Scat

Hiaasen, Carl. Scat. New York: Alfred A Knopf, 2009.

I was first introduced to Hiaasen's work with Hoot, a story about some teens who try to save an owl's habitat.  I was a bit concerned about Scat, especially when I considered the meaning of the title, but my concerns were not needed.

A notoriously strict science teacher disappears one day on a field trip. The students are told she is taking a leave of absence, and she is replaced by a subsitute who always teaches certain pages of the textbook on specific days of the week. Some of the students are relieved and grateful for the break, but a few are more curious and want to find out where their teacher has gone.  This leads them on the track of a panther cub and some men illegally drilling for oil.

This book is entertaining and enjoyable and suspenseful enough to keep a person reading until the end.  I would easily recommend Hiaasen's work, in spite of the odd titles.