Hoot (by Carl Hiaasen)

common sense media says

Award-winning tale is surprisingly uninventive.


parents & educators say
  • 27% say there are positive messages

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that there is some mild violence and swearing here, and that, while the adults are mostly portrayed negatively, the heroes don't always behave honestly either.

Positive messages: An ecological mystery that advocates the preservation of America's wildlife.
Positive role models: Most of the adults are stupid, venal, and self-serving. The heroes cut
school, lie, run away from home, and vandalize a construction site for
a good cause.
Violence: Several fights, a broken nose, a gun, a gory snowmobile accident, some domestic violence.
Sex: Not applicable.
Language: A few mild curses.
Consumerism: A few brand names mentioned: Reeboks, IHOP, etc.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: A delinquent teen smokes.

More on Hoot

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
  • Families can talk about the issues raised here concerning the conflict between environmental and economic concerns. How should we balance our human needs with those of the natural world?
  • What do you think about the ways in which the characters behaved in order to protect the owls? Was it realistic?
  • What would you have done? Families who also see the movie may want to compare and contrast the two.
  • Which version do you like better? What would you have done differently?

What's the story?

What's the story?
Roy is the new kid in school, and is already being picked on by the school bully, Dana. But one day, while having his face mashed against the bus window, he sees a mysterious barefoot boy running away from the bus and school. Roy tracks him down and discovers, among other things that the boy, who calls himself Mullet Fingers, is committing acts of vandalism against a construction site where they plan to build a pancake restaurant on a site where rare and endangered burrowing owls are nesting.

Meanwhile, in dealing with Dana, Roy finds that getting the better of him only seems to make him more dangerous. Fortunately he finds an ally in Beatrice, Mullet Finger's stepsister, who's even tougher than Dana. And Mullet's pranks, rather than discouraging the foreman of the construction crew, seems to be making him more dangerous as well.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
It's harder to write great children's literature than you might think. Carl Hiaasen may be a superb adult author, but in his first foray into children's books, he's pretty much painting by numbers. Let's see ... lots of stupid and venal adults, check. Cute animals, check. Kid hero on his own, tough girl with heart of gold, check, check. Mean bully, check. Fart jokes, check. Evil corporation, check. Stupid adults won over by cute animals and plucky kid heroes, check. Yup, it's all here. So why doesn't it add up to more?

Despite all that, and an ending that will be a little too Huck Finn for some readers' tastes, HOOT is a modestly involving story with likable enough characters, and it occasionally manages the stirring of an emotion of two. Parents will also appreciate that, among all the usual bumbling and venal adults, Roy's parents stand out as caring, concerned, intelligent, and ultimately supportive. In another example of the Newbery Committee's unfathomable criteria, Hoot was selected as an Honor Book for 2003.

Book themes & details

Book Details
Author: Carl Hiaasen
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Publication date: May 1, 2006
Number of pages: 292
Hardcover price: $15.95
Paperback price: $8.95

This review was written by Matt Berman
 
 

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What parents & educators say

10
Based on 11 parent & educator reviews:
  • 27% say there are positive messages

Most useful reviews by all members

noorasaidwhat
parent of 10 year old
 
Great book
I read it with my twins, they LOVED it! There was some language... But, overall, I reccomend it.

SARAH IS AMAZING
kid, 12 years old
 
not the best
i thought it was amazing but not the best book i've ever read

HOOT IS BEAST
kid, 13 years old
 
HOOT IS THE BEST BOOK EVER!
OMG best book I have ever EVER read!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please read!!!!!!!!!!! If you don't you will never find a good book again! Just saying!

Karl Pleus
kid, 13 years old
 
Hoot book Review by Kyle Hagen
This book is excellent for kids and adults to read. It's funny appropriate and not sexually inappropriate. It says something about our environment in a general casual way. I love the way that Carl Hiaason wrote the POV of the characters.

ilovecaleb
kid, 13 years old
 
LOVE ITTTTT <333

spider monkey
teen, 14 years old
 
The book hoot by Carl Hiaasen is fantastic. It is about a boy,Roy, who comes to a new town and is expecting to find no friends. To his surprise one day he sees a boy running barefooted along side the school bus. He watches the boy as he is getting choked to death on the bus by the school bully. He figures out that the soccer jock ,named Beatrice Leep, of the school is his sister. The running boy has been pulling harmless pranks on a contruction site in order to delay the work hours of a Mother Paulas pancake house being built. He's doing this because he found owl holes in the ground and innocent owls about to be harmed. For a prank he let out a few snakes with their mouths taped shut. The guard dogs around the place got scared and bit the running boy's arm. He was seriously injured and he had to go to a hospital. They had to use Roy's name because everyone thought the running boy was a missing person for he ran away from home not to long ago. They get caught up in the police a few times, but they get away. Its a very intense book and i just don't want to put it down. I finish a chapter and then move right on to the next one. its hard to find books like that. This one is especially one of my favorite books. What do you think? Will the owls get saved? -AEC

Ilovemedia
kid, 12 years old
 
This is a great book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

do101
kid, 12 years old
 
I think that the book hoot is telling you that you shouldn't kill nature or people will find out and do something to you

emily22
kid, 12 years old
 
It is a "good" book! I love all of CaRL hIAASENS books I would defitlently recommend this to your kids even you should read (10+)

reviewgirl13
teen, 16 years old
 
Language is iffy, but great message!
Well,2 years ago, my whole class in 5th grade read this book, and it was really good. Parents, there are a few swear words in this book, which I don't think were needed. But anyway, this book is about a kid named Roy who moves to a new school and he and his friends, "Mullet Fingers" and Beatrice, help him save some owls from getting their homes taken away from them. The book is interesting, and it has a great message and ending.

Emily Davenport
kid, 12 years old
 
good!
it was really good

stripesanddots
teen, 15 years old
 
Too Much Language
I thought the book was pretty good, but I stopped reading it because I thought there was too much language.

CoolioKutie
teen, 13 years old
 
Perfect for anyone who has an A.R. Reading Level of 5.5 or higher
This is a great story for the young to read. It is about sticking to your goal and acheiving it using teamwork. It's touching when all of the owls are saved after Roy gives the meaningful speech.

fezzihair100
kid, 9 years old
 
this is a great movie I think that it is a good movie because itsinspiring and teaches about good freindship

jollyfun
kid, 11 years old
 
scat is way better!
One day I started reading this book and I found some bad languge. I also found a lot of violents! There were guns and all that bad stuff. I also found in the book people smoking! Scat is way better than this book!

LissaNicky
teen, 15 years old
 
Okay
Same as the book not bad not great... it's a typical novel. There were some boring parts and I think the bullying that goes on at school was exagerated.

Jookie
teen, 14 years old
 
Good for anyone over 11
Good book, good moral, slight foul language use(small amount)

underdawg
teen, 16 years old
 
the best book ever
there is a good message and it is not 2 reck land because animals homes r there but there is a lot of violence and some cussing there is a lot of product placement also such as reebok and ihop but it was the best book i have ever read

mysterioussociety
kid, 13 years old
 
Booooooooo
Oi...I gotta say the book was DISAPOINTING.(Wait, did I spell that right? Oh well I'm eleven.) *covers face* I just...can't review it any more! ... :(

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