Hoot

 

Title: Hoot

Author: Carl Hiaasen 

Publisher: KNOPF

Year of Publication: 2002

Reader's Rating: 3.5

Excerpt: Roy Eberhardt was sitting on the bus looking out the window. The only reason he was looking out the window was because Dana Matherson was holding his head up against it. Dana was the main bully of the school. It was a good thing that he smashed Roy’s face up against the window, because Roy saw a boy, who was running with no shoes on.

In a Nutshell: Roy Eberhardt. You got it. The little "Cowgirl" as some people have took a fancy in calling him. He lived in Montana, but his dad's job moves his family around a lot. The recent move to Florida was not a dream come true. In fact, it was his worst nightmare. The new school he's been forced into is terrible. Dana is terrible. Life, I guess he could say, is terrible. As Dana strangled Roy on the bus one day on the way to school, Roy finally felt the last straw float away slowly and whip violently out the window. He punched Dana square in the face. After such delighted treachery, he is in a tight situation as he meets Beatrice, the tough soccer player, and Mullet Fingers, the mysterious kid with no shoes. Roy was pulled into a mission to save an endangered species of owls that the Pancake House, in the process of building their restaurant, was trying to hide. 

The Fantastical Stuff: Hiaasen draws you into the whole story. At first, I was cautious about it maybe being too "Save the whales! Hug a tree!" but it's actually really good! I enjoyed it very much. 

The Not-so-fantastical stuff: There are a few mild cuss words; just want to warn you. A bit of teen smoking and harsh bullying scenes are sprinkled across the pages but it is obviously put as wrong.

Wrap Up: Well, I'm going to have to say that... I am so dang excited for the next book in the series! I really liked this one so I'm expecting great things from the next one. Obviously, I'm pretty sure that they don't connect. The next one, I do believe, is "Flush." So, I am very excited to meet new characters and to get sucked into a whole new (but similar) world. I really do suggest this book. The owls are counting on you ;)