I've been on a lovely diet of Middle Grade Newbery Honor books
and just finished reading Hoot by Carl Hiaasen. I've always wanted to read this novel, and I finally
got my chance. Of course it was amazing, that's why I love Newbery Honor
books. You can pick up any novel with the metallic stamp on the front and know
you're getting a fantastic read.
Hoot, set in sunny Florida, has a heartwarming story line with
plenty of color descriptions and characters. In addition to reading about
pancakes, porta-potty alligator pranks, and adorable tiny owls, you end with a feeling that no matter how small you are, you
can make a difference in the world.
You can find out more about Hoot below or see Carl Hiaasen's
other's novels here.
Roy
Eberhardt is the new kid--again. This time around it's Trace
Middle School
in humid Coconut Grove,
Florida.
But it's still the same old routine: table by himself at lunch, no real
friends, and thick-headed bullies like Dana Matherson pushing him around.
But
if it wasn't for Dana Matherson mashing his face against the school bus window
that one day, he might never have seen the tow-headed running boy. And if he
had never seen the running boy, he might never have met tall, tough,
bully-beating Beatrice. And if he had never met Beatrice, he might never have
discovered the burrowing owls living in the lot on the corner of East
Oriole Avenue. And if he had never
discovered the owls, he probably would have missed out on the adventure of a
lifetime. Apparently, bullies do serve a greater purpose in the scope of the
universe. Because if it wasn't for Dana Matherson...
In
his first novel for a younger audience, Carl Hiaasen (Basket Case, etc.)
plunges readers right into the middle of an ecological mystery, made up of
endangered miniature owls, the Mother Paula's All-American Pancake House
scheduled to be built over their burrows, and the owls' unlikely allies--three
middle school kids determined to beat the screwed-up adult system. Hiaasen's
tongue is firmly in cheek as he successfully cuts his slapstick sense of humor
down to kid-size. Sure to be a hoot, er, hit with middle school mystery fans.
(from Carl Hiaasen's site).
Other books from Carl Hiaasen
