Meet Bingo and J’miah, raccoon brothers on a mission to save Sugar Man Swamp in this tale from Newbery Honoree Kathi Appelt.
Raccoon brothers Bingo and J’miah
are the newest recruits of the Official Sugar Man Swamp Scouts. The
opportunity to serve the Sugar Man—the massive creature who delights in
delicious sugar cane and magnanimously rules over the swamp—is an honor,
and also a big responsibility, since the rest of the swamp critters
rely heavily on the intel of these hardworking Scouts.
Twelve-year-old Chap Brayburn is
not a member of any such organization. But he loves the swamp something
fierce, and he’ll do anything to help protect it.
And help is surely needed,
because world-class alligator wrestler Jaeger Stitch wants to turn Sugar
Man swamp into an Alligator World Wrestling Arena and Theme Park, and
the troubles don’t end there. There is also a gang of wild feral hogs on
the march, headed straight toward them all.
The Scouts are ready. All they
have to do is wake up the Sugar Man. Problem is, no one’s been able to
wake that fellow up in a decade or four…
Newbery Honoree and National Book
Award finalist Kathi Appelt presents a story of care and conservation,
funny as all get out and ripe for reading aloud.
Jocelyn says:
"Set in Sugar Man Swamp, somewhere in the wilds of Texas, this
story is told from such varied perspectives as- but not limited to-
Bingo and J'miah—2 clever raccoons who take their job as Scouts very
seriously—along with a kind radio DJ, a gigantic rattlesnake named Gertrude,
pirates, countless alligators of course (this IS about a swamp, after
all), as well as the Sugar Man himself.
12 year old Chap Brayburn and his mother call the
Swamp home-and they love it as much as his grandfather did, as much for
the huge variety of wildlife as the special canebrake sugar used in his
mother's special pies. His grandfather swore he even saw an Ivory
Billed Woodpecker deep in swamp back in '49. Now his grandfather is
gone, how can they protect this paradise from a greedy land developer?
It turns out there are even more threats to their idyllic life—an
extremely ambitious woman alligator wrestler and 17 wild feral hogs also
pose threats to the ancient Sugar Man Swamp.
Just selling more fried sugar pies doesn't seem to be the answer!
Enjoy Appelt's playful imagination as the solution unfolds.
Told in a down home, folksy style Appelt weaves her
story- starting back in 1949- and back even further, to the beginning of
the swamp itself. Seemingly random facts emerge seamlessly—we learn
about the classic DeSoto, the Polaroid Land camera, the modern stretch
Hummer—what is not included in this story you just don't need to know.
This reminds me of Carl Hiaasen's eco-adventures for
mid-grades. Both enlist the reader in the fight against mindless
development of our wild lands, though this is more fanciful, I must say
(if not a tad silly—in a good way, though).
2 thumbs up—a good read for all who are willing to follow where Appelt leads."
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