Mud has its uses — as building material, for example, or skin treatment — but it can also be extremely messy. Or worse. In Louis Sachar’s new novel, it’s definitely worse. The Newbery Medal-winning ...

Fuzzy mud is not ordinary, everyday mushy muck. This mud has yellow fuzz on top of it; nothing remains on the surface of this stuff without disintegrating. Its favorite thing to devour is dead leaves.

Sachar blends elements of mystery, suspense, and school-day life into a taut environmental cautionary tale about the insatiable hunger for energy sources and the cost of not doing the right thing.