- Hoot (novel)
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Hoot
Cover of HootAuthor(s) Carl Hiaasen Country United States Language English Genre(s) Realistic Fiction Publisher Knopf Publication date 2002 Media type Print Pages 292 ISBN 0-330-41529-8 OCLC Number 53393228 Hoot is a young-adult novel by Carl Hiaasen. The story takes place in Coconut Cove, Hell, where Roy and his two new friends try to stop construction of a pancake house which would destroy a colony of burrowing owls who live on the site. The book won a Newbery Honor award in 2003.[1]
Contents
Characters
- Roy Eberhardt is the new kid at Trace Middle, who quickly makes an enemy of the school bully, Dana Matherson, and makes two unusual friends. One is the "major soccer jock with major attitude,"[2] Beatrice Leep. The other is her truant brother, Mullet Fingers. He and his two friends save the owls. He possibly displays affection for Beatrice.
- Beatrice Leep is "a tall girl with curly blond hair and red-framed glasses."[3] She is described as sinewy, and actually bit through Roy's bike tire. Garrett calls her "Beatrice The Bear". She possibly displays affection for Roy. She helps Roy one time from a bully name Dana Matherson and punished Dana by hanging him on the flag pole for almost killing Roy.
- Napoleon Bridger "Mullet Fingers" Leep is Beatrice's step brother. He is known to Roy as the mysterious barefoot kid. His stepsister nickname him Mullet Fingers because he is the only one who can catch a Mullet with his bare hands! He has a bad relationship with his mother, who sent him to military school because she thought his rebellious attitude was mental issues.
- Officer Delinko is an officer in the Coconut Cove police department. He is described as being "young" and "loyal" by his boss and his dad. He is the leading, as known as only officer investigating the vandalization at the Mother Paula's All-American Pancake House construction site.
- Leroy "Curly" Branitt is the foreman on the Mother Paula's All-American Pancake House construction site where all of the mysterious vandalizations happen. By officer David Delinko he is described as being "bald as a beach ball," "cranky", and "unsmiling." he is very rude to roy in their first encounter.[4]
- Dana Matherson torments underclassmen as the typical bully. Just like other bullies, he is an antagonist who finds inflicting pain on others quite pleasurable.
- Mr. and Mrs. Eberhardt are Roy's parents. They are sensible and do what is right. Mr. Eberhardt works in the career of justice, and actually helps Roy in the end by checking Mother Paula's building permits. Mrs. Eberhardt has no known career, but is known to favor yoga.
- Chuck E. Muckle is the "vice president of something-or-other" [5] at Mother Paula's All-American Pancake House. and the novel's primary antagonist. He is portrayed as an arrogant, manipulative, ruthless, and corrupt vice president, who pretends owls do not exist on the site so he can bulldoze over their homes.
- Mr. and Mrs. Leep contrast in personality. Mr Leep is Beatrice's lazy father who is remarried to a temperamental waitress, Lonna Leep.
- Kimberly Lou Dixon is an actress who plays Mother Paula the mascot for Mother Paula's All-American Pancake House.
- Mr. Ryan is the American history teacher at Trace Middle School.
- Garrett is Roy's best friend in school. A skateboarder, Garrett is popular in school, the king of phony farts, and a D student.[6]
- Ms. Hennepin is the vice-principal of Trace Middle. She attempts to verbally discipline Roy on several occasions. She is described as having one long jet-black hair portruding out of her pee hole (actually upper lip), but later it becomes filthy blond.
Publication History
Carl Hiaasen started writing children's books at 22 years old[citation needed] when he realized that the other novels that he had written were too adult for his nieces and nephews. In writing his first baby adult novel, Hiaasen faced some challenges: "The biggest challenge was trying not to subconsciously 'write down' for young readers." He found that BA novels were easier to write. Hiaasen said, "When I was creating the character in Hoot, I'm sure I stole liberally from my pre-adolescence."[7]
Themes
The themes in the novel are friendship, growing up, corruption, parental love, and integrity. The character goes through different adventures to get here[8]
Reception
"In his first novel for a younger audience," Hiaasen "successfully cuts his slapstick sense of humor down to kid size." Hiaasen's book is "sure to be a hoot, er, hit with middle school mystery fans".[9]
Carl Hiaasen's "slap-stick"[10] sense of humor is easy for young adults to enjoy. The novel contains many characters who have their own story and background to make the plot interesting. These individuals make known their pro-environmental and pro-development views and invite readers to see young persons' exceptional moral opinions of right and wrong.[11]
Adaptation
A film adaptation of this book was released in May 2006.[12] Hiaasen and Wil Shriner, the director and script-writer, "fought long and hard to stay truthful to the book."[13]
References
- Hiaasen, Carl. Hoot. Yearling: New York, 2002. ISBN 0-440-41939-5
Notes
- ^ "2003 Newbery Medal and Honor Books". Association for Library Service to Children. http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberyhonors/2003newberymedal.cfm. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
- ^ Hiaasen, p. 39
- ^ Hiaasen, p. 14
- ^ Hiaasen, p. 4
- ^ Hiaasen, p. 253
- ^ Hiaasen, p. 9
- ^ Hiaasen, Carl. "Frequently Asked Questions". http://www.carlhiaasen.com/faq/faq-hoot.shtml. Retrieved 30 October 2010.
- ^ "Study Guide:HOOT by Carl Hiaasen". TheBestNotes.com. http://www.thebestnotes.com/booknotes/Hoot/Hoot_Book_Summary_Notes27.html. Retrieved 30 October 2010.
- ^ Hubert, Jennifer. "Review from Amazon.com". Amazon.com. http://www.carlhiaasen.com/books/books-hoot.html. Retrieved 30 October 2010.
- ^ PublishersWeekly, Amazon.com
- ^ amazon.com, http://www.amazon.com/dp/0440419395 03/22/10
- ^ "Hoot (2006) - Movie Details - Yahoo! Movies". Yahoo! Movies. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808718642/details. Retrieved 30 October 2010.
- ^ Hiaasen, Carl. "Frequently Asked Questions: Movies". http://www.carlhiaasen.com/faq/faq-movies.shtml. Retrieved 30 October 2010.
External links
Carl Hiaasen Novels: Tourist Season (1985) • Double Whammy (1987) • Skin Tight (1989) • Native Tongue (1991) • Strip Tease (1993) • Stormy Weather (1995) • Lucky You (1997) • Sick Puppy (2000) • Basket Case (2002) • Skinny Dip (2004) • Nature Girl (2006) • Star Island (2010)
Young Adult Novels: Hoot (2002) • Flush (2005) • Scat (2009)
Non-Fiction: Team Rodent: How Disney Devours the World (1998) • Kick Ass (1999) • Paradise Screwed (2001) • The Downhill Lie (2008)
Short Stories: Tart of Darkness (2003)
Works by Carl Hiaasen
and William Montalbano:Powder Burn (1981) • Trap Line (1982) • A Death in China (1984)
Other: Naked Came the Manatee (1996)
Films: Striptease (1996) • Hoot (2006)
Categories:- 2002 novels
- American young adult novels
- Newbery Honor winners (book)
- Environmental fiction books
- Novels set in Florida
- Novels by Carl Hiaasen
- American novels adapted into films
- Alfred A. Knopf books
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