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Title details for Chomp by Carl Hiaasen - Available

Chomp

by Carl Hiaasen
James Van Der Beek
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
The hysterical #1 New York Times bestseller from Newbery honoree Carl Hiaasen featuring gators, snakes, bats that bite, and reality show hosts gone wild!
 
When Wahoo Cray’s dad—a professional animal wrangler—takes a job with a reality TV show called Expedition Survival!, Wahoo figures he'll have to do a bit of wrangling himself to keep his father from killing Derek Badger, the show's inept and egotistical star. But the job keeps getting more complicated: Derek Badger insists on using wild animals for his stunts; and Wahoo's acquired a shadow named Tuna—a girl who's sporting a shiner courtesy of her father and needs a place to hide out. 
They've only been on location in the Everglades for a day before Derek gets bitten by a bat and goes missing in a storm. Search parties head out and promptly get lost themselves. And then Tuna's dad shows up with a gun . . .
It's anyone's guess who will actually survive Expedition Survival. . . 
 
“Only in Florida—and in the fiction of its native son Carl Hiaasen—does a dead iguana fall from a palm tree and kill somebody.” —New York Post
 
“Chomp is a delightful laugh-out-loud sendup of the surreality of TV that will be enjoyed by readers of all ages.” —Los Angeles Times
 
“Chomp shines in its humorous, subtle tweaks on pop culture. . . . The real satisfaction, however, is not so much in the book’s humor but in its truth.” —Time Out Chicago Kids

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

    March 27, 2012

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780307916433
      • File size: 178044 KB
      • Duration: 06:10:55

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • ATOS Level: 5.2
    • Lexile® Measure: 800
    • Interest Level: 4-8(MG)
    • Text Difficulty: 3-4

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Chomp is what happens when an animal takes a hunk out of its "owner." Wahoo and his dad, Mickey, have had many such chomps because they're animal wranglers--guys who loan their menagerie to TV and movie producers. Narrator James Van Der Beek delightfully captures the unique Cray family; Derek Badger, star of "Expedition Survivor"; and the people involved in so-called reality television. This behind-the-scenes look at reality TV includes the terrific Hiaasen trademarks: humor and ecological education, including attempts to preserve Florida for future generations. Along the way, listeners are treated meet an array of Florida denizens, Hollywood types, and the Aussie pretender Badger--who's anything but a nature lover. Adults will also enjoy and learn from one of Hiaasen's best novels yet. S.G.B. (c) AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      January 9, 2012
      Hiaasen extends his brand of Florida eco-adventures with this loopy foray into reality TV. Derek Badger, star of Expedition Survival!, arrives to film an Everglades episode, enlisting the services of animal wrangler Mickey Cray, a sort of Dr. Doolittle who specializes in snakes and keeps a 12-foot-long gator named Alice as a pet. Mickey holds his nose but takes the job, assisted by his son, Wahoo, a goodhearted teenager who’s able to handle his father as well as his father handles pythons. Badger, naturally, is a complete fraud, who choppers off to a hotel each evening while mosquitoes dine on his crew. After filming starts, Badger gets lost in the swamp with only his (dim) wits to help him survive. There are no cute owls or endangered panthers to save—tension derives from wondering whether Badger will get himself killed before Mickey does it for him, and a subplot about Wahoo’s friend Tuna, who’s on the run from her abusive father. Not as tightly constructed as Hoot and tamer than Flush, but still pretty hilarious. Ages 10–up. Agent: Esther Newberg, ICM.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      May 28, 2012
      An animal wrangler named Mickey Cray and his son, Wahoo, whose Florida home and yard house alligators, snakes, and other wildlife, reluctantly take on the job of supplying animals for a reality television show called Expedition Survival!—the host of which, Derek Badger, is actually a dimwitted fraud. Contrasting with amusing scenes of Badger’s less-than-successful tangles with wildlife is a tense plot about Jared—the abusive father of Wahoo’s friend Tuna—who comes to the Everglades with a gun looking for his daughter. But it all has a happy ending, thanks to some heroics from an unlikely source. Narrator James Van Der Beek strikes exactly the right note in his narration: a dry, ironic delivery that lets both the humorous and tense moments play out effectively. He also creates distinctive character voices, particularly memorable are his renditions of Derek (who switches from a petulant American accent to a cheery, fake-Australian accent for the television camera) and the gravelly, menacing Jared. This is an entertaining audio romp with an enjoyable mix of comedy and action. Ages 10–up. A Knopf hardcover.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:5.2
  • Lexile® Measure:800
  • Interest Level:4-8(MG)
  • Text Difficulty:3-4

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