Author: Carl Hiaasen Genre: Realistic Fiction Description: Other than his family's frequent moves and his occasional scrapes with bullies, Roy is a pretty average kid. That is, he was until he got tangled up with a shoeless boy, his buff sister, some burrowing owls, and a mysterious vandalism at a construcion site. A tale that will make you reconsider eating pancakes. Critique: Before I say anything I will admit that I do not read very much "Realistic Fiction", but I did not find this book incredibly captivating. It took longer than I am accustomed to revealing the conflict against the protaginist, and some of the "good" characters' morals sometimes ventured into too dark of a shade of gray for me. However, the story was interesting enough at the halfway point, and it showed nicely showed an understanding between the unlikely friends. Recomended for: 6th and 7th grade