Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole

Guardians of Ga'Hoole, Books One, Two, and Three

By: Kathryn Lasky

Narrated by: Pamela Garelick

Length: 16 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

This box set contains the first three books by Kathryn Lasky, which are the basis of the animated movie, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole.

The Capture, Book One
Soren is born in the forest of Tyto, a tranquil kingdom where the Barn Owls dwell. But evil lurks in the owl world, and Soren is captured and imprisoned in a dark canyon where there is a mysterious school. It’s called an orphanage, but Soren believes it’s something far worse. He and his new friend, the clever and scrappy Gylfie, know that the only way out is up. To escape, they will need to do something these fledglings have never done before—fly. Along the way, Soren and Gylfie meet Twilight and Digger. The four owls band together to seek the truth, be reunited with their families, and protect the owl world from a great danger.

The Journey, Book Two
It began as a dream, a quest for the Great Ga’Hoole Tree, a mythic place where an order of owls rises each night to perform noble deeds. There, Soren, Gylfie, Twilight, and Digger hope to find inspiration to fight the evil that dwells in the owl kingdom. When Soren and his friends finally arrive at the Great Ga’Hoole Tree, they face challenges they never imagined. If they can learn from their leaders and from one another, they will become true Ga’Hoolian owls: honest and brave, wise and true.

The Rescue, Book Three
Ever since Soren was kidnapped, he has longed to see his sister, Eglantine. Now, Eglantine is back in Soren’s life, but she’s been through an ordeal too terrible for words. At the same time, Soren’s mentor, Ezylryb, has mysteriously disappeared and may be in danger. Something deep within Soren tells him there is a connection between these mysterious events. To rescue Ezylryb, Soren must face a force more dangerous than anything that even the evil rulers of the owl orphanage could have devised.

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©2003 Kathryn Lasky (P)2006 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“The story’s fast pace, menacing bad guys, and flashes of humor make this a good choice for reluctant readers, while the underlying message about the power of legends provides a unifying element and gives strong appeal for fantasy fans.” (School Library Journal)

“Broad themes related to the nature of personal choice, the need for fellowship based on love and trust, and sharing knowledge with one’s peers are presented compellingly and with swift grafting to the animal adventure story.” (Booklist)

“The fantasy’s strong believability and fascinating plot make this series a must-read for fantasy-lovers.” (Children’s Literature)

Exciting and well written.

A real adventure with twists and turns. insights into nature, war and friendships formed.

Takes some time to get going but worth the listen

The story is slow going a first but it builds the foundation for the other books. If you liked the LOTR series, it follows a similar formula. Stick with it and by the end of book one you will be hooked. It is a bit dark for young kids, and my 3rd grader found it too scary and didn’t finish book 1, I think older elementary would be the best audience. I will definitely be buying the following books to follow the story to its end. The author does a good job of developing an owl world. The narrator does a good job, sometime she gets a little bit too high pitched for some of the characters but it doesn’t last long. I just wish that the other books were grouped like this volume of three.

Incredibly good story, not just for children.

Would you listen to Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole again? Why?

Yes, the story is well plotted and the cast is sized well for the intended audience. There are a lot of intermediate climaxes that keep the reader engaged with satisfying ultimate climaxes and resolutions that are satisfying but never final leaving more story yet to be told.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked that the story was fun and interesting without venturing into issues that are morally charged making it a very safe story about the value of family, friends, and personal fortitude.

Which scene was your favorite?

The fight with Metal Beak was very well written.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were numerous moments that were moving. That is one of the reasons I liked this book. Some examples are the escape from St. Aggies, the trip to Gahoole from the north, the trip to the forest with the ghosts, and many more.

Any additional comments?

I would have liked a better explanation for Metal Beak's skills.

Excellent tale for children and tweens

What made the experience of listening to Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole the most enjoyable?

This beautifully drawn tale of young owls pursuing good in the face of adult owl evil is gripping and helps to open conversations about resisting fascist and racist regimes and upholding law, order and good government. The little details about owl biology and the made up language and culture get children inspired to learn more about owls and to imagine wonderful stories in this world.

What other book might you compare Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole to and why?

This reminds me of Ms. Frisby and the rats of Nim. It also reminds me of the Tales of Redwall.

Which character – as performed by Pamela Garelick – was your favorite?

Mrs. Plithifor was a favourite for my children and they also loved Soren.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Soren realised that owls that sound nice might have bad motives.

Any additional comments?

Inspiring story for children and tweens and great bridge into learning about world war ii and current events.

An Absolutely Wonderful Tale

The owls were magnificent! The story enchanting and captivating with drama and action, love and betrayal, good vs evil.

The narrator WAS AMAAAZING!! She did a SUPERB job at giving each of the MORE THAN TEN CHARACTERS their own personality and voice!!

After working out the best speed suitable to me, I utterly enjoyed every moment of of this series deal. I had to recharge my device and accessories so many times whilst listening to Books 1 -3, because I could hardly manage to break the momentum, even whilst sleeping. Yes, I enjoyed it that much.

On behalf of my 8yr old grandson...

Wow - Nanny is there any more books this is awesome and the person telling the story changes their voice for the different owls. It's got some really good scary parts. I beat nanny listening to it. I can't wait to get the other books. I have to earn them. I asked my Nanny to tell them I like this awesomely (per nanny - thanks guys, I got this based on your recommendation and am rapt with the enjoyment my grandson has got from it. He's also asked to get the books so he can read it at the same time. Audio books has helped tweek his interest in reading. Great job - thanks)

I love it

I love it so I want to give it a lot of stars. Goodnight everyone and to all a goodnight sleep.

Guardians of Gahoole

I thought this was a rreeaallyy good book.🙂
I liked that it was about owls and the moonblinking.
I disliked the songs that Twilight sang because they were annoying.
But overall I ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ it
😄Guardians of Gahoole forever😄
Sorry I couldn't find an owl emoji!

Love the story, but narration awful at times

If this wasn't such a good story, I honestly wouldn't even consider listening to it. I can deal with the narrator's singing, that's more than fine. What I hate, is the high pitched portrayal of Gylfie and Soren. Soren more than Gylfie, I mean, I get that Soren's just an owlet, but I mean come on, he's still a dude (male) after all. The narrator was all over the place with Soren's voice, but most of the time, she was making him sound waaaaaay too high pitched, even for an owlet. I found this to be kind of annoying, I will give this story credit where it is due, the story is very suspenseful and keeps the listener intrigued, but this thanks to Kathryn Lasky, the narrator just reads what the author writes.

Nice story, excellent narration

Pamela Garelick is one of the best narrators I have heard so far on Audible, I actually went and heard 8 of those books cause the story is so compelling and the the narration is so good.