Flush

In the book Flush Noah, the main character, finds himself trying to find any proof to corroborate his father's claim that a local Casino Boat the Coral Queen is dumping raw sewage into the harbor. Noah's dad is being held in the local jail because he sank the Coral Queen in attempt to bring attention to the environmental damage the boat is causing. The beaches in the area often have to be shut down because the sewage is contaminating the water, making it unsafe to swim. Proving the Coral Queen is the one behind the pollution is not going to be an easy feat. There is corruption at every turn and many people have a vested interest in not allowing the truth to come out. One of the themes throughout the book is standing up for what you believe in even when the deck is stacked against you. Noah finds some unlikely allies in his quest for the truth. Lice Peeking, a former Coral Queen employee with a penchant for hard drinking, his girlfriend Shelley, the former fiancee of the Coral Queen's owner, and his younger sister Abbey join forces to expose the truth and clear his father's name. I particularly enjoyed the video trailer about the Book posted on the Scholastic website. Carl Hiaseen discusses the book and discusses where his motivation for writing the book comes from. I liked the portion of the interview where he discusses some of the adult characters he included in the book. The Scholastic Site has a wide variety of book trailers for some of the most popular children's/ young adult book. I think the videos would be a great way to build student interest and engage them in reading the books.