Carl Hiaasen's Hoot is a Hoot

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen. Random House, Inc., Copyright 2002  

Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Hoot is a book about a kid named Roy who notices a strange, running boy with bare feet. He soon hears about some suspicious activity at the site of the local pancake house which is about to be built. He soon finds out that the mysterious running boy, known as “mullet fingers” is behind the strange activity at the pancake house, but he isn’t just a vandal causing problems, he is trying to save burrowing owls that are nesting at the construction site. Now Roy has to decide what is right and what is wrong and whether to follow the law or fight for the owls.

“A tale torn from the pages of Hiaasen’s past and South Florida’s present, a rollicking, righteous story about two middle-school eco-warriors”

- The Miami Herald

Carl Hiaasen’s books are usually for a more adult audience, but in this book for young adults his writing style is appealing to a teen and has a powerful meaning at the same time. I haven’t read any of Carl Hiaasen’s other books, but his writing style is very similar to that of Jerry Spinelli in that it has a serious undertone while still seeming playful.

“They put alligators in your potties, sir. Real live alligators.”

“More than one?” (27).

I like the message of the story, because endangered species are very important and I think people should be more careful when dealing with endangered species. Big companies today sometimes don’t pay enough attention to the planet.

I give Hoot 3 paws - pursue it.