Julia Kononenko Kononenko itibaren Kopna Góra, Polonya
Very cool story, right up there with Hoot and Flush. I'll keep my notes about the awful narration, but I did enjoy the story of friendship and standing up for what you believe in. The environmental message is the main theme without being shoved down your throat. I think Hiassen has a gift, combining a message with mystery and adventure. We all want to feel like we're making a difference somewhere. ------------ If you have not yet read it, it is a good story but DO NOT listen to it. I am hating Ed Asner (nothing personal; sorry Ed). Everyone sounds the same and like an old man, he rushes some parts then runs other parts together and/or mumbles. Sometimes, it sounds like people are yelling at each other but they're not. Sometimes, it sounds like his mouth and/or throat are full of spit. I stuck with it because I hate changing formats mid-book, but I have never EVER been this annoyed with a narrator.
"A town needs its children for a lot more than it thinks." The beautiful four-part narration was agonizingly effective in portraying the aftermath of a school bus accident. Banks lays the morality down a little bit thick for my liking but its still a worthwhile read.
We read this in Brit Lit with Rit. We read a small portion of the original Beowulf, and then we read all of this. It was the only modern piece we read that whole year and I believe it was the first book for school I read that had any real swearing or objectionable content.