumb behind “man”, if he can be called that. He’s not stable. Like whyyy???
Also was VERY surprised by the amount of inappropriate words in this book. I mean a few words were starred out, but I can’t believe this is being sold as MG. This whole book is just wreck. I regret everything.
***SPOILER ALERT****
This is not a review. It is a rant. There will be spoilers.
*******************
I Ok. So let me just say this book made me VERY uncomfortable to put it lightly. I wanted to DNF so many times, but I was 62% in and I couldn’t let all my strife be for naught.
So first I read all of the previous books in the series. It’s been a while give or take eight or so years. But if I remember correctly the books were all kinda cooky, happened in Florida, everglades-esque, the main character was also always kinda weird, obsessed with one animal or another, but it was what it was. I remember seeing the book had come out and being interested. Just so happens I’m scrolling through the kindle shop (they got me with that $.99 three month kindle unlimited thing) and I see that the book is on sale for $1.99 (there was a reason) so of course I buy it. I mean, come on?
I don’t know if I’m just getting on in my years (twenty will do that to you) or if this book was just a wreck, but I’m banking on the latter.
So basic gist main character’s name is Billy, he obsessed with snakes, a loner. Strange. But expected. He lives with his mom and his sister, dad is a dead-beat who left when Billy was four (three?) but he sends a check every month. Okay not so bad. (Will say that I was not believing this skinny little twelve year old picked up a whole grown woman to stop her from getting trampled by a bison. Like boy let her do her, take her selfies and get trampled.)
Now, Billy’s mother is a bit of a weirdo also. She’s obsessed with eagles. As in they literally move every few years so that they can be near an eagle nest. Weird. But not unexpected. Also the mom is also quite taken with animals (especially birds) who mate for life? May or may not have to do with her failed love life, but I dunno.
Billy’s sister has really no character. She’s just a catalyst through which the author mocks social media through the clueless Billy. She’s just there to take selfies and use facegram or instatube or whatever (Billy mixing up the names of social media sites was not remotely funny).
Now here’s where it gets messy. The dad. So dead-beat walks out on his wife and his two kids and moves to Minnesota (correct me if I’m wrong didn’t really try to commit any of this to memory) to save animals with a drone…Yes you read that right. Like he legit scares off animals with a drone so they won’t get offed by poachers. (Like I said I might just be too old. Maybe it was supposed to be funny…or…something?)
And this is where it gets worse. The Native American aspect. The book series on a whole kind of speaks towards animal conservation, endangered species and all that good stuff. In *THIS* particular book, however, the author puts this same idea towards Native Americans. And it just feels…off. Like he’s putting them in the same place as the bison that almost got killed off. I dunno it was just weird all around. So, any who, drone boy, who, as I said left his whole family in Florida and moved to Minnesota is now “married” (they don’t actually get “officially” married they just go on a camping trip along with the new step daughter and call it a day, which also left a bad taste in my mouth like okaaay?) to a Native American woman whose name is something like Thunder Sky Hawk (something to that effect) who also has a daughter around the same age as Billy. Somehow this guy inherited some money so he’s well off, nobody knows (or he thinks they don’t) so he lies and says he has a job with the government so they won’t know that he really is still an idiot. This guy has no good characteristics.
The new “wife”, Lil, okay so now I think I have her name “Little Thunder Sky” (don’t take my word for it), which Billy’s mom remarks is simply beautiful. (The dynamic was all kinds of weird here cause the author was giving all kinds of vibes that Billy’s mom still wants to be married to his idiot dad. Y’all it’s a mess.)
The stepdaughter, Summer. So this girl is sooo annoying. She’s so happy that their white savior rescued them from the “rez”, but at the same time feels so separated from her people (the Crow as she lets us know MULTIPLE times throughout the book). She’s also complete with a “full-indian” abusive dad who is now rotting in jail. At one point they are scaring off an animal so the poacher they’re following around won’t bag it. Drone Boy is blowing a whistle, snake boy is blowing a car horn and full-blood Crow Summer is out here banging on a tree like a mad-woman. It just made me so uncomfortable. Also she thought it made sense to tell a man with no morals, a stinking-rich poacher with A GUN, that he better not do anything to her cause she is FULL CROW. HUH???
I was legit waiting to see that the author was a LEAST 1/16 Crow cause he just went and exploited these people so much. Belittled them. Equated them to animals. Tried to act politically correct by saying that the white man really freaking messed their lives up, but then turns around and has them looking up to this lying, dumb behind “man”, if he can be called that. He’s not stable. Like whyyy???
Also was VERY surprised by the amount of inappropriate words in this book. I mean a few words were starred out, but I can’t believe this is being sold as MG. This whole book is just wreck. I regret everything.
July 4, 2022
I completely enjoy this children's book. It's a wonderful outdoor adventure from Florida to Montana with all the wild life. Carl Hiaasen tells a good and unique family story with brilliant humor. Way da go "Billy Big Stick"!
February 19, 2020
Billy Dickens is living his sixth Florida town because his mother insists on living within 15 minutes of a bald eagle's next, having ensured his privacy and safety at school by installing a rattlesnake in his locker for a couple of days (with its mouth taped up, but none of the other kids paid much attention to that). He finds his dad's address in Montana--he hasn't seen him since he was three--and ends up flying there to meet him, only to become caught up in a crazy adventure.
This is another fun book by Hiassen--not entirely believable, but then given the target audience, I think that's part of the fun.
This is another fun book by Hiassen--not entirely believable, but then given the target audience, I think that's part of the fun.
July 29, 2024
Squirm (My Kindle Review)
It’s been ages since I’ve read some of Hiaasen’s eco-adventures but reading “Squirm”, it still delivers an engaging read. We follow Florida teen Billy on an outrageous adventure in Montana where his divorced dad now lives and as he’s determined to find out what his secret job is, he’ll get caught in a dangerous situation involving drones, animal poachers and grizzly bears.
Another winning story about good guys vs. bad guys that also centers on animals, family and excitement. A few chapters in and it’s a great read that gets more thrilling after every chapter. A whole lotta slithering on. A- (91%/Excellent)
It’s been ages since I’ve read some of Hiaasen’s eco-adventures but reading “Squirm”, it still delivers an engaging read. We follow Florida teen Billy on an outrageous adventure in Montana where his divorced dad now lives and as he’s determined to find out what his secret job is, he’ll get caught in a dangerous situation involving drones, animal poachers and grizzly bears.
Another winning story about good guys vs. bad guys that also centers on animals, family and excitement. A few chapters in and it’s a great read that gets more thrilling after every chapter. A whole lotta slithering on. A- (91%/Excellent)
October 16, 2018
Carl Hiaasen does it again. This is a delightful book that unites a couple of Florida kids with their AWOL father who has a new family in Montana. Dad goes out on secret missions and the Florida boy and Montana native American girl team up to find out what's actually going on. Both of the youngsters are incredibly intelligent and wise for their ages - each with knowledge that helps all out of dangerous situations. Typical Hiaasen, the situations have an environnmental/ecological origin.
July 15, 2019
Ich wollte ja schon lange mal was von Hiaasen lesen, und jetzt, da ein ganz neues Buch von ihm erschienen ist, habe ich dieses Vorhaben endlich in die Tat umgesetzt.
Und es stimmt: Es ist klasse! Der Typ kann schreiben! 😀 Spannend, witzig, intelligent, liest sich runter wie nix.
Hat mir echt gut gefallen!
Und es stimmt: Es ist klasse! Der Typ kann schreiben! 😀 Spannend, witzig, intelligent, liest sich runter wie nix.
Hat mir echt gut gefallen!
April 8, 2020
I loved this book!! It is an amazing way to inspire a hike. It is a beautiful story about family. The book is funny at points but also has a sense of mystery. The characters are lovable and fun!!!
October 24, 2024
Cute story and a super fun read! This book makes me nostalgic for when I was originally reading the other books in this set, and it definitely lives up to them. The characters are well fleshed out and the story itself is pretty unique and interesting (albeit predictable).
May 8, 2018
It was a lot of fun and with a good message, but felt like it lacked a lot of Hiaasen's usual humor.
October 26, 2018
Fun, positive book. I love Hiaasen's YA novels. His books can empower and inspire kids to feel confident in the adult world, and also show that parents aren't always perfect.
October 9, 2018
Billy Dickens is not your typical middle grader. Not only does he have a thing for snakes and is fascinated by them, but he also has a penchant for the underdogs in his school and the world around him. The child of two avid nature lovers, the boy has already lived in six different Florida towns, moves spurred by his mother's fondness for bald eagles. When Billy figures out where his long-gone father is, he travels to Montana to meet him. But in the beautiful state, he finds more questions than answers and falls in love with the place. When the truth about what his dad does for a living finally comes out, Billy and his stepsister, Summer, head off on a wild ride through parts of Florida as they try to protect an endangered species there and a different one back in Montana. I have no idea if there are actually wealthy bounty hunters out there like the villainous Lincoln Chumley Baxter IV, out there, eager to kill species that are steadily dwindling just for the thrill of it, but the author has captured the essence of what someone like this might be like and how determined he was to bag his game, no matter what he had to do to succeed. As I finished the book, I couldn't help wishing there were more folks out there like Billy. The wildlife and environment need more eco-warriors like him. Although the ending of the book might be a little over the top, I have to say that I was pleased that nature got the last word when it came to justice. All the characters in this novel are interesting and complex, and it was encouraging to see one man use his wealth for good. Middle grade readers will enjoy this one just as much as the author's earlier books.
December 28, 2019
Ein Protagonist, der schlagfertig, intelligent und sarkastisch ist. Unabhängige Frauenfiguren. Klischees, die sich nicht bestätigen. Und ganz viele Schlangen. Wunderbar!
November 25, 2020
My grandson told me that this was a really good book and that I had to read it. I did, and he was right:)
May 27, 2020
This was my least favorite of Hiaasen's YA novels and I particularly found the theme of vigilante justice aspect problematic. While saving endangered animals is the M.O. of his YA novels, this story felt all over the place and I didn't really love any character.
June 24, 2021
This humorous book will be impossible to put down, already talking about the main character’s fascination for squirming snakes on the first page. Using his knowledge of snakes to his advantage, he scares bullies to stop treating others harshly. Although this gets him into trouble from time to time, it serves as a tool when Billy joins his long-lost father who left when he was four and step-sister who belongs to the Crow Nation in some vigilante schemes to protect endangered creatures, and stop a dangerously armed poacher. My favorite part of the book was when the officer said that they found a rattlesnake in the hunter’s helicopter, and everyone knows who put it there although they all act as if they don’t. All of Carl Hiaasen’s books take place in Florida, probably because he lives there himself. This book, however, does partly take place in Montana, but not all the time. All of Hiaasen’s one word titled books have a boy as the main character, along with an environmental/ecological theme, including this one. I recommend this book, if you like realistic fiction and the other books from the same author. The theme of this story can also be to take risks in what you believe in. This book is intended for 4th-8th grade. The tone of this book is humorous, runs at a nice place, and doesn’t really drag. Every chapter is exactly 13 pages long, not too short or long. ‘Squirm’ is character driven. A quote that stood out in the book is, “Nature always gets the last word.” The meaning is explained in the book, “... point is that nature is as coldhearted as it is beautiful, and that forces beyond our understanding can deliver a random life-or-death surprise at any moment. It might be a landslide, a flash flood, or a bolt of lightning on a cloudless morning.” I agree with the author on this. On a scale of one through 5, I would rate it 4 stars.
Cross-posted from my blog: Swirlingtides.blogspot.com
Cross-posted from my blog: Swirlingtides.blogspot.com
March 26, 2020
I didn't like this story. I didn't like the main character, Billy. He is a self-righteous and narcissistic. He can correct other people even with violence but he only get's verbal scoldings from his mother. The plot is unreasonable to me. He has a dad that has been out of his life all his life that he tracks down and the character almost instantly reforms a father son relationship. I don't buy that. Emotions would be all over the place in this situation, anger, sadness, joy all at the same time. That wasn't well portrayed. The two wives and their children seem to seamlessly get together and become fast friends. Again, I don't buy it.
February 11, 2019
I always enjoy Hiaasen's writing. No, it's not based in reality. In this case it plays into the fantasy of many children who have been abandoned by a parent; when I find my Dad he'll be super cool and want to be with me. Also, the protagonist is fearless and full of confidence but kind hearted. A sweet, fun read.
June 20, 2018
4.5. Funny. Sweet. All about families. Great characters. Lots of plot twists. Hard to put down ❤
Read
October 12, 2019its really good
April 5, 2023
i have never read a book with a more insufferable main character. i know i am 22 and this is a book for kids but kids deserve good writing too
September 9, 2023
Squirrelly would’ve a more appropriate title.
October 15, 2021
Recommendation: This is another fun adventure story about endangered animals: particularly good for everyone who knows the difference between "venomous" and "poisonous."
Review: Billy Dickens comes from a broken home: a mom who has to work all the time, an older sister who is trying to find her identity in the terrible guys she dates, and no sign or even mention of a father. Whenever he asks his mom about his dad, she obviously changes the subject or otherwise avoids giving him any information. To top it off, his mom moves them to a new house in a new town every couple of years, so Billy and his sister have no roots. The result is that Billy is an antisocial loner who has spent all his emotional energy on the one things that are constant in his life: animals. Living in Florida, Billy has had a wide array of wildlife available to him for as long as he can remember...particularly reptiles. The story follows Billy as he gets in trouble in school and finally learns something about his dad. This leads him to track down his father, embarking on a cross-country voyage motivated by self-discovery as well a desire to fill that hole in his life. But what it leads to is
Critique: Hiaasen has a way of using simple language to evoke a lot of story. This would lead me to liken him to Hemingway, but the amount of humor that he inserts into this narrative makes me think more of P.J. O'Rourke's pedestrian but hilarious prose. It's impressive writing, to be so evocative and so scanty at the same time.
Squirm also reminds me, a bit, of Willard Price's Adventure books, which were a childhood staple of mine. While they are not a connected series the way Price's books were, all of Hiaasen's books that I've read so far have a very similar premise: a kid who loves animals takes action to defeat the adult forces that would do those animals harm. It's very formulaic, but the way he writes his characters makes it very fun, too.
It's an interesting dichotomy, too. On the one hand, stories that tell about kids putting themselves in mortal peril stretch credulity a bit, because we want to imagine that children in the world are safe, with plenty of space just to be kids. The idea that young kids are put in situations where brutal murder is a very real possibility are so rare that they seem far-fetched. On the other hand, stories about children being so noble and driven that they fight and succeed against dangerous odds are satisfying. That's why we end up with so very many stories about kids outwitting smarter, stronger, more resourced adults in literature. Kids especially relish these stories, because they often are so powerless against the arrayed forces of corrupt adulthood. We see these stories a LOT, so it's good when we get a well-written one like this.
Review: Billy Dickens comes from a broken home: a mom who has to work all the time, an older sister who is trying to find her identity in the terrible guys she dates, and no sign or even mention of a father. Whenever he asks his mom about his dad, she obviously changes the subject or otherwise avoids giving him any information. To top it off, his mom moves them to a new house in a new town every couple of years, so Billy and his sister have no roots. The result is that Billy is an antisocial loner who has spent all his emotional energy on the one things that are constant in his life: animals. Living in Florida, Billy has had a wide array of wildlife available to him for as long as he can remember...particularly reptiles. The story follows Billy as he gets in trouble in school and finally learns something about his dad. This leads him to track down his father, embarking on a cross-country voyage motivated by self-discovery as well a desire to fill that hole in his life. But what it leads to is
Critique: Hiaasen has a way of using simple language to evoke a lot of story. This would lead me to liken him to Hemingway, but the amount of humor that he inserts into this narrative makes me think more of P.J. O'Rourke's pedestrian but hilarious prose. It's impressive writing, to be so evocative and so scanty at the same time.
Squirm also reminds me, a bit, of Willard Price's Adventure books, which were a childhood staple of mine. While they are not a connected series the way Price's books were, all of Hiaasen's books that I've read so far have a very similar premise: a kid who loves animals takes action to defeat the adult forces that would do those animals harm. It's very formulaic, but the way he writes his characters makes it very fun, too.
It's an interesting dichotomy, too. On the one hand, stories that tell about kids putting themselves in mortal peril stretch credulity a bit, because we want to imagine that children in the world are safe, with plenty of space just to be kids. The idea that young kids are put in situations where brutal murder is a very real possibility are so rare that they seem far-fetched. On the other hand, stories about children being so noble and driven that they fight and succeed against dangerous odds are satisfying. That's why we end up with so very many stories about kids outwitting smarter, stronger, more resourced adults in literature. Kids especially relish these stories, because they often are so powerless against the arrayed forces of corrupt adulthood. We see these stories a LOT, so it's good when we get a well-written one like this.
February 12, 2019
In this book you will find adventure, tension, and action following Billy through his great story.
I would say this book should be for 4th grade and up because it has some bad words and it might be scary for small children. This book belongs to a series of 5 but you do not have to read in chronological order they are all different stories.
Young Billy Dicksons lives in Florida his parents are divorced and his dad moved away. One night he found an envelope with the address to where his dad lives so he decided to fly there. In Montana, where his dad lived, he found his family home but not him. One of the days he was there he went to the woods where a drone found him he knew at once it was him.so once he got back to Florida he saw the drone again and found his dad. His dad told Billy what he does and Billy goes on the next trip with him. They follow a poacher and stop him. But when everything seems over the poacher comes back and tries to use Billy’s dad as bait. Billy saves him and everything’s all good.
What makes Billy interesting is that he has an obsession of catching snakes. Some conflicts Billy faces are his dad getting trapped and also other kids.
I think some of the theme is bullying because Billy saves a kid from bullying and saves himself and it pays off.
The setting for this book is in Florida and Montana. It is also very modern too. It is also very easy to picture it.
I really think this is a great book and you souls definitely read it along with the rest of the books in the series.
I would say this book should be for 4th grade and up because it has some bad words and it might be scary for small children. This book belongs to a series of 5 but you do not have to read in chronological order they are all different stories.
Young Billy Dicksons lives in Florida his parents are divorced and his dad moved away. One night he found an envelope with the address to where his dad lives so he decided to fly there. In Montana, where his dad lived, he found his family home but not him. One of the days he was there he went to the woods where a drone found him he knew at once it was him.so once he got back to Florida he saw the drone again and found his dad. His dad told Billy what he does and Billy goes on the next trip with him. They follow a poacher and stop him. But when everything seems over the poacher comes back and tries to use Billy’s dad as bait. Billy saves him and everything’s all good.
What makes Billy interesting is that he has an obsession of catching snakes. Some conflicts Billy faces are his dad getting trapped and also other kids.
I think some of the theme is bullying because Billy saves a kid from bullying and saves himself and it pays off.
The setting for this book is in Florida and Montana. It is also very modern too. It is also very easy to picture it.
I really think this is a great book and you souls definitely read it along with the rest of the books in the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 729 reviews