Description:
Popular Australian author Elizabeth Honey (Don't Pat the Wombat!, Fiddleback, etc.) tackles mental illness, Internet obsession, and rare pythons in her latest novel, Remote Man. Thirteen-year-old Ned is a wiz kid when it comes to computers, and he has a passion for skinks and snakes. But when it comes to people--especially his on-the-brink mother--Ned prefers to retreat to the manageable world of the remote control. After moving from Australia to Massachusetts and encountering a notorious international smuggler of endangered species, however, Ned is shaken loose from his apathetic existence. Suddenly, he and four e-mail buddies from around the world are enmeshed in a dangerous plot to put a stop to the criminal's evil ways. Their clever, technologically enhanced scheme may save some critters, but will the friends become endangered species themselves? Honey's writing, although dealing with serious topics, is witty, exuberant, and very contemporary (much of it is in e-mail correspondence form): a real treat for fans and newcomers alike. (Ages 9 to 12) --Emilie Coulter
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