Skink—No Surrender

Skink—No Surrender was written by Floridian author Carl Hiaasen and published by Ember, part of Penguin Random House, in 2014. According to the biography on his website (carlhiaasen.com), Hiaasen has lived in Florida his entire life. He is the author of several bestselling novels for adults, all of which are set in his home state. His works for young readers include the Newbery Honoree Hoot, which was adapted for film in 2006. Clinton Tyree, alias Skink, is a recurring character in Hiaasen’s work; Skink—No Surrender is his first appearance in a book for young adults.

This guide covers the 2020 Ember Edition of the novel.

Plot Summary

Fourteen-year-old Richard Sloan waits for his cousin, Malley Spence, on a Florida beach. An eccentric older man who appears from beneath the sand of a false nest startles Richard. The man, Clinton Tyree, waits in hiding to catch a turtle egg thief on the beach. Richard receives a text from Malley saying she’s at home—which he knows is a lie. He visits her house the next day, where her father tells Richard that she went to an orientation at her new out-of-state school. Richard searches her room and finds a note addressed to Talbo Chock, an older man she met online. Richard thinks the note is a false lead and calls her school. They have no orientation.

Richard learns that Tyree was once the governor of Florida who became frustrated with the government and disappeared. Though he’s thought dead, rumors persist that Tyree is alive and has become a nomad called Skink. Richard tells Skink about Malley’s situation. Skink learns that Talbo Chock is the name of a soldier killed in Afghanistan, meaning the man with Malley is an imposter. Malley asks Richard to keep quiet for a week, but Richard tells his mother the same day. A search for Malley begins. When Malley calls him, Richard learns that she’s near a drawbridge.

Richard finds Skink hiding from the police after beating the egg thief. Skink offers to take Richard along on his search for Malley. Richard lies to his stepfather about his plans and leaves with Skink. Their first stop proves to be a dead-end; Richard considers going home until they find a drawbridge in another city. Skink injures his foot saving a skunk from traffic. He teaches Richard how to drive so their journey can continue. They find the Talbo imposter’s car ditched in the Choctawhatchee River and buy a canoe from an elderly couple. While they camp, an alligator drags the canoe away. Skink goes after it. He doesn’t return the next day, and Richard continues alone, offering money to a fisherman for passage upriver. They find a houseboat on the shore, and the fisherman leaves. When Malley and Talbo discover Richard, Richard makes up a fake name. Malley acknowledges Talbo’s real name, Tommy Chalmers.

When Richard refuses to leave, Talbo wields a gun. Skink arrives on the boat, and Talbo forces Malley to tie Richard and Skink up at gunpoint. Malley slips Richard a pocketknife to cut the ropes. The houseboat engine dies, and it floats downriver in a storm. It hits a log, and Tommy loses his gun. Skink throws Malley and Richard into the water. When they reach shore, they watch Skink and Tommy disappear downriver. Richard and Malley head to safety, but a wild boar attacks them. Malley saves Richard, and they decide to save Skink. They pay another fisherman to borrow his boat. They find Skink waiting on the houseboat wreckage. The three of them pursue Tommy. When they find him, Skink tackles him. Skink suffers a fit due to his wartime post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which allows Tommy to escape. Skink tries and fails to catch Tommy’s shirt with a fishing line, but Richard steps in and hooks him. Tommy falls into the water, and an alligator attacks him.

Before help arrives, Skink leaves. Richard and Malley keep his involvement a secret. When they return home, Malley’s parents allow her to stay at home rather than go to the boarding school. Richard learns that an anonymous donor, whom he knows is Skink, opened a scholarship in the name of the real Talbo Chock. He and Malley continue to look for turtle nests on the beach, though Richard also looks for signs of Skink’s return.