After reading “Skinny Dip”, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read another book by Carl Hiassen, but my co-worker highly recommended Hoot. Considering she had read both books, and told me it would appeal to my love of the environment, I thought I would give it a try.

Carl Hiassen’s books seem to be popular right now, so it was difficult to find it in the library. (I could have easily bought it, but I had just spent money on Harry Potter.) Finally, I managed to catch a large print version of this book in the young adult section of my library. The cover was bright and appealing, just like this author’s other books (consisting of an owl’s eyes and beak, on a bright blue background). I happened to have a hardcover book, but there is a paperback version, which runs 304 pages.


Plot & Characters

The premise of the book begins with Roy, who glimpses a boy running barefoot through the neighborhood as he takes the bus to school. He is fascinated and wants to know why a kid his age is running around barefoot instead of going to school. He tries to find the boy, to no avail.

At the same time, ground is going to be broken for a new pancake restaurant. Yet, the foreman of the project is constantly plagued by pranks that impede their ability to begin the project – everything from survey markers being removed to the seats on the tractors being stolen.

The two stories come together as we find out that the mysterious boy is trying to protect the lot from being built. There are burrowing owls that live there – cute, little owls, many of which are babies.


My Thoughts

As I began reading Hoot, the author had my attention. You don’t get the full story at the beginning of the book, so I was kind of itching to find out what was going on (despite already knowing the basic plot from the blurb).

I really grew to like the main character, Roy. He is intelligent, curious, and a good person. As he becomes more involved with the plight of the owls, his character gains depth. Roy is also a good role model for his peers. He does his best to make his parents happy, makes sacrifices, is compassionate, and stands up for what is right.

The story is very down to earth, and I think many people can relate to the story. Many of these are childhood issues, such as Roy being bullied at school. Not only does he get called names being the new kid at his school, but he gets beat up on the bus. When he defends himself, no one sees it, so of course Roy ends up in trouble. That also touches on issues of Roy not being able to convince adults that he is telling the truth, which comes up again with the owls.

Roy also deals with issues of loyalty, family, and friends. He is an only child, and wants to live up to what he feels his parent’s expectations might be. He reaches a point where he has to make decisions that he knows may displease his parents, but may come down to the death of the owls. These are big decisions for Roy, who has to weigh the good versus the bad.

Amazon.com states that this book is for reading level ages 9-12. Although this book might have been written for young adults, I think it is great for all ages. This is a heartwarming book, which was pleasant and unique.

The plight of the owls was something that hit home for me. I did my undergrad and graduate degrees in environment/resource management, and I loved that Hiassen decided to write about an issue that matters. I noticed in Skinny Dip that he also wrote about a Florida environmental issue, and it seems to be one of his passions. Not only does it make for a great story, it brings some validity to the book. Being that it is a point of contention, it adds an interesting element to the book, and makes for good conversation. If I were teaching, I might assign this book to discuss through a lesson plan, since the book raises all kinds of questions. You could easily do debates for each side and further research the topics. I actually did a quick Google search for “Hoot lesson plans” and did get some results.

Personally, I found the story very warming. My thoughts are that we live in a world where not enough people care about our environment, or even are aware of environmental issues or impacts. Hoot didn’t preach to readers, make judgments, or show things from a one-sided perspective. The “barefoot boy” (and later, Roy), simply finds the owls cute and cannot imagine a tractor rolling over the earth, crushing the baby owls to death. Being the age they are (9th grade, I believe), have any background thoughts on this matter, and it is simply instinctual feelings that propel them to protect the owls.

On his website, Carl Hiaasen states, “ The burrowing owls who face destruction in HOOT are very much real. Their habitat is being wiped out by development, so the state finally gave them the status of a protected species. Sadly, the bulldozers keep rolling.” I think the passion of the author shows through in Hoot, but without managing to offend anyone.

There is an element of mystery in Hoot, which added some suspense. I was actually pretty curious to see what would happen next, for example, who is the prankster behind sabotaging the site for the groundbreaking.

Despite the seriousness of the book, it was also fun to read and had many humorous parts. The gravity of the owl’s situation did not overwhelm the plot in a bad way. There were plenty of bright and promising moments that kept the momentum of the book. In fact, there is a feeling of empowerment in this book. Often, people feel like they cannot make a difference in the world, and Hoot challenges this. I think it helps younger people to see that they can stand up for things they care about, and see results. The book is genuinely inspiring to all ages.


Overall

I really enjoyed this book, and will recommend it to others, regardless of age. Carl Hiaasen did a wonderful job in both content and writing style. This book was meaningful and time well spent.

I am now particularly looking forward to reading more of this author’s books. The common environmental themes are very appealing, and it is easy for me to connect to the subject matter.


You can read an excerpt from the book at Amazon.com.

Carl Hiaasen: http://www.carlhiaasen.com

http://www.floridaconservation.org/viewing/species/burrowingowl.html

Hoot is being made into a movie, to be released in theaters in Spring 2006!
http://www.walden.com/web/teach/hoot - also a great site for educational tools

My review of Skinny Dip


Recommended: Yes