The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp

I just finished reading “The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp.” The only good thing about this book being over for me is that I now am able to tell you how fantastic it is. The author is a wonderful weaver of stories, and she makes a beautiful tapestry from the adventures of our raccoon

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friends Bingo and J’miah, a sleepy and sweet toothed cryptid named “The Sugar Man” and his slithering sidekick Gertrude, a fine young Homo Sapien named Chap Brayburn, some not so fine Homo Sapiens named Sonny Boy Beaucoup and Jaeger Stitch, some mean – and I mean MEAN – wild boars, a wise and creative DJ, a red star, a pirate, a mom, some fond memories of a beloved and nature loving grandpa, a swamp, an old Polaroid camera, and some delicious pies. Throw in solid writing, short chapters, humor, a satisfying ending, and you are sure to have a winner with the 10-12 year old crowd (and possibly their parents and teachers too).

I will end this review with the wise words of KSUG DJ, Coyoteman Jim, “Have a good day and a good idea….Arrrrooooooo!”

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Kathi Appelt's storytelling and sense of place is masterful. The language brings this book to life and it would make an AWESOME family readaloud.

Kathi Appelt spins a wonderful yarn set in the deep, deep South of the Sugar Man swamp. This is a story about what really matters to us as humans, and as animals - our connections. Our connections with one another and our connections to place. A story that begs to be read aloud, Appelt draws in her

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audience with little asides and conjectures, while masterfully weaving a tale that sings and soars. We follow the antics of the swamps true blue scouts - a pair of raccoons alongside the story of twelve-year-old Chap Brayburn, a fiercely proud (and tall) youngster who is missing his recently deceased grandfather something fierce, and works hard to help his mother run their cafe specializing in sweet Muscavado sugar cane, deep fried pies.

I loved this story, of the big themes it touches upon, and on the small details of place that help define the contours of our days and the arc of our lives. Kids will eat it up: it's just that good. As good as a sugar pie, and then some.

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This is the third book my daughter and I have read this summer.
We completely fell in love with "Sugar Man" and all of its characters. I so want Ms. Appelt to write more books with Bingo, J'Miah, Chap, the Sugar Man, and yes, the DeSoto too. Each character was strongly and individually created. They

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each had a very unique voice which allowed us to completely immerse ourselves in the story.
The plot was interesting and fast moving. There were several plot lines that presented in alternating (and often very short ) chapters. As the story progressed, the plot lines intertwined, separated, and ended with each line connected to all the other lines in a very satisfactory way.
I read this book out loud to my daughter which maximized our enjoyment of the story. As I mentioned above, the characters were very strongly developed and each had an unique voice. This made it a joy to read out loud as the way the voice should sound was obvious from the writing. There was no struggling to think of different sounds for different characters. Also, there is a Southern homeyness to the dialogue that adds a lot of sugar and spice to the reading. It is impossible to read this book with a flat tone. The author gives you lots of energy and movement in the words. In short, it is fun to read this story and I wish there was more.
Our only complaint was in the character of Chap's mom. She was so flat. All she did was run the cafe and make fried sugar pies. She seemed willing to step back into the kitchen and let her son (trying hard to learn how to be a man) solve their problems. Perhaps this was the author's goal as a means of showing Chap's growth. At the end, Chap looks at the swamp and realizes that he wants to save this special place not just for his grandpa but because of his own love of the land. Chap is becoming a man in his own right. Chap's mom, however, remains a weak and disappointing female character in an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable book.

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This was a charming book. The quirky chain of events in the story were masterfully intertwined. I think much of the humor and some references in the book will go over the heads of younger readers, but it was entertaining and fun.

I knew about two chapters in that I didn't want to rush through this. I wanted to savor Appelt's lyrical words, her carefully constructed eco-plot. The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp follows in the footsteps of all great American folklore with memorable characters and folksy language. And who

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doesn't love swamp stories? A perfect setting! So deserving of all the accolades it is receiving!

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Delightful teen read. A good message about protecting the earth , its animals and natural resources.

Great audiobook read with Lyle Lovett as narrator. I have difficulty deciding what grade level this book is for, I would place at grades 3-6, a lot of sophisticated vocabulary. Kids might need to read with a dictionary near by. Which isn't a bad thing.

Narrated by Lyle Lovett. Lovett brings a soothing, avuncular tone to this story about a couple of raccon scouts keeping eye on the swamp for the mythical Sugar Man, the greedy developer whose plans will upset the swamp's ecological balance, and 12-year-old Chap who has come to love the swamp thanks

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to his late grandfather.

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What a fun book! There's double trouble in the swamp - a marauding horde of wild pigs and an unscrupulous landowner who wants to turn the swamp into a gator-wrestling tourist attraction. Appelt has the southern idioms down pat and Lyle Lovett's reading was a treat to listen to. I would highly

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recommend this to kids who enjoy animal stories and to parents or teachers who are looking for a fun read-aloud.

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I listened to the audiobook version of this novel and thoroughly enjoyed Lyle Lovett's narration. Kathy Appelt has a knack for creating southern folklore that sounds authentic and feels as old as the swamp where her story is set. In the tradition of oral storytelling, the True Blue Scouts has it

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all - the narrative voice, the vernacular, unique characters, and a legendary location.

I am almost afraid now to read the book because I enjoyed the audio experience so much! Will I find the short chapters distracting when I actually see them on the page? Will the pacing feel too slow, or choppy as more characters are introduced? Future reading experience aside, here is a story that's a delight to hear. Kathy Appelt definitely has an ear for language. She skillfully weaves the individual concerns of the humans and swamp creatures into a captivating tale of fealty, protection and fried sugar pie.

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Love, love, love. Great fun in Texas bayou country with raccoons (the scouts of the title); feral hogs Clydine & Buzzy and their 15 hungry offspring; a lost DeSoto; and a mythical creature, second cousin to Sasquatch, whose familiar is a crotalus horridus giganticus ("look it up") named Gertrude.

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There are plans afoot to turn the swampland paradise into a theme park featuring the world's greatest alligator wrestler, and it's up to a 12-year-old boy and our true-blue scouts to put a stop to it. Delightful. I listened to the audio book read by Lyle Lovett---he's really good at animal sounds. For the 8-12 crowd, according to the jacket, but it's one of those stories that's too good to leave to the kids. Appelt has a lot of fun twisting common phrases, song titles, etc., and using them casually in context.

Review written in September, 2013

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It was with much trepidation that I picked up this novel. Kathi Appelt’s The Underneath made me ugly-cry and left me depressed and heart-sore (although it is an excellent book for that very reason) and I was not eager to engage in a book that would cause emotions again.
However, I was pleasantly

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surprised. Told with a folk-tale vibe, along with exclamations and onomatopoeia and funny little quips, this story follows two raccoons who have the illustrations job of being Scouts for the Sugar Man. The Sugar Man rules the swamp, a creature of lore and legend, who guards the swamp and enjoys the particular sugarcane that grows in the damp low soil.
When the swamp is threated by unscrupulous land developers, the scouts, along with unintended help by a local boy, search for the Sugar Man.
The adventure, the character growth, the well-drawn atmosphere of the swamp, the real trouble the characters find themselves facing, all create a story fun to read for children. This book would be particularly suited to reading aloud, for all the fun works and exclamations it includes.
Recommend for mid-late elementary children and older, and worth reading for adults as well.

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children's fiction/fantasy; racoons/animals. Old Bayou swamp story that begs to be read aloud (helpful if you know something about French pronunciation).