We read this as a family for the neighborhood book club. It wasn't a bad beginning, but I will say that it really picked up towards the middle of the book and it was very fun to read.
A middle school newbie to the area sees a boy run through the neighborhood, no shoes, and clearly has no plans to stop. So Roy, the new kid, decides to figure out what he's up to. Let's just say that only Carl Hiassen can put a shoeless boy, alligators, pancakes, bullies, soccer players with amazingly strong teeth, and of course owls together in a book to make it seamless and poignant. Now for the movie! Hopefully it will not disappoint.