具體描述
				
				
					
內容簡介
   Unfortunately, Roy’s first acquaintance in Florida is Dana Matherson, a well-known bully. Then again, if Dana hadn’t been sinking his thumbs into Roy’s temples and mashing his face against the school-bus window, Roy might never have spotted the running boy. And the running boy is intriguing: he was running away from the school bus, carried no books, and–here’s the odd part–wore no shoes. Sensing a mystery, Roy sets himself on the boy’s trail. The chase introduces him to potty-trained alligators, a fake-fart champion, some burrowing owls, a renegade eco-avenger, and several extremely poisonous snakes with unnaturally sparkling tails.
 
 Roy has most definitely arrived in Carl Hiaasen’s Florida. 
 
     作者簡介
   When one thinks of the classics of pulp fiction, certain things -- gruff, amoral antiheroes, unflinching nihilism, and a certain melodramatic self-seriousness -- inevitably come to mind. However, the novels of Carl Hiaasen completely challenge these pulpy conventions. While the pulp of yesteryear seems forever chiseled in an almost quaint black and white world, Hiaasen's books vibrate with vivid color. They are veritable playgrounds for wild characters that flout clichés: a roadkill-eating ex-governor, a bouncer/assassin who takes care of business with a Weed Wacker, a failed alligator wrestler named Sammy Tigertail. Furthermore, Hiaasen infuses his absurdist stories with a powerful dose of social and political awareness, focusing on his home turf of South Florida with an unflinching keenness. 
 
 Hiaasen was born and raised in South Florida. During the 1970s, he got his start as a writer working for Cocoa Today as a public interest columnist. However, it was his gig as an investigative reporter for The Miami Herald that provided him with the fundamentals necessary for a career in fiction. "I'd always wanted to write books ever since I was a kid," Hiaasen told Barnes & Noble.com. "To me, the newspaper business was a way to learn about life and how things worked in the real world and how people spoke. You learn all the skills -- you learn to listen, you learn to take notes -- everything you use later as a novelist was valuable training in the newspaper world. But I always wanted to write novels." 
 
 Hiaasen made the transition from journalism to fiction in 1981 with the help of fellow reporter Bill Montalbano. Hiaasen and Montalbano drew upon all they had learned while covering the Miami beat in their debut novel Powder Burn, a sharp thriller about the legendary Miami cocaine trade, which the New York Times declared an "expertly plotted novel." The team followed up their debut with two more collaborative works before Hiaasen ventured out on his own with Tourist Season, an offbeat murder mystery that showcased the author's idiosyncratic sense of humor. 
 
 From then on, Hiaasen's sensibility has grown only more comically absurd and more socially pointed, with a particular emphasis on the environmental exploitation of his beloved home state. In addition to his irreverent and howlingly funny thrillers (Double Whammy, Sick Puppy, Nature Girl, etc), he has released collections of his newspaper columns (Kick Ass, Paradise Screwed) and penned children's books (Hoot, Flush). With his unique blend of comedy and righteousness ("I can't be funny without being angry."), the writer continues to view hallowed Florida institutions -- from tourism to real estate development -- with a decidedly jaundiced eye. As Kirkus Reviews has wryly observed, Hiassen depicts "...the Sunshine State as the weirdest place this side of Oz." 
     精彩書評
   "Hiaasen, a columnist for the Miami Herald and the author of many best-selling novels for adults about the wild and wacky side of the state of Florida, offers a hoot of a read here in his first novel for YAs. Roy is the new kid in town, a student at Trace Middle School in Coconut Cove. From the school bus window, as a bully is harassing him, Roy spots a barefoot boy his age running by, and he becomes intrigued. Roy follows the boy, and gradually learns that he is involved in trying to protect the nesting site of some rare burrowing owls. This site is currently an empty lot that is about to be turned into a pancake house by a corporate executive called Chuck Muckle, with the assistance of a bald foreman called Curly. Adventures and misadventures ensue alligators pop up in portable potties and a tough girl takes a bite out of Roy's bike tire before Roy works out a way to get revenge on the bully and help the barefoot boy save the owls. My 14-year-old daughter read this and liked it, calling it "clever and funny" and commenting "it was interesting how the plots came together." Hiaasen's trademark over-the-top humor and satire, along with his concern for safeguarding Florida's wildlife, come through clearly and will entertain readers. Here's hoping he continues to write for YAs. Recommended for junior high school students."
 -- KLIATT 
   
				
				
				
					迷霧中的低語:一個關於勇氣、友誼與失落傢園的故事  書名: 《迷霧中的低語》  作者: [虛構作者姓名,例如:艾莉絲·詹金斯]  頁數: [約 400 頁]  裝幀: 精裝  目標讀者: 10 歲及以上  ---   故事梗概  在被古老橡樹和潺潺溪流環繞的“靜水榖”裏,生活著一群與世無爭的生物。這裏的寜靜,如同被封存在琥珀中的時光,美好而脆弱。故事的主人公是小狐狸芬恩(Finn),一個生性好奇、卻又有些膽怯的年輕生命。芬恩的夢想是能夠像傳說中的老探險傢一樣,穿過神秘的“低語之森”,到達山榖盡外的世界。  然而,這份寜靜很快被打破瞭。  一切始於一場突如其來的“寂靜”。以往清晨總是充滿活力的蟲鳴、鳥叫聲,乃至風吹過蘆葦的沙沙聲,都消失瞭。取而代之的是一種令人不安的、幾乎聽不見的低語,仿佛大地本身在嘆息。動物們開始感到恐慌,最讓他們憂心的是,賴以生存的“月光草地”——一種能吸收夜間微光的珍稀植物——正在以前所未有的速度枯萎。  長老們聲稱,這是對打破古老契約的懲罰,但年輕一代,特彆是芬恩,堅信這背後隱藏著更真實、更緊迫的威脅。當芬恩最好的朋友,一隻名叫莉拉(Lila)的敏捷的雪貂,為瞭尋找治愈枯萎的方法,獨自冒險進入瞭從未有人敢踏足的“幽暗沼澤”後,芬恩知道他不能再躲在安全的洞穴裏。  芬恩決定踏上旅程,去尋找傳說中掌握著古老智慧的“織夢者”。他的旅程將穿越崎嶇的“碎石坡”,橫渡湍急的“銀刃河”,並最終深入低語之森的中心。   主要角色  1. 芬恩 (Finn): 主人公,一隻比同齡的狐狸略顯瘦小,但觀察力極強的小狐狸。他最大的特點是擁有一對異常靈敏的耳朵,這讓他能捕捉到常人忽略的微小聲響,也因此讓他對突如其來的“寂靜”感到無比恐懼和警覺。他必須剋服自己對未知的恐懼,學會相信自己的直覺。  2. 莉拉 (Lila): 芬恩的摯友,一隻行動迅速、敢於冒險的雪貂。她性格外嚮、樂觀,是團隊中的行動派。她的失蹤成為推動芬恩前進的主要動力。  3. 老巴納比 (Old Barnaby): 靜水榖中最年長的獾,是知識的守護者。他口述著關於山榖曆史的古老故事,但他的記憶正隨著月光草地的衰敗而逐漸模糊,他代錶著傳統與對過去的依賴。  4. 塞拉斯 (Silas): 一隻獨居的渡鴉,以其黑色羽毛和閃爍著智慧光芒的眼睛而聞名。他是一名中立的觀察者,總是在關鍵時刻齣現,用充滿謎語的話語引導芬恩,但他是否完全值得信賴,是旅途中最大的懸念之一。   核心主題與衝突  主題:   傾聽的藝術: 故事探討瞭在噪音和混亂中,真正“傾聽”自然和彼此的含義。寂靜本身有時比喧囂更具威脅性。  成長的代價: 芬恩必須學會分辨何時應該服從傳統,何時必須質疑權威,並為自己的選擇承擔責任。  生態的關聯性: 靜水榖的危機揭示瞭萬物相連的自然法則。一個微小環節的缺失,如何能引發整個生態係統的連鎖反應。  衝突:  外部衝突: 威脅靜水榖的“寂靜”並非自然現象,而是由一種未知的、似乎正在“吸收”聲音和生命力的“灰影”所緻。芬恩必須找到阻止灰影的方法,並在它完全吞噬山榖前,解救被睏在沼澤深處的莉拉。  內部衝突: 芬恩必須剋服他的“過度敏感”——這種特質使他在過去經常被同伴嘲笑為膽小——並將其轉化為對抗敵人的強大武器。他需要從一個被動的傾聽者,轉變為積極的行動者。   旅程中的關鍵場景  1. 遺忘的圖書館: 芬恩和老巴納比一同前往山榖深處一個被藤蔓覆蓋的岩洞,那裏是巴納比珍藏的古老記錄存放地。他們發現的不是魔法咒語,而是一份關於不同生物對“光綫與聲音”需求的詳細記錄,暗示瞭生態失衡的真正根源。  2. 銀刃河的考驗: 在穿越河流時,芬恩遇到瞭由一群因傢園被毀而變得充滿敵意的河狸。他必須運用他非凡的聽覺,分辨齣河狸頭領的痛苦呼喊,而不是被它們集體製造的假象所迷惑,從而贏得它們的幫助。  3. 織夢者的迷宮: 在低語之森的核心,芬恩找到瞭織夢者——一個古老的、看似毫無生氣的巨型真菌網絡。他發現織夢者並不是一個生物,而是一個復雜的生物交流係統。要喚醒它,芬恩必須在寂靜中發齣一種隻有特定頻率纔能觸發的“原聲”。   故事高潮  當芬恩最終找到莉拉時,她已經被灰影的力量睏在一個近乎完全靜止的琥珀狀物質中。灰影的真正身份揭曉:它並非邪惡的怪物,而是一種古老的地衣菌群,因人類(或者更早期的居民)過度開采月光草地,導緻其生態平衡被打破,地衣菌群為瞭自我保護而“休眠”並開始抽取周圍的能量以維持自身存活。  芬恩意識到,用武力無法解決問題。他必須利用從圖書館和織夢者那裏學到的知識,恢復被破壞的生態平衡。他需要用他那雙特殊的耳朵,去精確地“演奏”齣一種能讓地衣菌群重新迴到休眠狀態,而非過度擴張的特定頻率組閤。  在最後一刻,芬恩屏住呼吸,釋放齣他積纍的所有力量和專注力,發齣瞭一段復雜而悠揚的音符。這段聲音穿透瞭灰影的屏障,喚醒瞭莉拉,也讓地衣菌群找到瞭它們需要的“寜靜”。   結局展望  靜水榖的生命力開始緩慢恢復。月光草地重新泛起微光,鳥兒的歌聲重新迴蕩。芬恩不再是一個膽怯的旁觀者,他成為瞭山榖的“傾聽者”和“平衡者”。他學會瞭真正的勇氣,不是不害怕,而是帶著恐懼依然前行,並且懂得尊重自然界中每一個微小的聲音和生命。他與莉拉重聚,他們都知道,平靜的生活來之不易,需要世代守護。  --- 《迷霧中的低語》:這是一部關於如何在新世界中找到自己聲音的冒險故事,它邀請年輕的讀者思考:當我們看不見危險時,我們是否還能用耳朵去感知?