Wrecker by Carl Hiaasen

 Valdez Jones VIII calls himself "Wrecker" because his ancestors worked as wreckers, salvaging shipwrecks in the Florida Keys. Wrecker has inherited his ancestor's love of the sea and spends his free time fishing in his own little skiff in the bay.  One day he comes across a fancy speed boat that has become stranded on a sandbar.  The boat belongs to smugglers, and Wrecker unwittingly gets caught up in their nefarious deeds. He has also recently become reacquainted with a girl from his school, Willi, who is dealing with her own issues, but is willing to help Wrecker in his attempts to free himself from his entanglement with the smugglers. Meanwhile, Wrecker's step sister, Suzanna, is leading a campaign to prevent cruise ships from returning to Key West after they stopped during the pandemic. It will take all Wreckers courage and sea smarts to help his step-sister, win the trust and friendship of Willi, and keep himself from being killed by cold hearted crooks. 

Hiaasen does a good job with his middle grade environmental novels. I have enjoyed his earlier ones like "Hoot" and "Scat" and I enjoyed this one.  All the main characters of this story are complex and interesting.  Valdez is smart, but also acts like a real teenager and both he and Willi have authentic teen voices. Hiaasen adds interesting messages about history and environmentalism, but they are not so heavy handed that they overpower the plot and characters. This is a good choice for kids who like action and adventure, but enjoy realistic fiction instead of fantasy. (2023, 336 p.)