The True Blue Scouts Of Sugarman Swamp (2013) - Plot & Excerpts
Even as a 2013 National Book Award Finalist, I really had my doubts before picking this book up. I was uncertain I could really get on board with two raccoons as main characters, but Appelt weaves the raccoon story in with the story of a 12 year old boy trying to save his family restaurant and the old antagonist who wants to pave over the swamp where the story takes place. The chapters are very short and the writing very folksy and casual, but the story does keep moving and picks up the various threads in the various tales with the omniscient narrator. Racoon brothers Bingo and J’miah are the latest scouts of Sugar Man Swamp. From their home base in an abandoned DeSoto, they wait for the Voice of Intelligence to instruct them. They hold the fate of the swamp, and must wake the Sugar Man, a giant creature of legend, should anything threaten it. And threat is coming. Evil landlord Sonny wants to oust Chap Brayburn and his mother from their sugar pie shop and turn the swamp into a 2,000-acre alligator-wrestling arena for Jaeger Stitch. On top of this, a family of wild hogs is coming for the wild sugar cane.I had a really hard time getting into this. The chapters are short, usually between one paragraph and three pages, and they’re constantly changing point of view. We have chapters of Bingo/J’miah, Chap, Sonny, Gertrude, Audie, Lenny, Jaeger, the Sugarman, Wolfman Jim, the wild hogs, etc., etc., etc. This continuous switching kept me at a distance because as soon as I got comfortable with a POV, it was switched on me. I also need to get something off my chest. It's a total pet peeve, but I still think authors need to stop with this. Snakes don't have eyelids. They can't blink or wink or squint or do anything else that requires eyelids. So when Gertrude (a rattlesnake)"blinks her eyes," I had to roll mine.The story itself is cute, with a tall-tale feel to it. She uses typical tall tale storytelling devices, such as repetition, onomatopoeia, and talking animals. Some of these started to rub me the wrong way in a piece this long, but maybe it’s just me. As a reader, I hope all the loose ends will find each other in the end, and (for the most part) Appelt doesn’t disappoint there. I’m still puzzling over the point of some of the storylines, such as why did Bingo have to climb a tree?Because it’s a tall-tale, the characters are similarly one-dimensional. The good characters are good, the bad characters are bad. However, they each have a clear motive and plans for achieving that motive. The narrative voice is consistent, even with the switches in POV. It’s playful and sounds like something you might hear while sitting around a campfire. The setting, too, is done well. I felt like I was in the swamp.I’m not surprised this book has gotten such mixed reviews. I’m puzzled over how I really feel about it. There were aspects I really liked, and others I couldn’t buy into, so overall, I feel pretty “meh” about it.• No language issues• No sexual situations—Jaeger Stitch does steal a kiss or two• Violence includes tall-tale retribution (the Sugar Man can throw objects—living beings included—into orbit)• Jaeger and Sonny drink mint juleps, and Chap tries to make himself like coffee
What do You think about The True Blue Scouts Of Sugarman Swamp (2013)?
Completely surprised that I enjoyed this book as much as I did. Didn't want it to end.
—Kenny
listened to it-read by lyle lovett...great family listen/read...
—austynh
All the funny words and apostrophes kept me disconnected.
—ninamoone
