A wildly entertaining adventure involving snakes, grizzlies, a menacing drone, a missing father, and the kid determined to find him. In classic Hiaasen fashion, the animals here are wild, and the people are wilder! Some facts about Billy Dickens:   *  He once saw a biker swerve across the road in order to run over a snake.   *  Later, that motorcycle somehow ended up at the bottom of a canal.   *  Billy isn't the type to let things go. Some facts about Billy's family:   *  They've lived in six different Florida towns because Billy's mom insists on getting a house near a bald eagle nest.   *  Billy's dad left when he was four and is a total mystery.   *  Billy has just found his dad's address--in Montana. This summer, Billy will fly across the country, hike a mountain, float a river, dodge a grizzly bear, shoot down a spy drone, save a neighbor's cat, save an endangered panther, and then try to save his own father. "A fun romp that will keep readers hooked." — The New York Times "A fun romp that will keep readers hooked." — The New York Times "Humorous, self-deprecating narration and convoluted exploits will keep pages turning till the satisfying close." — Kirkus Reviews "Hiaasen’s latest is richly steeped in the natural world and all the peril it contains, from rattlers to grizzlies. Still, what may be most satisfying for readers are the personal connections Billy makes, whether it’s getting to know his new stepsister or making peace with his dad." — Booklist "Hiaasen’s ecological passion shows no sign of abatement, and neither does his faith in kid resourcefulness and family resilience." — Bulletin "An entertaining, pulse-pounding story."— The Horn Book Magazine "Terrific characters and ingenious, fast-paced storytelling." — The Atlanta Journal Constitution "Hilarious, heartfelt and delightfully surprising." — The Times Herald CARL HIAASEN was born and raised in Florida. He writes a column for the  Miami Herald  and is the author of many bestselling novels including  Bad Monkey, Razor Girl,  and  Squeeze Me .  His books for younger readers include the Newbery Honor winner  Hoot,  as well as  Flush, Scat,   Squirm,  and  Chomp .  Skink—No Surrender  was Hiaasen's first book for teens and features one of his most iconic characters, the reclusive ex-governor of Florida now known as Skink.  You can read more about Hiaasen's work at carlhiaasen.com. This one kid, he got kicked out of school.   That’s not easy to do--you need to break some actual laws. We heard lots of rumors, but nobody gave us the straight story.   The kid’s name was Jammer, and I got his locker.   Who knows what he kept in there, but he must’ve given out the combination to half the school. Kids were always messing with my stuff when I wasn’t around.   So I put a snake inside the locker. Problem solved.   It was an Eastern diamondback, a serious reptile. Eight buttons on the rattle, so it made some big noise when people opened the locker door. The freak-out factor was high.   Don’t worry--the rattlesnake couldn’t bite. I taped its mouth shut. That’s a tricky move, not for rookies. You need steady hands and zero common sense. I wouldn’t try it again.   The point is I didn’t want that rattler to hurt anyone. I just wanted kids to stay out of my locker.   Which they now do.   I set the diamondback free a few miles down Grapefruit Road, on the same log where I found him. It’s important to exit the scene fast, because an adult rattlesnake can strike up to one-half of its body length. Most people don’t know that, and why would they? It’s not a necessary piece of information, if you live a halfway normal life.   Which I don’t.       “What does your dad do?”   I hear this question whenever we move somewhere new.   My standard answer: “He runs his own business.”   But the truth is I don’t know what my father does. He sends a check, Mom cashes it. I haven’t seen the guy since I was like three years old. Maybe four.   Does it bother me? Possibly. Sure.   I’ve done some reading about this, how it can mess up a person when his parents split, especially when one of them basically vanishes from the family scene. I don’t want to be one of those screwed-up kids, but I can’t rule out the possibility.   Mom doesn’t say much about Dad. The checks always show up on time--the tenth of the month--and they never bounce. We might not be rich, but we’re definitely not poor. You wouldn’t believe how many pairs of shoes my sister owns. God, I give her so much grief.   The way I look at it, Mom doesn’t get a free pass just because she doesn’t want to talk about my father. That’s not what you’d call a healthy, open approach to an issue. So I stay on her case, though not in a mean way.   “What does he do for a living?” I’ll say, like I’ve never asked before.   “Well, Billy, I’m not exactly sure what he does,” she’ll begin in the same tight voice, “but I can tell you what he doesn’t do.”   Over time, based on my mother’s commentary, I’ve scr