When an editor first suggested that best-selling author Carl Hiaasen consider writing for children, he laughed.

"My reaction was that this person hadn't read my adult novels or they would never ask me to write for kids," Hiaasen said in a recent telephone interview from his South Florida home. "The idea was just too scary to contemplate."

But Hiaasen, 55, had second thoughts, as he thought of how fun it might be to write a book that his young stepson and nieces and nephews could read. So, in 2002, Hiaasen's first children's novel, "Hoot," was published.

To his considerable surprise, the book was an immediate hit with young readers and won a prestigious Newbery Honor in 2003. In between writing his adult mysteries, Hiaasen published a second children's book, "Flush," in 2005.

Now, Hiaasen's third novel, "Scat" (Knopf, $16.99, ages 8-12), has just been released to rave reviews. Following the successful formula he employed in "Hoot" and "Flush," Hiaasen's third children's book is part eco-mystery, part humorous novel as he tells the story of two kids, Nick and Marta, who try to figure out what happened to their biology teacher after she mysteriously disappeared into the Black Vine Swamp during a class field trip.

It's not that Nick and Marta like their teacher; Mrs. Bunny Starch generally inspires fear and loathing in her students. But they also don't like the way school administrators are covering up her absence, and so embark on a sometimes-dangerous search for Mrs. Starch that involves a crooked oil drilling company owner and a rare Florida panther. (Adult fans of Hiaasen also will enjoy the part played in the story by Twilly Spree, hero of "Sick Puppy.")

Meanwhile, Nick also is grappling with another challenge: how to relate with his father, who has just returned from Iraq after losing his right arm when a grenade hit the Humvee in which he was riding.

As usual, Hiaasen has filled "Scat" with larger-than-life characters and plenty of fast-paced action and humor. Young readers will particularly enjoy the relationship between Nick, Marta and another student, Smoke, who is central to the mystery of Mrs. Starch's disappearance.

And yes, as in Hiaasen's other children's books, "Scat" offers a message about the importance of protecting the environment from corporate greed. But Hiaasen, like all other good writers for children, ensures that the message takes a back seat to his primary goal of telling a good story.

"Your job as a writer is to entertain -- period," Hiaasen said. "But if readers identify with a character and a character expresses a particular point of view, then that in itself is the message."

Hiaasen's strong feeling for the environment comes naturally. Born and raised in Florida, he worked for years as a reporter for the Miami Herald, much of it as a member of the newspaper's prize-winning investigation team. He now writes a Sunday column for the Herald.

He began writing novels with his late colleague, William Montalbano, then published his first solo novel, "Tourist Season," in 1986.

Hiaasen strongly believes in using humor as a key ingredient in his books for both kids and adults.

"People love to laugh. The one thing about writing satire and being able to combine the element of suspense with the element of humor is that you can reach across ... to folks who read the book for a variety of reasons," he said.

But it isn't always easy to be funny, Hiaasen added. "It's a tightrope. When you get up in the morning, you don't always feel funny."

Asked how he came to weave the Iraq War into "Scat," Hiaasen replied: "I've read so much about the war, but there's been very little about its effect on kids. Every one of those who are wounded comes home not just to spouses, but to their kids. Some of them are changed forever -- some in ways you can see, and some that you can't.

"Nick has not had the war explained to him in a satisfactory way. All he knows is that his dad joined the National Guard and ended up in Iraq. ... There's a little bit of puzzlement, a little bit of anger. He doesn't dwell on it, but it's something that thousands of kids have to cope with."

Overall, Hiaasen finds that he really enjoys writing for kids, and is "sure" he'll write another book for his younger fans.

"The letters (from young readers) are so wonderful. ... They're just a great audience -- they don't miss a trick. They get the trick the first time; some of my adult readers are a lot slower."

First Published: February 24, 2009, 10:00 a.m.