A Tall Order

Back in 2006, I wrote how Carl Hiaasen’s Hoot and Flush relied on flat portrayals of environmental conflicts featuring stereotypical bad guys. (The good guys are fresher and more rounded.)

Specifically, I wrote:

Come on, Carl—how about the story of one of those stupid bullies instead of one with stupid bullies pestering the admirable young protagonist? How about a protagonist who realizes that preserving part of the natural world means sacrificing something he (or she) wants, instead of something the cigar-smoking adult villain wants?

Both those books provide a black-and-white choice with little hint of the sacrifice of short-term convenience for long-term benefits that environmental preservation often requires.

I thought Operation Redwood, by S. Terrell French, might be the sort of book I was looking for. A précis told me that the young hero, Julian, discovers that his uncle is the focus of protests aimed at preserving a stand of redwood trees. Are family loyalty and lifestyle at odds with environmental preservation?

But it turns out that Julian’s Uncle Sibley is a thoroughly dislikable person, an obvious antagonist from chapter 1. In fact, the book establishes him as nasty even before redwoods come into the story. It ends up portraying environmental preservation as a handy way of getting back at your relative for saying bad things about you.

Still looking for a middle-grade caper that dares to acknowledge the trade-offs of environmental preservation, and make them part of a young protagonist’s character growth.

Watered-down Farce in Flush

Of all the successful adult novelists who've taken up writing children's books in recent years, Carl Hiaasen has had the most additional success: bestsellers plus a Newbery Honor for Hoot. I thought that the elements which made his adult comic thrillers work--off-kilter characters, humor, farcical plots--would translate well for kids, and indeed gain more respect than they command in the world of adult literature.

But I found Hoot to be a bit disappointing. Its plotting didn't differ much from what other children's writers have been offering for a long time. As for Hiaasen's latest kids' novel, Flush, it's more realistic, more emotionally grounded--and even a little bit less enjoyable for me. In shifting to a first-person point of view (instead of one that jumps among characters as needed, section to section), Hiaasen seems to have given up even more of the potential for farce.

Hoot takes Hiaasen's usual colorful Florida characters and setting, adds young protagonists, hides the sex and the worst of the violence, and lets us all learn a valuable lesson about protecting the natural environment. Flush does much the same--plus we learn a valuable lesson about sticking together as a family.

I like the natural environment. I like my family. But the earnestness with which Flush assured me those were good things got a little wearisome. These books are well-written, to be sure, but they didn't surprise or excite me or make me think in new directions.

Come on, Carl--how about the story of one of those stupid bullies instead of one with stupid bullies pestering the admirable young protagonist? How about a protagonist who realizes that preserving part of the natural world means sacrificing something he (or she) wants, instead of something the cigar-smoking adult villain wants?