Books to Read


Squirm, by Carl Hiaasen, Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2018. Fiction. 
Ages 10-12

Review by Stephanie Gardner: This month I read Carl Hiaasen's newest book for young readers, Squirm. Like his books for adults, Hiaasen's books for younger audiences feature kooky characters in natural settings and they often show a great appreciation for the environment. Hiaasen's villains are those who destroy or underestimate nature.  

This book was a fun summer read! Set in Hiaasen's usual Florida and also in Montana, major themes are snakes, eagles, the Crow Nation, fishing, trophy hunting, and drones. 

Hiaasen's novels are great escapist fiction because his over-the-top characters take matters into their own hands to right environmental and social wrongs. But there are two things that concerned me a bit. The protagonist of this book, Billy, a tween, often solves problems with physical confrontation or by tricking his parents. While it is okay here because he is a good guy, hopefully, young readers know that things like scaring people with snakes, confronting dangerous adults, and tackling people into submission make for entertaining fiction but are not advised in real life. The intended middle school audience probably does know that.... In addition, I'd like to see Hiaasen feature more female main characters in his books for young readers, not just including girls as spunky, smart sidekicks.  


Nature Girl, by Carl Hiaasen, Grand Central Publishing, 2007. Fiction.

Review by Stephanie Gardner: I am also reading Hiaasen's novel, Nature Girl. This one is for the older set. It is pretty funny, though the elements of nature are not there as much as I had hoped. Major themes are: telemarketers, mental illness, Florida, affairs, private investigators, the Seminole Nation, and ecotourism gone very wrong. Other reviewers have noted that Hiaasen's characters in this book seem less kooky and more human than in some of his earlier works for adults. But, I still thought they were pretty goofy.




Recommended by Elizabeth Pass: The following are some books about the Shenandoah Valley and the Shenandoah National Park.

Bear with Me, My Deer: Tails of a Virginia Wildlife Biologist, by David M. Kocka, Christian Faith Publishing, Inc, 2017. Non-Fiction. 

Kocka recalls nearly 30 years of humorous and adventurous stories during his time as a Wildlife Biologist in the Shenandoah Valley. Not only does he discuss the interesting locations and animals he encounters, manages, and extracts but also he weaves in the fascinating people he meets along the way. If you want a light, fun book, this is it.  





Mushrooms of West Virginia and the Central Appalachians, by William C. Roody, University Press of Kentucky, 2003. Non-Fiction. 

Roody provides a wonderful guide for beginning or knowledgable mushroom hunters. In this book, you'll find descriptions, illustrations, and beautiful colorful pics of 400 species of mushrooms in our area and throughout the Central Appalachians and West Virginia.



 

The Great Valley Road of Virginia: Shenandoah Landscapes from Prehistory to the Present, by Eds. Warren R. Hofstra, Karl Raitz, Michael N. McConnell, et al., University of Virginia Press, 2011. Non-Fiction.

What I find interesting about this book is its focus. Many books on the Shenandoah Valley focus on the battles fought or the role this area played in the founding of this nation (and the people who founded it). The Great Valley Road of Virginia instead focuses on, "the story of one of America’s oldest, most historic, and most geographically significant roads." The authors look at how the people and developing towns along the road interacted. There are many maps, pics, engravings, and line drawings provided.



The Planting of New Virginia: Settlement and Landscape in the Shenandoah Valley by Warren Hofstra, The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005. Non-Fiction.

This time, Hofstra analyzes the Shenandoah Valley and the role it plays in the settlers' westward expansion and the conflict between those settlers and Native Americans. Hofstra also discusses the geographical history of one of the most significant North American frontier areas and how the unique town and country style settlement impacted colonial America.

 
What to Watch, What to Do, What to Check Out

 

Photo:  Ellison Orcutt/ DCR Natural Heritage Program
A Rusty Patched Bumble Bee observed at Highland WMA.


Good News from the DWR Bumble Bee Survey

 

On August 5, Region 4 DWR staff (Dept. of Wildlife Resources) and a DCR field zoologist (Dept. of Conservation and Recreation) conducted a Bumble bee survey on the Highland WMA (Wildlife Management Area).

While surveying a proposed Restore the Wild Pollinator fields, the DWR staff and DCR zoologist spotted 11 Rusty Patched Bumble bees (Bombus affinis) over a three day period. The fields that the Rusty Patched Bumble bees were spotted in are managed with prescribed fire to foster native wildflowers. Other species spotted included the Common Eastern Bumble bee, the Two Spotted Bumble bee, and the Brown Belted Bumble bee. 

Regarding the Rusty Patched Bumble bee, it is very rare and considered endangered. The following is its Conservation Status:

• Federally Endangered in the U.S.
• Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List
• Species of Greatest Conservation Need-Tier 1a on the Virginia Wildlife Action Plan
• Listed as Endangered under the Species at Risk Act in Canada
• Ranked as a G2S1 species (globally imperiled and critically imperiled in Virginia) by Virginia DCR's Natural Heritage Program

Jason Hallacher, Chapter Advisor