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Flush

3.82 of 5 stars 3.82 · rating details · 10,797 ratings · 1,222 reviews

Bestselling novelist Carl Hiaasen is back with another hysterical mystery adventure for young readers, set in the Florida Keys.

You know it's going to be a rough summer when you spend Father's Day visiting your dad in the local lockup.

Noah's dad is sure that the owner of the Coral Queen casino boat is flushing raw sewage into the harbor–which has made taking a dip at the...more

Hardcover, 263 pages

Published September 13th 2005 by Knopf Books for Young Readers (first published April 18th 1998)

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Mar 16, 2008 Lauren rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone

Flush is a very good book it shows what people could risk for animals and nature. The boy in this book has a Dad that has been in jail many times when he was trying to protect wildlife. Wach him take a step while his dad is in jail and to prove that his dad is right.

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Apr 26, 2012 Carmen Tryka rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. If your father was put in jail because he tried to save the environment, how would you react? What if it was hard to prove that it was done for the appropriate reason? What if you were the only person in your family that believed him? A hard situation.

Carl Hiaasen gives us a story about a boy trying to prove his fathers right doing. Instead of going fishing or spending quality time, Noah Underwood spends Father’s Day with his father Paine in the county jail. Paine is put in jail for sinking the...more If your father was put in jail because he tried to save the environment, how would you react? What if it was hard to prove that it was done for the appropriate reason? What if you were the only person in your family that believed him? A hard situation.

Carl Hiaasen gives us a story about a boy trying to prove his fathers right doing. Instead of going fishing or spending quality time, Noah Underwood spends Father’s Day with his father Paine in the county jail. Paine is put in jail for sinking the gambling boat, the Coral Queen, because Dusty Muleman has been ordering his crew to dispose of the waste into the Florida waters. Ever since the Coral Queen opened, the beaches were constantly closed for the contamination. Paine tried to alert the Coast Guard about the pollution coming from the Coral Queen, but every time they checked out the gambling boat, Muleman knew so he disposed of the waste where it is supposed to go. Paine relies on Noah to help him prove that Muleman was dumping the sewage into the water, but he is stumped. He finds a way to prove the contamination through a legal way with the help of Shelly who works on the gambling boat.

Operation Royal Flush. After witnessing the dumping of the waste, Noah comes up with a plan. With the help of his sister, they get as much color dye their money can buy them. Thirty-four one ounce bottles of fushia dye for fifty-seven dollars and sixteen cents. It began. That night, him and his sister will borrow Rado’s family boat as an escape vehicle. With the help of Shelly, Noah will board the gambling boat, hide in the bathroom, and empty all the dye into the toilet. After someone needs to go to the bathroom really bad, Noah runs out. He notices that the security guards are following him so yells “geronimo,” which is the sign for his sister Abbey to come get him out of the water. Well, after yelling “geronimo” and hitting the hard surface, his sister is having trouble with the boat, so Noah has to swim. He eventually hits a sea cow, but then hears the boat. Abbey saved him! They sleep on the boat over night. In the morning, they look at the horizon and see a boat. It is their father and a guy who has been following them around, their grandfather. Noah calls the Coast Guard to report the spilling of the sewage, but under his father’s name. He is a hero.

Hiassen displays that environment is important. Noah interest in saving the water, and his fathers reputation, shows that anything can happen in a legal way if they use their heads, not like the way his father tried. Noah is a smart, passionate, caring seventh grader who deals with situations with his head, not with his actions. He cares for his family especially his dad. People in the world don’t realize how important nature and the environment is to one another. If one realized that by working together, one can make a difference, then many would be happier and acknowledge nature.

This book is not like any other book. Carl Hiaasen is a great author who tends to write about nature and environment directed to the younger ages. Flush is a book that everyone will enjoy whether or not you love nature. So if you are stumped about what book you want to read next, pick up a copy of Flush, and begin reading. You will not be let down.(less)

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Feb 26, 2009 Valerie rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Ian

Shelves: because-its-the-right-thing-to-do, for-the-boys

I thought this book had one of the most brilliant opening lines of any YA book. I read it aloud to #1 son, and he snatched the book from my hands and proceeded through Hoot as well.

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Mar 29, 2009 Josie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s-lit

Flush
By Carl Hiaasen
Published by Alfred A. Knopf
2005
Fiction

Carl Hiaasen has written a wonderful novel for the environmentally aware middle schooler. Filled with themes of family, standing up for what you believe in, loyalty and environmental protection, Flush will capture the attention of incoming sixth graders. The characters that Hiaasen develops are extremely easy to like and hate and they invite the reader to become even more involved with the story.
One is immediately thrown into the plot as...more Flush
By Carl Hiaasen
Published by Alfred A. Knopf
2005
Fiction

Carl Hiaasen has written a wonderful novel for the environmentally aware middle schooler. Filled with themes of family, standing up for what you believe in, loyalty and environmental protection, Flush will capture the attention of incoming sixth graders. The characters that Hiaasen develops are extremely easy to like and hate and they invite the reader to become even more involved with the story.
One is immediately thrown into the plot as soon as the book begins, which raises several questions. What happened? Why is Noah's father in jail and why is Noah so calm and pulled together? What is going on with this family? Hiaasen does not leave questions unanswered for long and lets the reader in on the action in the Underwood family. Set in Key West, Flush focuses on the alleged dumping of waste directly into the water by a corrupt businessman. Noah's dad sank the boat to draw attention to this criminal behavior, but ended up becoming a criminal himself. With the help of his sister Abbey and a bartender named Shelley, Noah sets out to clear his father's name and expose Dusty Muleman for polluting the waters children swim in. After several run ins with the local bullies, failed schemes, an unknown pirate and a supposed murder, Noah and Abbey come up with a plan. Not only are they trying to catch the polluter in the act, but they are also dealing with issues at home, mainly a potential divorce. Their plan isn't foolproof, so the reader must keep reading to see if Noah and his sister are successful.
The book kept a very nice pace of action going up until the very end. After a satisfying resolution for the reader, it appears the author is still unsatisfied and writes a few more chapters. The very end of the novel ties everything into a neat little package and due to the trouble the Underwood kids kept getting into, this didn't seem like it would ever happen. It was nice see everything come together in the end, though it could have happened two fewer chapters.
The novel takes place over the end of summer vacation, making it a good read before school starts. Abbey and Noah have a realistic brother and sister relationship and parent issues that many kids will be able to relate too. While Noah loves his dad and stands up for him, he can't help but feel a tiny bit embarrassed over his erratic behavior. The family sticks together though, through good and bad, sending a positive message. Kids will also be able to relate with the bullying that Noah undergoes. He takes it and doesn't fight back with his fists. Overall, this is an enjoyable summer read with good action, some unexpected twists and positive messages that make it a worthwhile read.(less)

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May 19, 2013 Diego_gonzalves rated it 4 of 5 stars

I chose this book because I remembered the author Carl Hiaasen and wanted to read another one of his books because i read "Hoot". Flush is about a boy in Florida named Noah Underwood whose dad recently was thrown into jail for sinking a boat, the Coral Queen. Noah's father felt that the owner was dumping harmful waste into the ocean that could wash up on a nearby populated beach and affect the water. Throughout the book, Noah and his dad attempted to prove that the owner of the boat was guilty w...more

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May 14, 2013 Garrett W. rated it 3 of 5 stars

263 pages
This novel is about two kids named Noah and Abby Underwood plus their father Pain Underwood. During the begining of the book it tells you some very important information. Pain Underwood or the father is in jail. The reason he is in jail is because he sunk a giant cruse ship known as The Coral Queen. The Coral Queen is a boat that never moves, this is do to the fact that it is a casino on water and when it would travel too far out to sea the customers would become sea sick. Pain worked...more 263 pages
This novel is about two kids named Noah and Abby Underwood plus their father Pain Underwood. During the begining of the book it tells you some very important information. Pain Underwood or the father is in jail. The reason he is in jail is because he sunk a giant cruse ship known as The Coral Queen. The Coral Queen is a boat that never moves, this is do to the fact that it is a casino on water and when it would travel too far out to sea the customers would become sea sick. Pain worked at the Coral Queen. Yes he was all part of the drinks, gambling, television, and money. There were also many people who smoked on board, but of corse it is a casino so smoking is aloud. Noah and Abby's father Pain sunk the Coral Queen because he found out that the owner (Dusty Muleman) was not desposing waste properly. Dusty would just fill large containers with sueage and then once the containers were full, Dusty would just pump all of the waste into the bay. Pain has a problum when it comes to controlling his anger so he became so enraged that he just sunk the boat by blocking some of the valuable pipes the boat needs to stay a float. The motivation for these actions was that all of the sewage was poisoning the beaches and water Pains family liked to play in. After their father is released from jail Noah and Abby are determined to turn Dusty into the police. They meet a person who works on The Coral Queen, her name is Shelly. With Shelly's help Abby and Noah turn Dusty in and free there father from perol.

I think this book is very inspiring because it shows how kids can take a stand for their communities. It shows that adults don't run it all. This book also shows how people need to be brave and sometimes do things that aren't easy. During one part of the book Noah runs into some bullies and instead of trying to run he stands up to them. Then when they try to hurt him instead of fighting back he does what the bible says we should do (When someone slaps you across the cheek, instead of fighting back you turn your other cheek for them to slap).(less)

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Feb 19, 2013 Bailey Daynes rated it 4 of 5 stars

If you like realistic fiction, suspense, action, and care about the environment, then you would definitely like “Flush”! I thought that Flush, by Carl Hiaasen was a great book! It had a very clever theme, and story idea. This was the first book I've read by Carl Hiaasen, but because I liked it so much, I've started reading more of his books. Now I'm reading "Hoot". I liked the idea of someone polluting the ocean, and then people trying to stop him because it is something that happens even now, t...more

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Dec 03, 2012 Ricky Ko rated it 4 of 5 stars

I choose Flush because my friends recommended this book to me and after I read it, I really liked it. Flush is about a young boy named Noah and his sister Abbey. Their dad was put to jail for sinking a boat called the " Coral Queen." What the police don't know is that their dad sunk the boat because he knew the workers at the boat( which is a party boat) dump human waste out in the ocean every night, killing many sea life. The only people that knows is Noah, Abbey, their mom, Lice, and Shelly. N...more

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Nov 25, 2012 Shant Zatourian rated it 3 of 5 stars

I chose this book because it was written by the same author as the last book I read (Hoot). This book is about a boy named Noah whose dad recently got put in jail for sinking a boat. His father did this because the ship’s owner was dumping waste into the ocean that would kill the animals and pollute the water. Throughout the book, father and son try to prove the man guilty with the help of their friends. There weren't many quotes in this book but my favorite was “and in the meantime don’t jump...more

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Nov 21, 2012 Leah Mullenaux rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a novel about public health issues. It has a simple plot and is probably geared more towards 10-13 year olds. It had some good aspects, but lacked depth.
This novel is about a boy who has a very extreme father. If his dad doesn't agree with something some one is doing, he will fly off the handle. In the story, the father's newest muse is the fact that a casino boat dumps waste from their restrooms straight into the ocean instead of disposing of it appropriately. To show his anger, he sink...more This is a novel about public health issues. It has a simple plot and is probably geared more towards 10-13 year olds. It had some good aspects, but lacked depth.
This novel is about a boy who has a very extreme father. If his dad doesn't agree with something some one is doing, he will fly off the handle. In the story, the father's newest muse is the fact that a casino boat dumps waste from their restrooms straight into the ocean instead of disposing of it appropriately. To show his anger, he sinks the boat and goes to jail. His family at first doesn't understand him and doesn't believe him, and his wife even considered divorcing him because this was not the first time that her husband has done this. As the story progresses, the children uncover many secrets and, with the help of a few unlikely friends, try to find proof to back up their father's accusations. I don't want to reveal the ending, but there are a lot of twists and turns that certainly keep you interested.
I liked this book. It was very simply written because it was based on a younger audience, but it was still enjoyable. It lacked depth and deeper meanings, like symbolism or metaphors, which was disappointing. Any kind of symbolism that turned up was immediately explained by the author to, in fact, be symbolism for a certain thing. This removed the wonder and the questioning aspect that some kids need to practice. It painted everything so clearly and black-and-white that there was no room for imagination. It was a pretty basic, thoughtless read, meaning that you didn't really have to think about anything because everything was so clearly written.
As I said, this would be a good book for a younger audience. It really had a good plot and a good message. There was a good amount of character development as well. The characters definitely changed over time, which is a good aspect. You could track their growth and see how they were changing for the better and maturing while they learned new life lessons. It could have been made better by adding some deeper meaning between the lines, but all in all, it was good.

(This is a novel, and therefore counts as 3 books!)(less)

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Nov 16, 2012 Jason K rated it 3 of 5 stars

Flush
Carl Hiaasen

Flush is a book about Noah, the main character, and his sister Abby. Their father has gone to jail because he sank this boat that had a casino on it. the reason their dad sunk it was because Dusty, the captain, had been illegally dumping poop into the bottom of the ocean. The waste would flow right to thunder beach where a bunch of kids play every day. Noah and his sister go to find help to get dusty to justice. Their father told them to go to a man named Lice Peeking. Lice stra...more

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Nov 10, 2012 Simone Reynolds added it

Shelves: goodreads-project-ela9-2012

Flush by Carl Hiaasen was a very confusing book for me when I started to read it. In the story Flush, the author really focuses on the setting. This story took place in Dade County, Florida. You may wonder why the setting is so important. Well, a lot of events take place in Dade County in the story. Such as: Noah's dad got arrested, the place where his parents first met,the location of the Coral Queen were all in Dade County. Dade County is a very small town, so people find out about events that...more

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Oct 27, 2012 Antonio Garcia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: shelf

Carl Hiaasen’s purpose for writing FLUSH is to tell a story about a father who doesn’t thinks about his actions before he does it. He never thinks, he just acts. FLUSH is an interesting book. The father gets into trouble like getting speeding tickets. That’s how he met Noah’s mother. “The ticket my mother got was for driving 44 miles an hour in a 35-mile-per-hour zone. My father’s ticket was much worse- he was doing 93 on the turnpike.” Pg. 4

FLUSH is a very interesting book. This book includes...more

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Oct 04, 2012 Leah Kritzer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Main characters: Noah, Abbey, Donna, Paine, Bobby, Jasper Jr., Shelly, Lice Peeking, Dusty Muleman, and Bull.

Noah and the Underwood family live in the Florida Keys. Sometime before computers were in the world they used newspapers to tell the news and Paine Underwood was always in the news. First he was in it for sinking a casino boat accused of dumping sewage in the ocean after all the guests had got off the boat. The second time he was in the news for taking off his ankle tracker that the polic...more

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Sep 25, 2012 Pearl Mayfield rated it 3 of 5 stars

Flush Book Review
So, it all starts off with Noah Underwood visiting his dad in jail. Noah's dad sunk a ship called the,"Coral Queen" because a man named Dusty Mulemen- owner of the,"Coral Queen"- has been dumping human waste from his boat at night when no one can find out to save money. Noah's dad steps into place and sneaks in and sinks the ship. The police find out and he is sent to jail.
Now, it's up to Noah and Abbey- his little sister- to stop this. Since there are so many ships anchored by...more

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Sep 25, 2012 Lani rated it 2 of 5 stars

I honestly thought Flush by Carl Hiaasen was an average or below book, but I managed to read it until the end. I enjoyed the fact that siblings Noah and Abbey Underwood were trying to save the environment. It's a very considerate thing to do. They mentioned turtles, which happens to be a favorite animal of mine. Anyways, I don't think anyone would want to swim in other people's waste. Dusty Muleman, who is dumping it in the first place, must be really messed up. Throwing someone's waste into th...more

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Sep 25, 2012 Josh Gregson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Flush, written by Carl Hiassen is a book about two dull teenagers, Noah and Abbie who want to get there “forgiving” dad out of jail. Their dumb dad went to jail for blowing up a casino boat because he thought the owner of the book, Dusty Muleman is flushing sewage in the water. Even though pollution is wrong, he should have just reported it to the police instead of blowing the boat up. While Noah visits his dad in prison, he tells him that he must prove Dusty Muleman guilty to get him out of ja...more

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Sep 25, 2012 Katherine Hofmann rated it 4 of 5 stars

I thought Flush by Carl Hiaasen what a very good book and fascinating story. This story takes place in the Florida. The characters had a lot of detail and they were all pretty interesting. I especially like Noah's father because he really cares about the Earth and the things living on it (even though he might do something's that are kind of stupid when someone is mistreating it). Another thing I thought was interesting is that Noah, a thirteen year old boy, tries to stay out of trouble in anywa...more

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Sep 24, 2012 Katelyn added it

Katelyn Levitt
September 24, 2012
English period 6
Flushing the Dishonest
Carl Hiaasen grew up in Florida so it is not much of a surprise that his bestselling book takes place in the Florida Keys. Noah, an adolescent and his younger sister, Abbey are trying to clear their father’s name. Their father sunk a seventy- three foot casino boat that belonged to Dusty Muleman. As a result, their father was thrown in jail for his actions. He sunk Dusty Muleman’s boat because he saw Dusty’s workers illegall...more

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Aug 14, 2012 Arianna rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 jai...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Kids Write Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars

Are you sick and tired of your dad going to jail for the third time? Well, Noah is. Noah is 13 years old living the life of a normal 13 year old kid but he has lots of problems on his hands. Noah has to stop his dad from escaping from jail, then find who the stranger who almost saved his life along, as well as stop this big bully named Bull from bullying him. WOW! That’s a lot of work for a kid.

Now I’m not sure if you have had the feeling of wanting to show someone wrong. Well, that’s how Abbey...more

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Jul 08, 2012 LJ rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: juvenile-books

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Noah Underwood has a crazy dad who only thinks of himself and his environmental crusades. This is the first book that Hiaasen wrote for kids and after that, Hoot and Scat and most recently Chomp. I have not read Chomp, but the other two, that focus more tightly on the kid character and kid's concerns are better. This one has too many characters that seem to have boarded a skiff and motored over straight from one of his books for the adult reader. There's the rough tough woman with a heart of gol...more Noah Underwood has a crazy dad who only thinks of himself and his environmental crusades. This is the first book that Hiaasen wrote for kids and after that, Hoot and Scat and most recently Chomp. I have not read Chomp, but the other two, that focus more tightly on the kid character and kid's concerns are better. This one has too many characters that seem to have boarded a skiff and motored over straight from one of his books for the adult reader. There's the rough tough woman with a heart of gold who helps them get the bad guys. There's the mysterious homeless person that comes out of the woods in the nick of time to rescue Noah and his sister from the bullies. The actions starts out when Noah discovers that his dad has landed in jail yet again because he's sunken a boat The Coral Queen whose owner pater Underwood suspects of illegally dumping human waste from the boat's toilets into the ocean. In the end, the father's crazy character flaws are explained as something he does to compensate for loosing his mom at a young age, but by this time, I was too frustrated with him to feel sympathetic.

The plot's great though: As Noah becomes more and more concerned with the dumping and his father's predicament, he gets more directly involved. At first he tries to verify that what his father claims is true and he views the crew of The Coral Queen supposedly attaching the dumping hose to the proper containment on the dock. It appears that his father is wrong. Later however, he finds out that the containment is rusty from disuse and it's all a front. Noah's plucky little sister gets involved when she runs away one night with the family's video camera, determined to catch the bad guys in the act. The frantic family goes in search of her, father in tow (even though at this point he has an ankle bracelet and is under house arrest until his case is decided upon.)She comes back with shaky footage shot from too far a distance to prove anything. The frowsy woman with a heart of gold (Shelly) is trying to help them by spying on the goings on from the vantage point of her bar tending job on board and she finds out that the owner, Dusty Muleman, has a stooge that's got a gambling problem who tips him off when the coast guard is around. He also has paid off the authorities. Catching the illegal dumping in the act becomes the only way to prove the crime to a larger audience and clear their dad's name.

Together, Abbey and Noah come up with a plan to show the world the truth using a large amount of food dye that they plan to flush down all the toilets on The Coral Queen. With Shelly's assistance, on a night when their parent's are out on a date, they sneak on board and (not without difficulty) accomplish the deed. Getting home proves quite dangerous as they are spotted by Dusty's goons and their little dinghy's outboard motor refuses to start. Enter our mysterious homeless person (who turns out to be their long lost grandfather and an actual pirate on the lam.) He's made a previous appearance in the novel, but the kids don't know who he is. He attacks the goons and ends up alerting their parents about the stranded boat. The kids spend the night in the boat and it's pretty desperate before being picked up.

In the end, it's obvious with the trail of fushia food coloring pointing to the casino boat where the human waste that's been polluting a nearby beach comes from. At first, Dusty appears to be getting off with a $10,000 fine, and then after his son, Jasper Jr. (a thug in his own right who takes pleasure beating on Noah) and a friend accidentally set the boat ablaze, more nefarious dealings get discovered. It appears that Dusty's been skimming the profits and so his sweat deal with the local Indian nation that's allowed him to use their landing rights is at a end. The Underwood family reunites, with mother and father once again at the helm together.

In comparing this book to the other two, which also have dangerous and improbable events, this one just comes off as too much over the top. But with Carl Hiaasen driving the boat, that's getting petty. (less)

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May 26, 2012 Anjum rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book, because I bought quite a few books when I was younger that I never got around to reading. Now, I have a strict policy that says that I can't get rid of a book until I read it. So, although this book is four 10 year olds, I read this as a 16 year old, and I thought that it's a pretty solid book! It also helped that I wanted an easy read after having spent months getting through 'The Other Boleyn Girl.'

The characters in this story are very relatable and simple. They have an eager...more

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May 13, 2012 Jesse Brangenberg rated it 5 of 5 stars

Flush begins with Noah Underwood going to see his father Paine on Father’s Day. His Dad is in jail for sinking the Coral Queen a gambling boat that has been dumping it’s waste into the water. This is a big problem because it would wash up on a popular beach and people and animals get sick from swimming in it. Paine said he’d tried to notify the Coast Guard and other people to tell them what was going on but Dusty Muleman, the owner, always seemed to know when they were coming and would dump the...more

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Nov 03, 2011 Carol Baldwin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

FLUSH: An Example of What Every Book Should Include

I can't help myself. Whenever I read a book I'm always analyzing how the author pulls it off. How does he or she weave together the different elements needed to produce an engaging book for young readers?

My recent read, FLUSH by Carl Hiaasen, is a great example of this type of book. It has:

A great beginning that hooks the reader

The deputy told me to empty my pockets: two quarters, a penny, a stick of bubble gum, and a roll of grip tape for my s...more

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Aug 11, 2011 Michelle Kovacs rated it 4 of 5 stars

Hi-Lo pick....

This was a cute book! The cover itself had me wondering what on earth "Flush" could be about. Flush is about a boy named Noah who's father is in jail for trying to sink a casino ship. His Dad, Paine, tried to do this because he was angry that the casino ship, called the Coral Queen, was dumping their waste right into the ocean instead of getting rid of it the proper way. This was making people sick who swam in the area where the sewage would wash up on shore. It was also hurting th...more

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Aug 01, 2011 Andrea added it · review of another edition

After reading Hoot, I couldn't resist reading all of Carl Hiassen's young adult fiction for myself. I blew through this book in two nights. Absolutely fantastic! Another tale of environmental activism by young people and how it changes the world around them. I want to read this to my son before he loses that "I can do ANYTHING!" feeling that only the young and unscarred possess.

The book starts with Noah visiting his father in jail. He's there because he sank a casino boat after finding out that,...more

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Jun 17, 2011 Jane rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

I read this book because it is the required read for rising sixth graders and I wanted to be able to talk about it with them in our on line group. It's a mystery about a man who is dumping sewage from his boat into the ocean. Sam thought that the kids scheme to expose the bad guy wasn't a very good one. I actually thought that Noah and Abbey's plot to expose the dumping of raw sewage was a great one. It seemed utterly believable to me that kids would come up with an idea like this. I agree with...more

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May 19, 2011 Lexi added it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 11, 2011 Lars Guthrie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

You might come to ‘Flush’ with two preconceptions.

Carl Hiaasen writes adult thrillers with a satirical tenor, often featuring characters from the trailer trash end of the social spectrum. So it’s likely that his children’s books will retain a bit of that edge.

Those adult thrillers, and Hiaasen’s books for younger readers, focus on environmentalism, so it’s likely that ‘Flush’ centers on that kind of issue.

Your preconceptions would be proven true.

The tone of ‘Flush’ is sardonic. It features a ba...more You might come to ‘Flush’ with two preconceptions.

Carl Hiaasen writes adult thrillers with a satirical tenor, often featuring characters from the trailer trash end of the social spectrum. So it’s likely that his children’s books will retain a bit of that edge.

Those adult thrillers, and Hiaasen’s books for younger readers, focus on environmentalism, so it’s likely that ‘Flush’ centers on that kind of issue.

Your preconceptions would be proven true.

The tone of ‘Flush’ is sardonic. It features a bartender who saves the day named Shelly, who has a ‘barbed-wire tattoo around one of her biceps,’ wears ‘stockings that look like they were made from a mullet net,’ and actually lives in a trailer park. Not your run-of-the-mill children’s book character.

It’s all about a kid’s battle to help his father stop a casino boat owner from dumping raw sewage in Florida’s coastal waters. Sometimes the message is close to heavy-handed. The bad guys have zero complexity, no redeeming social value.

There is more going on in ‘Flush,’ however. Wthout making a big deal of it, Hiaasen makes his personable 14-year-old protagonist an accomplished naturalist. Noah knows the names of plants and animals that live where he does—in the Florida Keys. And I mean he really knows them, not just as names he can rattle off. Noah really looks at where he is when he’s outdoors, and notices what he sees.

In our culture, where kids often suffer from what Richard Louv in his ‘Last Child in the Woods’ called ‘nature-deficit disorder,’ Noah makes a nice role model.

Although Noah is not afraid of risks, he’s an eminently practical kind of guy, unlike his dad, who is a hothead. Noah gets that practicality from his mother. She married because she loved her impulsive husband, but he goes a little far in his fight to keep the ocean clean. ‘Flush’ has a lovely subplot—Noah and his stubbornly righteous little sister, Abbey, working together to save their parents’ marriage.

That subplot and Noah’s eye for nature combine with colorful characters and a good dose of action and suspense to endear readers of ‘Flush.’ I haven’t met a middle schooler who’s read it who wasn’t enthusiastic about the experience. Now I am, too. It’s a sweet little chapter book.

Recommended for fourth graders on up.(less)

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About Carl Hiaasen

Carl Hiaasen was born and raised in Florida, where he still lives with his family. After graduating from the University of Florida, he began writing for the Miami Herald. As a journalist and author, Carl has spend most of his life advocating the protection of the Florida Everglades. He and his family still live southern Florida.

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“and in the meantime don't jump to conclusions.” — 4 people liked it

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