Hoot

Rating:
Summary: A funny book with a pleasing suspense and steady pace
Review: Being a fan of Mr. Hiaasen's wonderfully twisted, weird fiction for adults, I was intrigued by the idea of him writing for a younger audience. Would there be a crazed, hulking idiot with a dead pit bull hanging off his arm? A roadkill-eating former governor? How would he present his somewhere-between-amused-and-disgusted attitude toward humanity in a manner palatable to kids?

I'm happy to report that HOOT is funny, well written, and enjoyable, even for a depraved old lady like me. The plot concerns Roy Eberhardt, an intelligent, resourceful middle-school student who has just moved to Florida from Montana. He misses the mountains and wilderness of Montana. As a kid who has moved a lot, he's not surprised to be the victim of bully Dana Matherson. While being pummeled by Dana on the school bus, Roy spies a kid running along the sidewalk, a kid with no backpack and no shoes. Intrigued, he sets out to find him and gets involved up to his eyeballs in the strange kid's guerilla tactics to save a particular street corner from its fate as the future site of another Mother Paula's All-American Pancake. The adults seem to be ignoring the burrows of tiny owls that will be buried by the bulldozing equipment any day now. Roy's parents explain that it surely is a shame about the owls, but the company must have filed all of the papers and received all of the necessary permits. But Roy and his new friends --- Mullet Fingers, the outlaw boy, and Beatrice, his tough, soccer playing stepsister --- are not about to take the destruction of the owls' burrows lying down. Along the way they outwit Officer Delinko, the ambitious cop who tries to protect the site, and Curly, the foreman who's responsible for getting the job started.

Roy's parents are thoughtful and very caring. Roy shields his tenderhearted Mom from the fact that Mullet Fingers lives in the woods and at the dump because his own mother doesn't want him. That's probably the most brutal aspect of the novel, unless perhaps it's the dishonesty of the Mother Paula's corporation in attempting to deny the existence of the endangered owls. Mr. and Mrs. Eberhardt worry about Roy and advise him, but ultimately, Roy figures out a successful plan on his own.

The book carries us along with a pleasing suspense and steady pace. The author provides neat encapsulations of each character's motivations that are often missing from adult fiction. (Presumably we can work it out for ourselves.) While it might be missing the extreme characters and profanity of his adult novels, HOOT still reflects Mr. Hiaasen's usual indignation over the rape of his native Florida. Roy is an appealing character, one who may very well inspire young readers to question authority when necessary and act to protect the environment. How subversive is that? Kids of all ages should love it.

--- Reviewed by Eileen Zimmerman Nicol

Rating:
Summary: Environmental struggle for kids
Review: Roy Eberhardt has just moved from Montana to Florida. He misses the mountains and in the school bus he is bullied by the enormous and stupid Dana Matherson. Then he sees he boy running on bare feet and is fascinated by the question who this boy is. Slowly but surely he gains the trust of the boy and his stepsister Beatrice Leep. The story is about a new branch of Mother Paula's All-American Pancake House, which will be build on a site where cute and endangered miniature owls are living in holes in the ground. After numerous adventures Roy finds that life in Florida is not so bad after all.

A children's book (10-12 years) that is a smooth read. Roy may be a rather docile, politically correct boy with very understanding parents, but the story line has wit and a good pace and matters are solved with a lot of creativity rather than force.

Rating:
Summary: A great book
Review: Hoot is one of those rare young adult books that keep readers of all ages entertained. It deserves to sit on your top shelf with other modern day classics like King Fortis the Brave, Holes and Harry Potter.

Rating:
Summary: A strong foray into children's books, but he'll do better.
Review: The following is a review by a long-time Hiaasen reader for other such readers considering picking up "Hoot":

Having read nearly all of Carl Hiaasen's adult novels (only excepting "Sick Puppy"), I was excited to receive a new Hiaasen novel for Christmas, his first children's book.

While it's definitely a Carl Hiaasen novel, he pulled some punches in the work that make it one of his lesser titles. It wasn't his strongly pro-environment stance (present and in a version that everyone can relate to, even adult readers who were ready for an example of Florida's problems that doesn't involve draining the Everglades, as serious of an issue as that is) nor his eye for detail (a hair on the lip of a middle school vice-principal ranks up there with one of the classic Hiaasen bits of all time), but his characters.

In every other Hiaasen novel, there is at least one hilariously odd character who helps break up the seriousness of the work by their misguided insanity, whether it's the hit man commiting murder for plastic surgery in "Skin Graft," the hapless Hooters-besotted would-be white supremacists in "Lucky You" or any of the rock industry hangers-on in "Basket Case."

While these characters traditionally help break up the sometimes instense stories, they're also one of the places where Hiaasen's manic sense of humor gets a chance to shine. Without it being present in "Hoot," the book feels like the author (or maybe an editor) was holding him back. And as a result, the various non-kid characters seem somewhat depressingly pathetic. (Honestly, do we need more than two adults who are about to lose their jobs, when one of them is a perfectly nice individual who's just stuck in the middle of this chaos?)

Which isn't to say that "Hoot" isn't a good book -- it's a great one, one that pre-teens and up will enjoy (although there might be a few parents who take issue with the single swear word and Hiaasen's strongly anti-authority stance) and one that long time Hiaasen novels will find well worth picking up.

I especially look forward to Hiaasen's next work of fiction -- one could almost feel his creative juices being recharged by doing this somewhat different sort of novel. While his usual rogue environmentalist, Skink, has gotten very tired, he creates a kid-appropriate substitute in "Hoot," and makes him the central focus of the story. I hope we'll see more of Mullet Fingers and the Eberhardts in his adult novels.

Recommended for Hiaasen fans and for readers 12 and up.

Rating:
Summary: A first read of Carl Hiaasen
Review: I have to admit that I chose to read this book on the cardinal sin of choosing a book: I liked the cover.

What was inside the cover was even better.

I had never read Carl Hiaasen before and I truly enjoyed Hoot. The characters were well developed and yet mysterious at the same time. I found myself "talking back" to the book during some parts. I was captivated and I was taken into the story. Realistic fiction is supposed to provide a sense of hope, and this book definitely did. For me, it was a sliding door into the story and I stepped into the world of Roy and Beatrice.

As an educator in the elementary school system, I feel that this book is an excellent choice for kids. Many kids are sympathetic with animals and they become enchanted by characters that stick up for what they believe in. This book provides an excellent opportunity for children to see how fictional characters in a story can relate to the readers. It's just a great encouraging book for both kids and adults.

If you're looking for a great extra-curriculum read, Hoot is a great page-turner and I look forward to reading Hiassen's works in the future.

Rating:
Summary: Hiaasen's hit
Review: Hoot:(noun) 1. To make the natural throat noise of an owl.
2. To assail with contemptuous cries or other expressions of disapproval or contempt.

(This definition has been brought to you courtesy of "Webster's Third New International Dictionary").

A clever title for a book that is, in and of itself, pretty darn smart. Penned by a man better known for his adult detective tales, "Hoot" garnered a fair amount of praise when it was first published. It did win the 2003 Newbery Honor Award, after all. No small feat with the sheer amount of well-written children's literature out there. The book is deceptively simple, excellently written, and a great addition to the canon of kids-taking-on-corporate-monoliths-with-grassroots-intervention genre.

Roy has just moved to Florida from Montana, and he hates it. No wonder too. In Montana he had mountains, and cowboys, and fresh cool seasons. In Florida he has flat flat landscapes, a bully that wants to squash Roy in a variety of different shapes, and detestable summery sticky seasons. Things start looking up, however, when Roy spots a barefooted boy running at top speed away from the school bus on a weekday. Sensing a mystery to the boy, Roy gets involved in a plot involving the local burrowing owl population. It seems as if a huge chain entitled Mother Paula's All-American Pancake Houses, Inc. has decided to build its next yummy store smack dab on top of the owls and their homes. Joining with the barefoot boy (nicknamed Mullet Fingers) and the boy's soccer playing tough-girl step-sister Beatrice, the three work to put an end to the dastardly plot to bury the burrowers.

I'm coming at this book from a number of different levels. To begin with, it does my aging (albeit 26-year-old) hippy heart glad to see a book in which grassroots organization ultimately topples large competitors like Mother Paula's. What really is impressive is one of the many morals of the story. Roy is told by his parents to balance the wishes of his heart with his head. Obviously he cares for these tiny owls and their homes, but engaging in vandalism like Mullet Fingers (harmless vandalism, yes, but illegal just the same) isn't going to solve anything. What Roy has to do, ultimately, is to go the relatively boring route. Get the facts on paper. In the end, the solution to the problem is as much legal as it is moral. Hiassen does take the easy route out by having the owl be an endangered species. I would have personally enjoyed the story more if this was just a tale about a couple kids trying to save perfectly normal and common burrowing owls, but oh well. It's a tiny complaint. On another level, how many books do your read these days where a) The main character has caring parents b) The main character has caring parents that are intelligent and c) The main character has caring parents that are intelligent AND to whom the main character reveals everything when asked. When Roy's dad asks him to explain himself, he does. This is such a rarity in children's literature on a whole (usually because it's easier to write disobeying children than obeying ones) that it deserves to be commended. So well done, Mr. Author-sir. Well done indeed.

The characters are particularly well drawn as well. Hats off to Carl Hiaasen for his excellent depictions of women-folk. Beatrice Leep is a soccer jock, blond, and wears glasses. Ooh! Quick quick, who can spot the character that doesn't rely on ancient stereotypes? I can I can! Beatrice ain't no one you've met before, honey. She has a horrible family life, a step-brother she must protect at all costs, and sharp pointy teeth. I was particularly taken with the moment in which Beatrice decides to knaw her mother's toe ring off her nasty stepmother's foot. Rounding out the unusual characters is an officer that's simulataneously a lummox and redeemable, a foreman that's a boor but amusing, and a bully that never really tries to become a good guy in any way, shape, or form.

I could go on and on, but Amazon.com limits reviews to 1000 words, so I'll just stop here. The point I am making is that this book isn't just moral and isn't just well-written, but is also (most importantly) fun. It's amusing to read. You just want to zip through it when you start your perusal. If Hiaasen isn't satisfied with merely snatching the Newbery Honor, then I personally would like to request that he strive for the top honor again. Write another book, Mr. Hiaasen! If it's even half as good as this one, you can rest assured that I'll be reading it soon.

Rating:
Summary: Hoot's a hoot!!
Review: I love Hiaasen's novels about Florida and all of the zany characters he creates to tell his pro-ecology stories. When I saw he had written another one I reflexivly one clicked to have it sent to me. When I got it I thought it was a tad smaller in size than the usual novel one buys in hardcover and the print seemed to be a little large, but no matter as I dove into the saga of Roy Eberhardt.

I was perhaps a couple of chapters into the book when I noticed on the fly leaf that it was a Children's Book of the Month Club selection. Really? Well, I was enjoying and as I continued to read through it I continued to be drawn along with the story of the new boy from Montana being introduced to both the beauty of Florida and it's not so beautiful experiences with developers.

In this story the guys in black work for a Pancake House conglomerate called, Mother Paula's All American Pancake House. They intend to open their 469th family style restaurant on a piece of property in Coconut Grove. The fences are up. The construction trailer is on the site. The bulldozers have arrived. All appears to be ready for construction to begin. Then things start to happen. First all the survey markers are pulled up and all the stake holes are filled in.The air is let out of the construction vehiles tires. Alligators (small ones) are put in the out house toilets. No work is being done. The date for a grand opening is approaching. Who is doing this and why are no mystery to the reader, but they are a serious question to the construction foreman, Curly, police officer Delinko and Curly's boss at headquarters, Chuck Muckle. Of course, Mother Paula's is about to be constructed on land on which there a bunch of burrowing owls. Mother Paula's people know it. No one else does until a very unusual "hero" sets in motion a wonderful string of events which leads to a predictable but very humorous conclusion.

It may have been written for children, but what the heck - we are all kids at heart.

Rating:
Summary: Hoot...An okay book
Review: This book was very logical and believable. This is probably a book for someone who doesn't like fantasy. And boys would LOVE this book, as well. I personally didn't like how adults played a big role in this book. Most kids like books without too many adults in them. Some of the characters were a bit weak, but this book was very well written.

Rating:
Summary: Hoot
Review: I really liked this book it was funny and interesting. My favorite part was the end when Roy's dad help him by getting the documents of the inspection of the lot where Mother Paula's Pancake house was going to be. They were going to build on a place where burrowing owls lived.They were going to take there homes. Roy's dad helped him by getting those document and the were busted. They had bribed the mayor to let them make pancake house there. I liked this book it was good and it took place right here in Florida. Thanks for writing such good book.

Rating:
Summary: monicas review for the book!
Review: dear carl hiaasen,

my names monica hernandez and im writting to you to tell you how much i enjoyed your book. There was alot of excitment. And also alot of mystery and its was comical. I havent read a book like that that was so good in a long time!also I am very amazed how some body can add all those details in a story like that. I will also like to thank you for making such a good book for us to read thank you.