Swamplandia! / Karen Russell.
This novel takes us to the swamps of the Florida Everglades, and introduces us to Ava Bigtree, an unforgettable young heroine. The Bigtree alligator wrestling dynasty is in decline, and Swamplandia!, their island home and gator wrestling theme park, formerly no. 1 in the region, is swiftly being encroached upon by a fearsome and sophisticated competitor called the World of Darkness. Ava's mother, the park's indomitable headliner, has just died; her sister, Ossie, has fallen in love with a spooky character known as the Dredgeman, who may or may not be an actual ghost; and her brilliant big brother, Kiwi, who dreams of becoming a scholar, has just defected to the World of Darkness in a last-ditch effort to keep their family business from going under. Ava's father, affectionately known as Chief Bigtree, is AWOL, and that leaves Ava, a resourceful but terrified thirteen, to manage ninety eight gators as well as her own grief. Against a backdrop of hauntingly fecund plant life animated by ancient lizards and lawless hungers, the author has written a novel about a family's struggle to stay afloat in a world that is inexorably sinking.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780307276681
- ISBN: 0307276686
- ISBN: 9780307263995
- Physical Description: 400 pages ; 21 cm
- Edition: 1st Vintage Books edition
- Publisher: New York : Vintage Books, 2011.
Content descriptions
- General Note:
- "Originally published in hardcover in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf ... New York [in different form], in 2010 [i.e. 2011]"--T.p. verso."Vintage contemporaries."July 2001" --T.p. verso.
- Target Audience Note:
- 900L Lexile
- Study Program Information Note:
- Accelerated Reader AR UG 6.3 20 150033.
Search for related items by subject
- Subject:
- Girls > Fiction.
Mothers > Death > Fiction.
Motherless families > Fiction.
Amusement parks > Fiction.
Alligators > Fiction.
Girls.
Mothers.
Everglades (Fla.) > Fiction.
Ten Thousand Islands (Fla.) > Fiction. - Genre:
- Fantasy fiction.
Novels.
Available copies
- 43 of 46 copies available at NC Cardinal.
- 1 of 1 copy available at Onslow County Public Library. (Show)
Holds
- 0 current holds with 46 total copies.
Other Formats and Editions
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Main Library | FIC RUSSELL (Text) | 36015000271904 | Adult Fiction | Available | - |
| Albert Carlton - Cashiers Community Library | F RUSSELL (Text) | 39493106884838 | Adult Fiction | Available | - |
| Anderson Creek Public Library | F Rus (Text) | 33630004265349 | Adult Fiction | Available | - |
| Ashe County Public Library | F RUS (Text) | 50503300254929 | Adult Fiction | Available | - |
| Avery County Morrison Public Library | FIC RUS (Text) | 31111002462636 | Adult Fiction | Available | - |
| Beaufort Main | F RUS (Text) | 34208202664446 | Adult Fiction | Available | - |
| Camden County Library | F RUS (Text) | 39488900016124 | Adult Fiction | Available | - |
| Cleveland County Main Library | F RUSSELL (Text) | 22281500082914 | Adult Fiction | Available | - |
| Columbus Library | F RUS (Text) | 31250200051252 | Adult Fiction | Checked out | 08/10/2026 |
| Elkin Public Library | F RUSSELL (Text) | 40599000826233 | Adult Fiction | Available | - |
Accessibility Features
Summary:
This novel takes us to the swamps of the Florida Everglades, and introduces us to Ava Bigtree, an unforgettable young heroine. The Bigtree alligator wrestling dynasty is in decline, and Swamplandia!, their island home and gator wrestling theme park, formerly no. 1 in the region, is swiftly being encroached upon by a fearsome and sophisticated competitor called the World of Darkness. Ava's mother, the park's indomitable headliner, has just died; her sister, Ossie, has fallen in love with a spooky character known as the Dredgeman, who may or may not be an actual ghost; and her brilliant big brother, Kiwi, who dreams of becoming a scholar, has just defected to the World of Darkness in a last-ditch effort to keep their family business from going under. Ava's father, affectionately known as Chief Bigtree, is AWOL, and that leaves Ava, a resourceful but terrified thirteen, to manage ninety eight gators as well as her own grief. Against a backdrop of hauntingly fecund plant life animated by ancient lizards and lawless hungers, the author has written a novel about a family's struggle to stay afloat in a world that is inexorably sinking.
