86 pages • 2 hours read
Carl HiaasenScat
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2009A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 8-10Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 8 Summary
This chapter introduces Drake McBride, president of Red Diamond Energy, and his right-hand man, Jimmy Lee Bayliss. Red Diamond set the forest fire in order to keep the kids from stumbling on their drilling operation—and the piercing scream the students heard in the woods actually was a Florida panther, scared away with a gunshot because “[i]f some overeager wildlife officer decided that Red Diamond’s drilling activities were disturbing panther habitat, the whole project could be delayed or even shut down” (92).
At the Truman School on Monday, Nick shows up with his right arm immobilized in a bandage and sling because, as he explains, “‘I want to go through the same thing as Dad’” (93). He struggles to do everything left-handed. Dr. Dressler has finally hired a substitute for Mrs. Starch, the “legendary wacko” (97) Wendell Waxmo. Wendell Waxmo makes the students sing nursery rhymes and designs his lesson plans by page number: “‘On Mondays I always teach page 117—and only page 117—regardless of the subject matter’” (101). As the students are grappling with their insane new teacher, Duane Jr. suddenly walks in, and the class is astonished to see him acting respectfully, with neat clothes and hair.
Chapter 9 Summary
Duane Jr. tries to turn in his pimple essay to Wendell Waxmo, who thinks it’s all a prank and berates him. Instead of getting angry or talking back, Duane Jr. simply controls himself and apologizes. Later, in the principal’s office, Detective Marshall questions Duane Jr. about the arson and his mysterious absence. Duane Jr. is frank and polite with the detective, who seems convinced by his answers. When Dr. Dressler asks him about the sudden change in his appearance and behavior, Duane Jr. simply says that he got tired of not caring about anything. Dr. Dressler commends him for turning over a new leaf.
At dinner that night, as he struggles to eat with one hand, Nick tells his mom about the challenges of getting through the day with only one arm. They hope Captain Waters will recover from an infection soon and be able to come home from Walter Reed. Marta calls Nick to tell him about something mysterious she witnessed that afternoon: an unknown man driving Mrs. Starch’s car, with Duane Jr. sitting in the front seat. They agree that something weird seems to be going on and decide that“[w]e’ve gotta find out who’s driving Smoke around in Mrs. Starch’s car, and what they’ve done with Mrs. Starch” (117).
Chapter 10 Summary
Jimmy Lee Bayliss brings McBride to listen to a Red Diamond employee, Mr. Melton, who has been ambushed in the swamp, stripped naked, and tied to a tree with bubble wrap by an unknown assailant. Some pipes and drilling equipment have also been stolen. McBride wants to go to the police, but Bayliss convinces him that attracting police attention could pose a threat to their operation. Bayliss has little respect for McBride, and “[f]rom the start he’d been nervous about the scam, even though Drake McBride promised that it would make both of them rich beyond their wildest dreams” (120-21).
Mrs. Winship takes Duane Sr. and Duane Jr. out for dinner and compliments Duane Jr. on his new look. Duane Jr. has even started to plan for his future, and he tells his grandmother that he wants to pursue a career in environmental science because “[i]f they wipe out the Everglades and all, people like me won’t have anywhere to go except for big cities. And I hate big cities” (126). The chapter ends with Nick and Marta heading out to Mrs. Starch’s house to investigate.
Chapters 8-10 Analysis
The introduction of Drake McBride, president of Red Diamond Energy, leaves no doubt about who the true villain of the novel is. McBride’s characterization is cartoonishly negative; almost the first words out of his mouth are that he wishes he could’ve killed the Florida panther to get it out of the way. With the panther sighting confirmed and the illegal drilling operation revealed, the true conflict of the novel emerges. Rather than a disagreement between two individuals, the novel sets up a conflict between the forces of industrial greed and the defenders of the Everglades, with much more at stake than an essay about pimples.
As if in response to the introduction of McBride, the previous arson suspect and potential villain, Duane Jr., reappears utterly reformed—clean, respectable, and obviously one of the good guys. His transformation astonishes everyone.
Mrs. Starch gets a foil in this section, too, and Wendell Waxmo is about as “realistic” a character as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland author Lewis Carroll’s Mad Hatter. Just as Drake McBride’s true evilness shows Duane Jr. in a better light, Wendell Waxmo makes Mrs. Starch look like a great teacher.
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By Carl Hiaasen
