Flush by Carl Hiaasen

Flush by Carl Hiaasen is about Noah and Abbey Underwood, siblings who are out to prove that a local casino boat owner is poisoning their beach with toilet waste. Noah and Abbey's dad recently got into trouble with the law (again) by sinking Dusty Muleman's casino boat. To make a point and to get the media involved in his cause, Paine Underwood decided to remain in jail facing criminal charges! When Noah and Abbey hear their mother talking about divorce, they know it is time to come up with a plan to save their family and prove Dusty's guilt. They call their plan Operation: Royal Flush!

This is the second time I've read this book, and I love it just as much as ever! Carl Hiaasen always brings in environmental issues into his stories in such a creative and compelling way. It makes me want to go out and save the world! This is one of the 2008-2009 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominees.

The Winter Road by Terry Hokenson

The Winter Road by Terry Hokenson is about Willa, a teenager who has been dealing with the loss of her older brother and the subsequent dysfunction of her family for several years. One morning, knowing her uncle will be flying his small plane to another small Canada town to pick up her mother, Willa decides to join him. She reaches his house early, only to find him drunk and incapable of flight. Because Willa has her own flying license, she decides to take the plane and pick up her mother herself. About half way through the flight, something goes wrong with the instrument panel. Just after Willa notices the problem, a storm begins, blowing her off course. Unable to regain control of the plane, Willa crashes down into the middle of the Canadian wilderness. Willa's father taught her and her brother survival techniques, so she knows just what to do to stay alive in the wilderness. Willa has to call upon her memories of a better time, her intuition, and all of her inner strength to make it out of this situation.

This was a good book by a local author. It was short and full of adventure. I know what it's like to be cold, but I've never been in temperatures below zero for days at a time. It was really interesting to read about the ingenious methods Willa devised to find food, shelter, and entertainment. I know I wouldn't have been able to survive in her situation!