The book Scat is about a feared biology teacher and her students. The main characters are Nick and Marta who are students of the biology teacher, Ms. Starch. On a field trip to the Black Vine Swamp, a forest fire starts (which is common) and Ms. Starch goes missing. Nick and Marta start researching the disappearance of their teacher after their friend, Smoke, is suspected of starting the fire because of his previous records with starting fires. Their researching leads them to find Ms. Starch: with a panther! Soon Nick, Marta, Smoke, Ms. Starch, and a older guy name Twilly go on a mission to return the baby panther to his mother. They succeed in their mission and find the real culprit of the forest fire.
The theme of Scat appreciating nature. This theme reoccurs throughout the book. Ms. Starch loves nature and she is a biology teacher. Smoke started his previous fire to save a bird's nest from being disturbed. Nick, Marta, and the others go on a mission to return the baby panther to it's mother. The police are trying to protect the Black Vine Swamp (a national forest) and the endangered panthers inside it. Appreciating nature is a reoccuring theme in Scat.
There are many characters in Scat. The two main characters are Nick and Marta. Nick is a good natured boy who enjoys playing baseball. He is good friends with Marta, who is spunky but cautious. Ms. Starch is a character who has two sides. In school, she is fearsome and tough. Outside of school, Nick and Marta learn that the other side of Ms. Starch is kind and is devoted to the environment. In the beginning of the book, Smoke was viewed as a big tough kid that you wouldn't want to get in the way of. By the end of Scat, Smoke redeemed himself.
I thought Scat was a good, but not great. I like Carl Hiaasen's (the author's) voice. I also liked the mystery of book. For instance, when Ms. Starch went missing. I liked the characters as well. The thing I didn't like as much was the plot. It was very predictable and a little rushed near the end. Despite the plot, I really liked the plot. I would recommend it.
MLA Citations-
Hiaasen, Carl. Scat. New York City: Random House, Inc. 2009. Print.
I got my picture at: http://1stevenm.edu.glogster.com/scat/
