Thank you Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Valdez Jones VIII is a typical teen. Well except for having a natural ability to drive boats and find treasure, being forced to live with his stepsister after being kicked out by his step-dad, dealing with an absent father, navigating the world during covid, having his first crush, protesting cruise ships, cleaning iguana dung off gravestones for extra money, and accidentally working for a mobster. Sounds normal right? Wrong, very wrong. Valdez Jones finds himself in the middle of everything in this novel but can he get himself out of his tangled web before someone gets hurt?

Now for my opinion. This book started out extremely captivating. I loved hearing the history of Manuel Cabeza, Wrecker's odd cemetery job and the mystery girl at the cemetery. For some reason the "mobster' storyline didn't do it for me and seemed like too much with everything else going on. Also, I believe in being vaccinated but the author pressures the reader into thinking that you'll be hospitalized if you aren't vaccinated, which we know is not necessarily true. I think it is a controversial topic for young kids and one parents may have a problem with. Lastly, Hiaasen is known for writing eco friendly novels but I felt like the cruise ship plot line was on the back burner for too long for it to be impactful. Overall this story was ovecomplicated, which caused my attention to decrease overtime. I would not recommend this children's book unless you are already a fan of Hiassen's writing style and have previewed the topics mentioned above.

This book has everything: a thrilling adventure mystery with diverse and intriguing characters, an immersive setting, local activism, local history, niche history, and a touch of pirate vibes. This book deals with COVID, environmentalism, racism, the KKK, lynchings, and violent smuggling; so it has some pretty serious topics, but I felt they were all handled really well and appropriately. I think middle grade and YA readers who were in school during COVID lockdowns would relate to the main character, and for those burnt out on COVID stories, rest assured that the virus isn't the main theme of this book at all. (I rather appreciate this handling of peak COVID- despite your personal opinions, it affected all of us, so why shouldn't it show up as a matter of fact in our books?)

The main character calls himself Wrecker after the profession of "wreckers" who dived to salvage from shipwrecks. I absolutely loved reading and coming across facts about this topic and seeing how this piece of history played a part in the story. I love love love when characters in books have an interest or a hobby like this and the author introduces me to the topic, and then all of a sudden I find myself on the Wikipedia page reading up on it. Hiaasen did a great job of weaving in not only wrecking but also racism, COVID, and environmentalism, creating a complex and well-rounded story that isn't entirely about any of these topics, but seamlessly includes them and therefore the book also isn't NOT about these topics. My only complaint is that the ending felt slightly rushed - I felt it came up suddenly and all too quickly was gone - but it was a pretty clever ending so I do give it that.

As a long-time Carl Hiaasen fan, I was excited to receive an advance copy of Wrecker. This is another in his line of middle-grade geared books, with everything fans have come to suspect from Hiaasen: mysterious villians, plenty of action, statements about protecting the environment, slightly kooky characters on the periphery, and a creative story that no one else could possibly come up with. This one is also set in a world just coming out of the worst of the pandemic, so still a new time period to explore, with its own issues and opinions.

I'm going with four stars instead of five because it felt a little bit drawn out to me - as usual, that could just be me, but that's what a personal review is for. I may have opted for a little less of the sister's mission and a little less of the going back and forth from the various locales in order to tighten the plot, but Hiaasen knows a lot more about writing entertaining, action-packed-while-still-teaching-us-something books than I do!

Another great story from author Carl Hiaasen!

Lots of action, a bit of mystery, and historical facts to keep the reader engaged.
It was really hard to put down!
A perfect read-aloud book for upper elementary to upper middle school classes.

A must-have for all libraries!


@Carl_Hiaasen #Wrecker #ReadWrecker #SchoolLibrary #SchoolLibrarians #ReadABook #Books #Read #MGReads MGBooks #MGLit #ElemLit #KidLit #ElementaryBooks #ElemReads

Let me be honest upfront. I'm a huge Hiaasen fan and have been for years. Reading most of Hiaasen's work, his fiction and nonfiction, is like being a passenger in a high-octane sports car. His prose is exhilarating with swoops, turns, and twists, and, as the reader, you're along for the ride, so you better hang on. Unfortunately, "Wreaker" isn't one of Hiaasen's usual pieces.

Like most of Hiaasen's YA novels, his protagonist is a likable, quirky kid. Wreaker is hard-working, honest, and considerate. Without giving anything away, Wreaker finds himself caught up in a dangerous situation when he is forced to help a smuggler after unwittingly coming upon him and his scuttled boat. The notion that a grey-haired criminal (whom Wreaker calls "Silver Mustache" because he refuses to give his name) would strong-arm a fifteen-year-old kid into working for him is a bit contrived. Maybe it's because the novel is YA, but I never got the sense that Wreaker was in any real danger.

Instead, Hiaasen spends a lot of novel space going into genealogy - not just Wreaker's, but the history of the Klan in Key West. As a bi-racial kid, the information he discovers about a murder in the 1920s resonates for him. It's disturbing, or so Hiaasen says, but this plot point doesn't seem to go any farther.

For me, as a Hiaasen fan, the most disappointing aspect of the book is that the dialogue was flat. Despite leaving the home his mother shared with his stepfather prior to the events in the novel, there was little tension between Wreaker and his "parental units." His father, who abandoned Wreaker and his mother years before, suddenly reappears, but Wreaker, who has plenty of reason to be angry, resentful, wary, and/or hurt, displays only minor teenage fussing.

So, as to the question of whether I would buy this book for my library? The answer is yes. Because even mediocre Hiaasen is still entertaining. While the plot points of COVID-19 and the Klan may feel shoehorned into the story, they are important issues and worthy of consideration.

Wrecker, a 15 year old high school student, loves fishing in the ocean around his home in Key West, Florida. One evening, after a day on the water, he spots a stranded boat on his way back to shore. His skiff isn’t big enough to pull the boat off the sandbar but the men on the boat toss him a wad of money anyway, telling him to remember “we were never here”.

That’s just the beginning of Wrecker’s interactions with Silver Mustache and his men. Pretty soon Wrecker is seeing them all over the island- at his nighttime side job at the local cemetery, at the dock, and even driving by his stepsister’s house. Wrecker tries not to get involved in whatever scheme the men are up to, but keeps getting pulled in deeper.

Wrecker is a good kid who wants to do the right thing and juggles lots of responsibilities with his stepsister, mom and stepdad, a new love interest, and two jobs, all during COVID. The suspense rises as he struggles to figure out what is going on with Silver Mustache, what are the goons doing in the cemetery and what is in the pizza boxes?

The book Wrecker would be good for middle school and up. Teen characters are in high school but there’s no foul language to speak of and the romance is mild. There is some gun violence. Themes include environmental protection, history of race relations, and COVID.

Hiaasen, Carl, Wrecker. pgs. 336. Penguin Random House, 2023

15-year-old Valdez “Wrecker” Jones’ ancestor salvaged shipwrecks for a living. Between his homeschooling classes, Valdez takes after his ancestor, fishing on Key West and doing odd jobs for money. While out on his boat. While out on his boat, Valdez sees a speeding boat get stuck in the shoal. The boat’s owners ask him to pull them out. Despite his refusal, they still give him a wad of cash. Soon he starts seeing the boaters everywhere, at his cemetery job, at the marina, and more. One night one of the boaters, a man with a silver mustache, asks him to keep an eye on a particular headstone. Valdez is sure that they are partaking in illegal activities. Can he figure what’s going out what’s going on before it’s too late?

Set during the COVID-19 pandemic, the plot is engaging, full of adventure and mystery The characters are likable and draw the reader into Valdez’ world. Hiaasen does a great job blending family drama and the history of Key West while creating an action-packed plot. Valdez ques as a biracial, Black Bahamian, and White. Other characters appear to be white. Readers who enjoy mystery, adventure, and other Hiaasen books will want to pick this one up. 4 stars, Gr 5 and up

Thank you to #NetGalley and Random House Children's Books for allowing me the opportunity to read a digital ARC of Wrecker by Carl Hiaasen. Hiaasen's newest middle grade novel will be published September 26, 2023. All opinions are my own.

Valdez Jones VIII goes by Wrecker because his great-great-great-great-great-grandfather was a salvage diver. His own father left years ago to pursue a music career and his mom remarried and is a constant cycle of plastic surgery operations and recovery. He lives with his stepsister in a small home in Key West. He prefers to spend his time on the water fishing and practicing his diving skills. One night, he comes across a speedboat that's run aground on a sand flat. It's too big for his small boat to pull out and instead of calling for help, the men aboard pay him to pretend he never saw him. This one event, lands Wrecker in the middle of a criminal enterprise. He runs across their path again, and now instead of his silence, they want him to be their lookout and driver. He's in deep and will have to dive deeper in order to find his way out.

I love Hiaasen novels and their focus on the environment. This one specifically focuses on cruise ships and their damage to animal life and the coral reef in Key West. The book also includes themes related to family and friendship. This is a post Covid-19 novel as well and incorporates masks, vaccination cards, and virtual learning. Wrecker is super relatable and I liked that Hiaasen addresses how certain things have changed and how people have been affected by Covid-19. I also really enjoyed Wrecker's stepsister's character. She has a vibrant and strong personality and lets nothing stop her. The book has mystery, intrigue, and a bit of action. It's a great middle grade read.

This book was tough for me to read since Wrecker was basically living on his own and supporting himself financially and emotionally. Now, while it is hard to read about a young man (middle/high school age) living on his own, there were positive attributes seen in Wrecker. Among these are:
1) He had a strong sense of family history with pride in what his anscestors had accomplished.
2) He had a strong sense in right/wrong. He knew there were things he did that were wrong (entering a
cemetary at night) but knew he had a good, nice reason for doing so.
3) He knew he took money for things that were probably illegal so to ease his conscience, he donated the
money he was paid to a worthy cause.
4) He knew his mother had a lot of faults and recognized them and in doing this, realized it was not a good
idea for him to live with her and her husband.
5) He cared about people and worried if he thought something could be wrong.

Now, in spite of all the good, I still was disturbed that Wrecker could be about Key West at all hours of the night with no one checking on him. He lived with hs step-sister and she did ask him where he had been/what he was doing but still, let him go all the time. She was a decent role model for him in spite of allowing hi to run around. She ran a non-profit fighting to keep the waters of Key West clean and safe from large cruise ships.

The story does take place during Covid-19 and there is a story line with a character having Covid and being seriously ill from it. Yet, it seems people are out and about Key West. His nother even has elective surgery during this time, more than once, and I thought elective surgeries were pretty much canceled.

In spite of the negatives, the story was good with the story line consistent with good moral values, and it ended positively.. While I would not recommend it or use it in my classroom, I do think a middle school/early high school boy would like the book. It is not a difficult read so a reluctant reader or even a student reading below level could read and enjoy this book. It has a story line a lot of young men would like and want to live.

This fun mystery is a love letter to Key West. The main character, Wrecker, has given himself this name, in honor of his great grandfather, a wreck diver. Wrecker lives with his step sister and is really just trying to get by, in spite of his dad, a wannabe Jimmy Buffett style entertainer, his mom who is trying to remake her face with plastic surgery and a smuggler who he tried to help off a sandbar. There's a lot of Key West history but there's also realistic information about the impact of cruise ships and other environmental degradation as well as a nod to some of the characters that live in Key West. If you've never been to Key West, you may not recognize some of the faces, but it may inspire you to go, or at least do some research. Super fun read.

What worked:
Wrecker’s home life is a bit complicated as his father left to become a famous country singer. His mother has remarried and she’s a high-maintenance wife, although his wealthy stepfather is able to afford her numerous plastic surgeries. It was mutually decided that Wrecker would be better off living somewhere else so he’s currently sharing a place with his stepsister Suzanne. She’s forced to use a wheelchair but that doesn’t stop her from staying involved in protesting for environmental issues. Wrecker is given a lot of independence so much of his free time is spent fishing in the ocean and helping others. He’s pretty much a loner but he’s okay with that.
Wrecker tries to set an impressive example of honesty and empathy for others. He knows there’s something wrong about taking money from the men on the boat and he’s uncomfortable spending it on anything he might want. He helps an old man by visiting the local cemetery every day to clean iguana poop off his sister’s gravestone. He makes time to join Suzanne’s various protests and environmental efforts. Unfortunately, fear of Silver Mustache, a shady character forcing Wrecker to take money, finds Wrecker getting himself into deeper and deeper trouble. However, Wrecker does all he can to keep Willi, a classmate from school, from getting mixed up in his problems. In the end, he also shows readers that he’s one clever young man.
Willi is a highlight of the story as she comes with an air of mystery. She injects herself into Wrecker’s life and her flirtatious manner adds some levity to the events. She then turns around and doesn’t respond to Wrecker’s texts and phone calls leaving him worrying about her safety. She shares very little about her home life, but at one point, she says something about having trouble with a boy in her life. The truth about this problem opens up issues related to other issues in the book. Perhaps Willi and Wrecker will have a relationship beyond friends when everything’s said and done, but maybe not.
What didn’t work as well:
There might be too much going on than is necessary. Wrecker has his dysfunctional family dynamics, there’s Silver Mustache guy, Willi and her problems, protest efforts to keep large boats away, stories of people buried in the cemetary, the Co-vid pandemic, and Wrecker’s family’s past as treasure divers. All of these things are interesting but perhaps there could be a couple less.
The Final Verdict:
The author weaves criminals, racism, family, friends, and environmental activism into a cohesive, enjoyable story. Maybe there’s too much going on but the focus on Wrecker is worth any distractions. Overall, it’s a highly entertaining book and I recommend you give it a shot.

It's always a delight to dive into a Carl Hiaasen book, and this was no exception! This time, Hiaasen transports us to Key West to meet Valdez Jones VIII, aka Wrecker. I loved seeing the world (especially Florida!) through his eyes.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC!

I have been waiting for a new middle grade Hiaasen book! I liked this one, but I'm not sure I was ready to read about the Covid pandemic yet (and that's just me). I liked how current the content was and how he handled the events. I loved Wrecker and the other characters. I thought the history with the cemetery people was interesting and provided a nice break from the pandemic content.

Valdez Jones VIII comes from a long and proud family tradition of “wrecking”, or salvaging goods from shipwrecks in the Florida Keys. Preferring to go by the name of Wrecker, Valdez is a teenage loner, preferring his job of cleaning a tombstone of iguana poop than being around people. He also likes to take his skiff out on the water, and when he sees a stranded speedboat stuck in shallow water, he offers to help. Suddenly, Wrecker finds himself involved in a dastardly scheme and for the first time might need to turn to others for help. The plot, although a bit dated, will keep readers engaged in every twist and turn until the riveting conclusion.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher did the opportunity to read an advance copy. This was a great story! The main character was funny and clever. He was a bit older than middle grade, but the story reminded me of the old Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys stories with older main characters, but appropriate for a younger audience. What a fun mystery!

Carl Hiaasen never misses. I enjoyed the story very much, and the mystery kept me hooked the whole way through. I loved Wrecker's character and personality, he's one of those teen heroes with a heart of gold that's very easy to root for. While I enjoyed all the different side characters and plots, I do wish they all came together better in some way in the end.

This book doesn't read like a classic Hiaasen book and that's ok. It's centered around the pandemic and that really drives the plot. I wasn't a huge fan of Willi as a character and felt that some of the plot points didn't make sense even by Hiaasen standards. That said, still loved the book. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5!

This book is set during the time of Covid, which a lot of writers ignore. (Not that I blame them. Who wants to read about Covid? Not me!) But Hiaasen handles it with aplomb as he gives us high-school-aged Valdez Jones VII, nicknamed “Wrecker” because he is the eighth generation descendent of a 19th century diver who sought salvage from sunken ships.

Wrecker earns money in some odd ways, including grave marker washing, to keep iguanas from pooping on the tombstones. Through this, he and his gal pal Mimi get reluctantly yanked into suspicious activity in Key West. As in many Hiaasen thrillers for a younger audience, the teens solve the case, environmental concerns are highlighted, the crooks end up behind bars, leaving a satisfying tale.

I love Hiaasen's style. I bought his books for my shelves when I was a junior high teacher, and my better readers loved them. Even though I'm retired now, I enjoy his books for my own sake--and to mention to nieces and nephews.

Hiaasen has a way with characters that just makes his books that step above. Having only read his middle grade books I can't compare but I would imagine that his adult books are just as good. This was another great read topical read that kept a very clean line between heavy and light hearted. Can't wait to be able to put this in the hands of readers who loved Hoot and Flush.

In Wrecker, Carl Hiaasen has once again created memorable characters and a great storyline. The book begins with Wrecker (Valdez Jones the eighth) out on his fishing skiff where he sees a speedboat that is run aground. The men on the speedboat call to Wrecker for help. His skiff is simply too small to be helpful and he offers to call for help - that offer is refused and the men entice him to at least try. He tries and fails, but they pay him saying remember that you never saw us.
This is just the start of poor Wrecker's involvement with these apparently shady men. Just how much trouble will our young "hero" get into? And how will he get out of all that trouble? Or will he?
And speaking of trouble, Wrecker meets a girl one night when he is doing his part time job at the cemetery. Yes, he has a "job" keeping a single grave clean - every night. The girl that he meets is a mystery, is she really his friend?
The characters are well developed and you will be quickly drawn into this story. There are plenty of fun surprises to keep you reading right up until the (very satisfying) end.