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Chomp  By  cover art

Chomp

By: Carl Hiaasen
Narrated by: James Van Der Beek
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Publisher's summary

The hysterical number one New York Times best seller from Newbery honoree Carl Hiaasen featuring gators, snakes, bats that bite, and reality show hosts gone wild!

When Wahoo Cray’s dad - a professional animal wrangler - takes a job with a reality TV show called Expedition Survival!, Wahoo figures he'll have to do a bit of wrangling himself to keep his father from killing Derek Badger, the show's inept and egotistical star. But the job keeps getting more complicated: Derek Badger insists on using wild animals for his stunts; and Wahoo's acquired a shadow named Tuna - a girl who's sporting a shiner courtesy of her father and needs a place to hide out.

They've only been on location in the Everglades for a day before Derek gets bitten by a bat and goes missing in a storm. Search parties head out and promptly get lost themselves. And then Tuna's dad shows up with a gun...

It's anyone's guess who will actually survive Expedition Survival...

©2012 Carl Hiaasen (P)2012 Listening Library

Critic reviews

“Hiaasen’s best for a young audience since Newbery Honor Hoot (2002) features a shy, deep-feeling protagonist who’s also a pragmatist and plenty of nature info and age-appropriate cultural commentary…. Humorous adventure tales just don’t get any more wacked…or fun to read than this.” (Kirkus)

“Only in Florida - and in the fiction of its native son Carl Hiaasen - does a dead iguana fall from a palm tree and kill somebody.” (New York Post)

Chomp is a delightful laugh-out-loud sendup of the surreality of TV that will be enjoyed by readers of all ages.” (Los Angeles Times)

What listeners say about Chomp

Average customer ratings
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Performance

What would have made Chomp better?

The narrator was reading so quickly I couldn't understand one out of every 10 words he said. I love Carl Hiaasen but I tried to listen to this book for 1 hour, 30 min each time and had to turn it off. I am very disappointed and would never purchase another book read by this narrator.

Has Chomp turned you off from other books in this genre?

No

How could the performance have been better?

Slow down, get rid of the monotone.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

None

Any additional comments?

After several years of being with audible I have never been disappointed in a book. I wish I had my credit back.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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a great engaging story

My husband and three boys listened to this story in one hit on a long car journey. I was amazed at how it captivated the boys and drew them away from their own electronic devices. It is a very contemporary story, very relevant, funny, informative and entertaining. We all loved the reader. Made the trip very easy

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Perfection

One again, Carl Hiaasen puts a motley crew of characters in the middle of a Florida swamp and comes up with the best contemporary humor writing being done today. BRAVO!

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Never let Van Der Beek narrate...

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I love Carl Hiaasen and wait for each book to come out. Unless I buy the book to read I might not make it through this one. Van Der Beek reads so fast I feel like I am listening 3 words behind - not a good experience.

If you???ve listened to books by Carl Hiaasen before, how does this one compare?

Can't tell how it compares - haven't been able to get past the first 5 minutes.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

He's reading so fast I can't keep up and the characters all sound alike - no real variation.

Was Chomp worth the listening time?

Not so far.

Any additional comments?

Its so bad they should re-do it with someone else.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book for the entire family.

What did you love best about Chomp?

I loved the relationship between Wahoo and his family. Makes the whole book seem even better.

What did you like best about this story?

The characters were smart funny and likable. I was in the everglades in florida when i listened to this. I even tried to figure out if there was a stuffed alligator at the air boat tour I took my children on.

What does James Van Der Beek bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He is a great reader. He does a good job of making all of the characters come to life.

Any additional comments?

I wish the author would write more about this family. Bring back Tuna.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Chomp is for kids, but fun for adults

I guess I read most of Hiaasen's works for the mayhem that ensues. This one didn't quite have all the mayhem I like. True, crazy accidents did have their usual turn to more problems or hilarity, but not as much as I am used to reading in Hiaasen's books. I didn't hate it, nor did I love it.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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Not up to Hiassen's standards!

Would you try another book from Carl Hiaasen and/or James Van Der Beek?

Hiassen definitely, Van Der Beek, not so much!

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of James Van Der Beek?

Scott Brick

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

The reader was not up to the the book!

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

True Carl Hiaasen

Would you listen to Chomp again? Why?

No. Usually don't reread same book.

What did you like best about this story?

The wit and the good guys always finish first.

What about James Van Der Beek’s performance did you like?

Very expressive, good tempo and inflections.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Oh, made me laugh.

Any additional comments?

Read as many Carl Hiaasen books as I can. Never disappointed.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Chomp it up!

We listened to this as a family with 10 and 8 y/o kids on a road trip to florida! This was the PERFECT book to listen to on the way to florida! Hiaasen knows so much about florida's natural fauna and animals, we learned a bunch about the everglades. The kid characters are strong, but not over the top. There are some tough issues, mainly a child character being physically abused by her father, but it is handled well. Also, very good narrator! We love Hoot by Hiaasen aswell!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Light and amusing.

Where does Chomp rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's up there. I like listening to something fairly light so I can also keep my focus on the road, and this book fit the bill.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Probably Mickey was my favorite, but all the characters are so much fun.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

It's not that type of book.

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1 person found this helpful