Hoot Hardcover – September 10, 2002

Absolutely wonderful book that I couldn’t put down and how to read till it was finished!Mr. Hiaasen really knows how to write a story with a warm heart and full of character. And even made into a movie!When Roy Eberhardt had to move from Montana to Florida he was devastated. How long the way he changed his mind after he met a barefoot boy who intrigued him. He showed him new things about Florida and gave him a purpose in helping him save some burrowing owls.

Hoot is an entertaining excursion into unconstrained development, grass-roots activism, and Florida wildlife from a middle-schooler’s perspective. It also introduces a character who we will meet again in the next books in this series.

Great story. Children who cared about a protected species of owl. Would recommend it to a teacher from reading with students about caring for our environment. Glad this story had a happy ending!

Perfect condition

My eyes are a little bit moist after having just finished HOOT by Carl Hiaasen. As I write this, I'm perched upon the royal blue carpeting between two of the dividers that stretch the length of a football field and herd us slowly in the direction of Jean Auel. Jean is sitting on a stool behind a table just beyond the goal line. I arrived here at the Javits Convention Center around 6:15 this morning--that's 3:15 A.M. California time, my body reminds me--in order to obtain one of the relatively limited tickets that allow entrance to this line for the purpose of receiving a smile and a signed copy of the new book from Ms. Auel. David Halberstam's line will be my next stop. But at the moment I am feeling like my best literary score of the day is the additional advance copy of HOOT that my friends at Random House are graciously permitting me to take back to California. Now, I can lend out a copy (first to my faithful webmaster) and keep another to eventually put away in my collection of the really good ones.Yes, HOOT is one that you'll want for your collection, too.I was just about to say that I can't wait to get home and start reading HOOT to my kids and Shari, but that wouldn't be particularly true. Thanks to another publisher friend, I am going to see Dee Dee Ramone and the Tom Tom Club perform at a party tonight, so frankly I CAN wait a little while to get back to California. But when I DO get there, you can be sure that I'm immediately sitting everyone down to share this great tale.First, you have the owls:"Walking back toward the patrol car, the policeman stumbled and fell down. Curley grabbed him under one arm and hoisted him to his feet.'Stupid owls,' said Curley.The policeman brushed the dirt and grass burrs off his uniform. 'You say owls?'Curley gestured at a hole in the ground. It was as big around as one of Mother Paula's famous buttermilk flapjacks. A mound of loose white sand was visible at the entrance.'That's what you tripped over,' Curley informed Officer Delinko.'An owl lives down there?' The policeman bent down and studied the hole. 'How big are they?'''Bout as tall as a beer can.''No kidding?' said Officer Delinko.'But I ain't never seen one, officially speakin.'"Then, you've got the bully:"The grip on his throat tightened. He felt Dana's ashtray breath on his right ear: 'How come you ain't got your boots on today? Who ever heard of a cowgirl wearing Air Jordans?''They're Rebocks,' Roy squeaked."Now, throw in the mystery kid (whose first appearances are reminiscent of Maniac Magee):"The boy was straw-blond and wiry, and his skin was nut-brown from the sun. The expression on his face was intent and serious. He wore a faded Miami Heat basketball jersey and dirty khaki shorts, and here was the odd part: no shoes. The soles of his bare feet looked as black as barbecue coals...Because the boy kept running--past the corner, past the line of students waiting to get on the bus; past the bus itself. Roy wanted to shout, 'Hey look at that guy!' but his mouth wasn't working so well. Dana Matherson still had him from behind, pushing his face against the window."Add in the seriously evil PR guy from the pancake house chain, the tough girl soccer star, the assortment of parents with widely varying skill levels, and the bumbling young cop. Then drop Roy, the new kid in town, into the middle of everything and you have the recipe for a book that will enchant kids of all ages. There is humor, sadness, and a touch of suspense.What WILL happen to the owls in those holes?In HOOT, Carl Hiaasen does an incredible job of showing the different styles of activism that different people resort to. He presents the reader with the contemporary clash of free enterprise versus global ecological issues. He has a lot to say between the lines about parenting, and he has some great insights into the methods of dealing with bullies.I've never read his adult books, but I sure hope Hiaasen writes more children's books for my kids. HOOT is a heck of a first step into the world of children's literature.Richie Partington[...][email protected]

My son is reading these that are in the series and really enjoys them. I found this one cheaper than other book stores.

Hoot I think Carl Hiaasen was just about the funniest guy to ever write a book. I read him when I get a chance. He wrote “Hoot” for middle school kids and got a Newberry honor award for his trouble. I bought it not knowing any of that but read it anyhow. I am glad I did. The hero, young Roy, comes to Florida from the West. He doesn't know anyone and at school finds himself the odd man out. He makes friends as he can and becomes involved in a criminal attempt to violate the endangered species act. This makes for some excitement, some enjoyment, and with Carl Hiaasen, some definitely weird stuff going on. All at the level that an eighth-grader can deal with. We learn to stand up to bullies, even if we get our clock cleaned. We learn that having smarts turns out to have more uses than brutality. And we get to make fun of adults upon occasion. I am a grown-up and I liked this book. I bet middle school kids will like it too.

Daughter says "These stories are about children who are trying to do something important: saving owls from people who are trying to bulldoze the ground. I like that there's a lot of adventure and this could actually be something happening in life." -- review from a 4th grade reader who loves books

My 9year old boy loved this book. Until this book it was all ‘captain underpants’ , ‘Barry loser’ and ‘horrid henry’. I tried for ages to get him ‘hooked’ on reading and tried a few other books before we found this one. Finally! We are off the “young boy silly stories”books. So I highly recommend it as it helped me make the shift and we are now onto ‘his dark materials’ and books I can read with or alongside him and enjoy talking to him about....sigh, one happy Mummy:)

This item was purchased to assist my Godson with a school English assignment and a Natural World assignment, it was purchased along with the film.It is only a short story, or should I say, that from the adult point of view, it is more of an outline than a story.I can see why the two essay that had been set were: "Write a story about bullying using either the character of Mullet Fingers, Beatrice or Roy. Ensure that you use the information in the book as a base"; and, "Write an article for a local paper about an endangered animal or bird in your area. Include any photographs you have taken" (of course the latter essay assumes that children have access to a camera and the money to get the pictures printed - but that's an argument that the teacher in question and I are going to have at a later date).There is so much scope for use and development of these characters because they are only outlines.The book is the basis for an unexpectedly good family film. It is a paperback with glossy pages and photo stills from the film (although the 12 year old female next door, who came round for a study session, would have liked it to have more pictures of Mullet Fingers).Also included is an unabridged audio CD of the book. Unfortunately, I found the female reader irritating, she appeared to be trying too hard to get to the "level of the child".The CD is attached to the front cover via a poly button and plastic sticker, which means it is not safe or secure. If you were thinking of allowing a child to take this to school, make sure that the disc is removed otherwise you could find it in pieces at the bottom of a school bag, assuming that it hasn't been lost out of the book.I would suggest that, if you are buying this for study, as I did for my Godson, you should ensure that you read the book first (and/or listen to the cd as well), then watch the film, otherwise you will probably be very disappointed in the book.As an adult you'll be wondering why the book wasn't as good, especially considering the book came first.

Great book, daughter lived it. I was buying a new copy as a gift for a friend's child and it arrived today damaged. Mark on cover and corner damaged. Too late to send back but very disappointed Amazon. Tut tut.

Wonderfully woven story linking interesting characters with vivid descriptions of the Florida landscape alongside. My son and I really enjoyed it.

Bought for my granddaughter who had heard about it. She was thrilled with the book for Christmas, and read it throughout the holiday.