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I appreciate that I'm way outside of the target audience for this book, so I'm going to rate it as if I'd read it 60-some years ago. As a kid, I'm sure I would've loved it. Witches, talking alligators, a smelly swamp and a prank-pulling 12-year old who has to come to the rescue? What kid wouldn't love it?

As an adult, I also like that the writing is good and the author doesn't dumb down the vocabulary and may, in fact, teach kids a few new words. There's also a satisfying underlying tale of conservation vs. development that may give young readers food for thought without beating them over the head with it. (Sneaky education.. I like that!)

All-in-all, I think this is a series young people between the ages of 10 and 12, or so... especially young boys... would love.