COVER CHARACTERISTIC (#16): SWAMPS

"Hell is a swamp, to me - not as something fiery, but as something dank, moist, and wet."

Avey Tare

*Cover Characteristic is a book meme hosted by Sugar & Snark. Check it out and participate!

1. Swamplandia! by Karen Russell

Summary:

The Bigtree alligator wrestling dynasty is in decline--think Buddenbrooks set in the Florida Everglades--and Swamplandia!, their island home and gator-wrestling theme park, is swiftly being encroached upon by a sophisticated competitor known as the "World of Darkness."

Ava, a resourceful but terrified twelve-year-old, must manage seventy gators and the vast, inscrutable landscape of her own grief. Her mother, Swamplandia!’s legendary headliner, has just died; her sister is having an affair with a ghost called the Dredgeman; her brother has secretly defected to the World of Darkness in a last-ditch effort to keep their sinking family afloat; and her father, Chief Bigtree, is AWOL. 

To save her family, Ava must journey on her own to a perilous part of the swamp called the "Underworld," a harrowing odyssey from which she emerges a true heroine.

2. Bedtime at the Swamp by Kristyn Crow, Macky Pamintuan (Illustrations)

Summary:

Splish splash

rumba-rumba

bim bam boom!

It's bedtime at the swamp—except somebody's not ready. Somebody's still splashing in the water and the mud.

Is there a monster on the loose?

Kristyn Crow has taken every child's worst nightmare and transformed it into a frolic through swampland. With funny illustrations and a catchy refrain, this story won't scare little monster too much before bedtime.

3. The Beast of Boggy Creek The True Story of the Fouke Monster by Lyle Blackburn

Summary:

For more than a century, reports of a strange beast known as the Fouke Monster have circulated among the locals in southern Arkansas. Described as a large, hairy man-like creature, it’s said to haunt the vast Sulphur River Bottoms as it travels the secluded waterway known as Boggy Creek.

Over the years, the creature has been seen by numerous witnesses including respected citizens, experienced hunters, famous musicians, and even a police officer. The encounters were often so shocking, they served as inspiration for the classic horror film, The Legend of Boggy Creek, by Charles B. Pierce.

Tales of the creature have long existed in scattered pieces across news clippings, memoirs, police reports, and movies, but it is only now that the complete history of the Fouke Monster has been assembled in one place. 

This book collects all the facts, theories, and amazing sighting reports, and weaves them into a fascinating tale about this undeniable southern mystery, one that lives on, as frightening encounters with the Beast of Boggy Creek are still being reported today!

4. The Werewolf of Fever Swamp (Classic Goosebumps #11) by R.L. Stine

Summary:

What Big Teeth You Have!

There's something horrible happening in Fever Swamp. Something really horrible. It started with the strange howling at night. Then there was the rabbit, torn to shreds.

Everyone thinks Grady's new dog is responsible. After all, he looks just like a wolf. And he seems a little on the wild side. But Grady knows his dog is just a regular old dog. And most dogs don't howl at the moon. Or disappear at midnight. Or change into terrifying creatures when the moon is full.
Or do they?

5. Blackwater Swamp by Bill Wallace

Summary:

Ted saw her with his own two eyes! They say she can make magic. Ted is scared -- but he can't resist snaeking down to the bayou to watch the gnarled old woman and wild animals he's never even seen before! 

His new friend Jimmy blames the witch for the break-ins that have the town on edge. Ted doesn't know who to believe. Jimmy and his swaggering cousin Bubba are pretty scary themselves.

Ted knows the answers lie in the dark and dangerous swamp. But nothing can prepare them for the terror to come...

6. Swamp Ghosts by Marcia Meara

Summary:

Wildlife photographer Gunnar Wolfe looked like the kind of guy every man wanted to be and every woman just plain wanted, and the St. Johns River of central Florida drew him like a magnet. EcoTour boat owner Maggie Devlin knew all the river's secrets, including the deadliest ones found in the swamps. But neither Maggie nor Gunn was prepared for the danger that would come after them on two legs. 

On a quest to make history photographing the rarest birds of them all, Gunnar hires the fiery, no-nonsense Maggie to canoe him into the most remote wetland areas in the state. He was unprepared for how much he would enjoy both the trips and Maggie’s company. He soon realizes he wants more than she’s prepared to give, but before he can win her over, they make a grisly discovery that changes everything, and turns the quiet little town of Riverbend upside down. A serial killer is on the prowl among them.