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Product Description
From Amazon
Hoot, Carl Hiaasen's debut novel for younger readers is a very special treat indeed. The writing is exceptionally good, and the characters extremely quirky and well realised. It's incredibly readable despite a story premise that is not sparklingly original. But no matter, there's an engaging "feel-good" vibe running through the whole book.
The setting, as with Hiaasen's crime thrillers for adults such as Basket Case and Sick Puppy, is sunny Florida and the heat, swamps, dust and pancakes all contribute to the authentic atmosphere of the book. His favourite environmental theme is here too, as is the thoroughly watertight plotting. There's an engaging mystery set up on the very first page and it builds nicely with more twists and turns as the story unfolds--all of them reassuringly tied up come the final pages.
Roy Eberhardt's story begins when he is being mashed up against the window of the school bus by bully Dana Matherson. He spots an athletic bare-footed boy running away from the bus and wonders where he is going. Further investigations, after he has unwisely smashed Dana's nose in to get away from him, leads Roy into the middle of a battle between a green-minded local runaway and the proposed opening of a pancake restaurant. The development threatens the habitat of a burrowing-owl colony and it's an issue that several people in the community have differing views upon--not all of them legal.
Roy carries the story very well indeed. He's likable and persistent in the face of unexpected and challenging adventure, despite his modest size. The cause he chooses to support is eminently worthy--he weighs up the strength of his beliefs with the necessity to slightly bend the law. This is a good story with some great writing--a winning combination. (For readers aged 10 and over.) --John McLay --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
From Publishers Weekly
With a Florida setting and proenvironment, antidevelopment message, Hiaasen (Sick Puppy) returns to familiar turf for his first novel for young readers. Characteristically quirky characters and comic twists will surely gain the author new fans, though their attention may wander during his narrative's intermittently protracted focus on several adults, among them a policeman and the manager of a construction site for a new franchise of a pancake restaurant chain. Both men are on a quest to discover who is sabotaging the site at night, including such pranks as uprooting survey stakes, spray-painting the police cruiser's windows while the officer sleeps within and filling the portable potties with alligators. The story's most intriguing character is the boy behind the mischief, a runaway on a mission to protect the miniature owls that live in burrows underneath the site. Roy, who has recently moved to Florida from Montana, befriends the homeless boy (nicknamed Mullet Fingers) and takes up his cause, as does the runaway's stepsister. Though readers will have few doubts about the success of the kids' campaign, several suspenseful scenes build to the denouement involving the sitcom-like unraveling of a muckity-muck at the pancake house. These, along with dollops of humor, help make the novel quite a hoot indeed. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Adventure,
By
This review is from: Hoot (Paperback)
This is a story about a boy, Roy, who has just moved to Florida. His first day at school he gets called ‘Tex’ and the nickname sticks and the harassment begins. Yet life is never as simple as being the new kid in school, trying to hang low and trying to just get by.He meets many interesting characters in Florida: Dana Matherson - The School Bully Mullet Fingers – A Kid who lives in the forest Beatrice Leep – Captain of the Soccer Team, And Mullet’s Stepsister But Mullet is on a mission. He is trying to save burrowing owls from being wiped out by the Mother Paula’s Pancake House, which is supposed to be building a new restaurant. Mullet uses guerilla tactics: alligators in the port-a-potties, snakes all over the job site, and many, many more. Roy tries to go a different route: checking out building out permits, getting classmates to come and speak and raise their voice at the groundbreaking. Can a few young kids save an endangered bird? Will Mullet, Roy and Beatrice succeed? Pick up the book and read it. There is also a movie coming out this summer that should be a hit with children and adults alike.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Adventure,
By
This review is from: Hoot (Paperback)
This is a story about a boy, Roy, who has just moved to Florida. His first day at school he gets called ‘Tex’ and the nickname sticks and the harassment begins. Yet life is never as simple as being the new kid in school, trying to hang low and trying to just get by.He meets many interesting characters in Florida: Dana Matherson - The School Bully Mullet Fingers – A Kid who lives in the forest Beatrice Leep – Captain of the Soccer Team, And Mullet’s Stepsister But Mullet is on a mission. He is trying to save burrowing owls from being wiped out by the Mother Paula’s Pancake House, which is supposed to be building a new restaurant. Mullet uses guerilla tactics: alligators in the port-a-potties, snakes all over the job site, and many, many more. Roy tries to go a different route: checking out building out permits, getting classmates to come and speak and raise their voice at the groundbreaking. Can a few young kids save an endangered bird? Will Mullet, Roy and Beatrice succeed? Pick up the book and read it. There is also a movie coming out this summer that should be a hit with children and adults alike.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hoot,
This review is from: Hoot (Paperback)
HootSaving owls from habitats getting destroyed sounds hard doesn't it? Roy and his other two friends have enough confident to try it. A new kid in Florida, Roy, is just like any other new kid. Nobody cares where he is or how he is. He didn't expect anybody to care anyway. Roy is skinny and an ordinary teenager I think about fourteen years old. At lunch times, he always sits alone, at the end of the long table, eating bizarre food. After school he follows the boy he saw running. He sees burrowing owls on the way that look like they need attention because their habitats are going to get destroyed. Roy and two other new friends enter a massive adventure to save the owls. Here are some key themes to Hoot: courage, determination, bravery, but most importantly, team work to accomplish the adventure. They will need a lot of bravery because it will be very tough to save the owls if they don't take risks. They will have to help each other out to create a stronger and better group. Saving owls sounds challenging but when determination and courage tags along, it would be a little easier and better. Settings are very important to Hoot. The story mainly takes place at school, and in the forest (outside). Roy and his new friends meet at school. After school, Roy finds them in the forest. Roy was wondering what they were doing there and same with them. The setting, especially the forest is a very creative area. The settings make Hoot a more rollicking and hilarious book because in the forest is a very unusual, but cool place. Characters are also important because they bring the book to life. All the characters are very wacky and unique. Take Beatrice for example: She's a girl, an athletic, brave, bossy girl. She teases people sometimes, but also really kind. For example: she wants to save the owls. Dana is the school bully. He is very big, probably would outweigh Roy by at least fifty pounds, and he is very strong. His two main hobbies are smoking and beating up little kids and he tries to physically hurt people, especially Roy because he's the new kid. For example: Mushing Roy's face against the bus window. He never stands up for his friends, if he had any either. Another nasty character is Officer Delinko. He is very uncaring and cruel. He tries to stop Roy from saving the burrowing owls. He also has another buddy, Officer Curly to help him. My favourite character is Beatrice because she is very different from other characters like Roy. My least favourite character is Officer Delinko because he blends in with the crowd. He's boring, not like Beatrice or Roy. The writing style of Carle Hiaasen is very affective. Carl is very imaginative and creative. He has created a lot of enjoyable characters, and imaginative settings. Carl Hiaasen proves that he is very caring because the main idea is to save owls and the owls' habitat from being destroyed. He has also written another book called Flush, which also tells us that he is caring because Flush is about saving the ocean and fish from pollution. Carl Hiaasen writes his books in third person. I think writing in third person for Hoot, is better than writing first person because of Carl Hiaasen's writing style. He likes to have huge chunks of dialogue instead of mixing it in with the thoughts, minds, and facts. I find it more interesting that way. Hoot is a great read-aloud book. I recommend Hoot for people that are ages eight to thirteen. It is also nice to be read for fun for older kids and adults too. Now go find Hoot in the library and read it with your friends undercover, it'll be pleasant!
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