In the spring of 1987, the town of Islip, New York, with no place for its 3,168 tons of garbage, loads it on a barge that sets out on a 162-day journey along the east coast, around the Gulf of Mexico, down to Belize, and back again, in search of a place willing to accept and dispose of its very smelly cargo. Interest Level: K-3 Reading Level: 3.7 ATOS Book Level: 3.8 AR Interest Level: LG AR Points: .5 AR Quiz: 135017EN Reading Counts Level: 3.2 Reading Counts Points: 2 Lexile Measure: 670 Lexile Code: AD (Adult Directed).