Hoot by Carl Hiaasen Date of Publication: ISBN:0375821813 Number of Pages: 292

REQUIRED READING ABILITY: Average
GENRES: Adventure, Realism
THEMES: Bullying, Good versus Evil, Appearance versus Reality, Coming of Age, Friendship, Family, Responsibility

SUMMARY:
Roy Eberhardt has just moved to Coconut Cove, Florida. His father’s role with the government has meant Roy’s moved a lot in his short lifetime, but Florida seems like a different planet from his beloved Montana. Still, Roy’s a survivor, and he knows what to expect as a new kid in town. Unfortunately, one of his first acquaintances is with Dana Matherson, the local bully. Although Dana is a bully, if it weren’t for him grinding Roy's face against a school-bus window, Roy would never have spotted a mysterious, barefooted kid his own age, seemingly on the run from something or someone. In his effort to escape the bully so he can track down the boy, he manages to irritate another tough character, the very tall, very strong Beatrice Leep. Roy’s interest in discovering the secret about the mysterious boy doesn’t help matters: the boy turns out to be Beatrice’s stepbrother, “Mullet Fingers,” and she has vowed to protect him. When it becomes clear that Roy means no harm to Mullet Fingers, however, a friendship is born.

Meanwhile, not far from Roy’s house, a construction site and its useless foreman, Curly, are the targets of an unusual vandal. Someone is trying to stop the clearing of the lot on the corner of East Oriole and Woodbury, using creative methods like alligators in the porta-potties, and glitter-tailed snakes in the yard. Mother Paula’s All-American Pancake Houses doesn’t want any bad publicity, and the pressure is put on Curly to find the culprit and get construction started. Curly enlists local police officer David Delinko, and as his paths cross with Roy’s repeatedly, it slowly becomes clear to Officer Delinko that there is more to the mystery of the vandalism than meets the eye.

Mullet Fingers has skipped out of the prison-like school in which his neglectful mother enrolled him, and has returned home to hide out. A lover of nature, he has noticed the three mating pairs of Burrowing Owls on the construction site, and realizes that clearing the lot will bury them. He is the mysterious vandal causing harmless (and hysterical) mayhem at the local construction site, and soon he and Roy join forces. Roy knows that Mullet Fingers’ interesting techniques can only get them so far, so he engineers a plan to save the owls and put a stop to the corrupt Pancake people once and for all. The boring town of Coconut Cove will never be the same again!

WHO WOULD LOVE THIS BOOK? A kid who...

• loves quirky characters, tongue-in-cheek writing, and sarcasm deftly wielded
• likes underdogs
• enjoys fighting for the environment
• hates large corporations
• is a new kid in town
• is bullied, or likes stories where bullies receive justice
• likes Holes and/or Shredderman
• likes Florida
  

WHAT ELSE?

This book has won a ton of awards, including the following:
Newberry Honor Book 2003
SEBA (Southeast Booksellers Association) Book Award for Best Children’s Book
An ABC Booksellers Choice
An ALA Notable Book
A YALSA Best Book for Young Adults
A Child Magazine 50 Best Children’s Books Selection
A New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing Selection
A Book Sense Book of the Year Finalist
A Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year.

It’s been popular with girls and boys alike, and the author is great with realistic, slightly sarcastic dialogue and real-life situations. There are elements of Holes in Hoot, with its mocking look at school officials and bureaucracy, and the need for the reader to accept things at face value. Be aware that Beatrice and Mullet are both essentially neglected children, and there are references to physical violence (though usually toward the bullies, and told in a humourous way). Also, the nature of Mullet’s “vandalism for a good cause” and the bullying incidents should provoke some good conversations in lit circle discussions.

RELATED LINKS:
Carl Hiaasen's Hoot - FAQ
Teacher's Guide
Burrowing Owl Facts