Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Disney Hyperion
Pages
306
Description
Seeking a rare flower that might cure her baby sister's illness, fourteen-year-old Piper Canfield, her brother Creeper, friend Tad, and two guides go to the heart of the Okefenokee Swamp, where great danger awaits.
Description
In the Okefenokee Swamp grows a rare and beautiful flower with a power unlike any other. Many have tried to claim it-no one has come out alive. But fourteen-year-old Piper Canfield is desperate, and this flower may be her only chance to keep a promise she made a long time ago.
Accompanied by her little brother, Creeper, her friend Tad, and two local guides, Piper embarks on the quest of a lifetime. But there's a deadly predator lurking unseen in the black water, one nearly as old as the Oke itself. Some say it's a monster. Others say an evil spirit. The truth is far more terrifying.
Piper's task is simple: find the flower . . . or die trying.
Barcode on inside back cover.
Accompanied by her little brother, Creeper, her friend Tad, and two local guides, Piper embarks on the quest of a lifetime. But there's a deadly predator lurking unseen in the black water, one nearly as old as the Oke itself. Some say it's a monster. Others say an evil spirit. The truth is far more terrifying.
Piper's task is simple: find the flower . . . or die trying.
Barcode on inside back cover.
Collection
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
306 p.; 8.6 inches
ISBN
9781423186953
Similar in this library
Lexile
740L
User reviews
LibraryThing member TBones
After reading this I will never look at plants the same again. This title was chock full of action, adventure, suspense, as well as a lively cast of characters. I highly recommend this title. Especially anyone that has camping trips planned in the near future!!
LibraryThing member Charlotte.Hunter
Sadly, because I love MG horror and want to see more non-gory creepiness in MG books, I can only recommend The Murk as an apt description of the writing.
The book fails on several levels: Wooden dialogue that frequently sounds too adult or, worse, unbelievable; inexplicable and maddening lapses of
The emotional reactions of the two principal characters, Piper and Tad, seem forced to the point of weirdness. For example, after Tad (Piper's bestie for years) saves her life and that of Piper's infant sister, Piper rejects him--Why? Who knows?--then rekindles their friendship when the aforementioned baby sister becomes ill. Tad's reaction? Confusion (I get that). Unrelenting infatuation (Really? After a year of being ignored?). And an utterly unbelievable lack of resentment when, after her baby sister falls ill, Piper comes to Tad in tears and begs for his help. Tad even agrees, almost immediately, to sneak off to the Okefenokee Swamp with Piper to search for a mythical flower mentioned in the early 19th-century journal of one of Tad's forebears.
Tad's agreement highlights one of the most irritating aspects of this book: The deliberate dumbing-down of both principals to advance the plot. Why would a boy smart enough to create a unique orchid (for Piper) suddenly buy into a "Hey, the journal must be right, and X marks the spot" cliche? Ditto for Piper; initially portrayed as an intelligent, smart, and resourceful girl she then becomes so overwhelmed by emotion that she accepts as credible the existence of an all-healing flower. These transformations smack of a lack of respect readers, the characters, and the plot.
The pace lags throughout--only in the last pages does any suspense build--and this substantial flaw isn't helped by the inclusion of overly lengthy and dull entries from the old journal.
Look elsewhere for fun MG horror.
The book fails on several levels: Wooden dialogue that frequently sounds too adult or, worse, unbelievable; inexplicable and maddening lapses of
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intelligence forced onto both protagonists; and dreary pacing. The emotional reactions of the two principal characters, Piper and Tad, seem forced to the point of weirdness. For example, after Tad (Piper's bestie for years) saves her life and that of Piper's infant sister, Piper rejects him--Why? Who knows?--then rekindles their friendship when the aforementioned baby sister becomes ill. Tad's reaction? Confusion (I get that). Unrelenting infatuation (Really? After a year of being ignored?). And an utterly unbelievable lack of resentment when, after her baby sister falls ill, Piper comes to Tad in tears and begs for his help. Tad even agrees, almost immediately, to sneak off to the Okefenokee Swamp with Piper to search for a mythical flower mentioned in the early 19th-century journal of one of Tad's forebears.
Tad's agreement highlights one of the most irritating aspects of this book: The deliberate dumbing-down of both principals to advance the plot. Why would a boy smart enough to create a unique orchid (for Piper) suddenly buy into a "Hey, the journal must be right, and X marks the spot" cliche? Ditto for Piper; initially portrayed as an intelligent, smart, and resourceful girl she then becomes so overwhelmed by emotion that she accepts as credible the existence of an all-healing flower. These transformations smack of a lack of respect readers, the characters, and the plot.
The pace lags throughout--only in the last pages does any suspense build--and this substantial flaw isn't helped by the inclusion of overly lengthy and dull entries from the old journal.
Look elsewhere for fun MG horror.
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Call number
J4C.Let