CATCH ME IF YOU CAN ... SURVIVE ALL THIS

Chomp by Carl Hiaasen takes you on a trip through the Everglades of Florida where alligators, snakes and all sorts of wildlife are not just a great attraction but a matter of life and death.  Wahoo and his dad have been hired to provide animals (tame ones) as props for a reality show, Expedition Survival, but what they really have to do is make sure the show's star, Derek Badger, makes it through each scene without any mishap, mostly brought on by his own stupidity.  

Wahoo's classmate, Tuna, thinks Derek Badger is the most amazing adventurer, eating all kinds of stuff in order to survive as shown on his TV shows, but she comes to realize that's he's nothing but a fake.  If this wasn't all, she, Wahoo and his dad are trying to keep her away from her abusive, crazy and drunken father who is determined to bring her back home.  

This is one wild ride of a book with lots of adventure, and humor to boot.  For readers in grades 6th and older.   

A PAULSEN OLDIE BUT STILL A GOODIE

Harris and Me by Gary Paulsen

This summer, he'll be living with the Larsons, distant relatives of his, on their farm. Every so often, he packs up and get sent off to live with some relative or other due to the fact that his parents are drunks or "puke drunks" as his cousin Harris puts it. living on the farm with foul mouth, mischievous cousin who gets him into all kinds of hilarious scrapes - playing cowboys and Indians with the farm animals, being charged by the farm's bull, kicked unconscious in the head while milking the cow.

A funny and unforgettable summer for Harris and any reader in 4th grade and up.