Good tale! I think it would be a good one for boys. Not the usual hilarity of Carl Hiaasen, but an engaging page turner. Great to see the kids outwit the baddies! ( )

Wrecker is a 2024 Lone Star selection.

Wrecker (Valdez Jones VIII) lives on Key West and never plans on leaving. Wrecker can handle anything. He lives a pretty simple life of cleaning a grave after the graveyard closes, going to work, fishing, boating, and keeping up with his step-sister. It's when he's out on the water that he comes across a grounded speedboat. The guys ask for help and pay Wrecker a tidy sum even though Wrecker's boat doesn't have the power to help. The lead man ("silver mustache") ends up seeking Wrecker's help later. As Wrecker cleans a woman's grave, he could also keep his eye on the silver mustache's friend's grave. Now Wrecker has two graves that he cleans and watches over, but Wrecker isn't stupid. He knows these guys aren't up to any good. Unfortunately, they need Wrecker's skills. These skills earn Wrecker some really good money; but, if he gets caught, it'll be jail time.

Wrecker spars with Willi, a female friend from school, who hints that she and Wrecker should date. Willi is no damsel in distress. Willi's parents are mostly absent, allowing her to do as she pleases. She visits a grave after dark, singing and lighting candles in the dead man's honor. You find out why towards the end of the novel. Because she's in the graveyard, she sees the goons that show up guarding a tomb. She and Wrecker end up working together to eliminate the criminals from Key West. Wrecker also spars with his family. His dad, who left him and his mom years ago, returns to play his music, which he continually gets sued for copyright. His mom constantly gets cosmetic surgery and takes care of her husband who nearly dies from Covid. The novel takes place during Covid, so mask wearing and vaccines are part of the plot. Wrecker lives with his step-sister because he and his step-father get along well if they don't live in the same house. His step-sister gets around in a wheelchair after being hit by a drunk driver and advocates for the environment. She working especially hard to get the cruise ships to stop coming to Key West. The ocean started healing during Covid, but the ships want to return, which will hurt the ocean again.

I liked Wrecker--he's a survivor and he's clever. He is not a goody-goody by any means, but he isn't a bad guy either. He does his own thing and is quite good at many things. I listened to the audio and found it a book that I think many boys may enjoy. ( )

Adventure story set in Key West featuring a teenage protagonist who owns his own boat and gets caught up in a smuggling ring. The COVID-era details and a subplot about the ecological damage caused by cruise ships make this story feel very much of a (recent) time and place. This was my first Hiaasen, and I plan to read more with my children. ( )

Well written with a good plot, but I didn't personally get as much out of this Hiaasen young adult book as I have his others. Book states for 8 years and up. I'm way Up...LOL. The only difference I see in his young adult books and his adult books is that the characters are teens. ( )

Carl Hiaasen has had a varied writing career. He began as a reporter in Miami, then became a bestselling author of satiric crime novels. Lately, he has turned to writing books aimed at teenage readers. Like his adult novels, they are usually set in Florida and have a deft satiric edge to their comedy. Valdez “Wrecker” Jones is a teen living in the Florida Keys. He is a skilled navigator and free diver who also makes a little money tending a grave in a local cemetery. Even this tourist haven has its share of misdeeds, from murder to grave desecration to copyright infringement. Dangerous shoals indeed. ( )