Hoot

This Newbery Honor winner and #1 New York Times bestseller is a beloved modern classic. Hoot features a new kid and his new bully, alligators, some burrowing owls, a renegade eco-avenger, and several extremely poisonous snakes.

A PARADE BEST KIDS BOOK OF ALL TIME

Everybody loves Mother Paula's pancakes. Everybody, that is, except the colony of cute but endangered owls that live on the building site of the new restaurant. Can the awkward new kid and his feral friend prank the pancake people out of town? Or is the owls' fate cemented in pancake batter?

Welcome to Carl Hiaasen's Florida—where the creatures are wild and the people are wilder!

Critic reviews

“It seems unlikely that the master of noir-tinged, surrealistic black humor would write a novel for young readers. And yet, there has always been something delightfully juvenile about Hiaasen’s imagination; beneath the bent cynicism lurks a distinctly 12-year-old cackle. In this thoroughly engaging tale of how middle schooler Roy Eberhardt, new kid in Coconut Cove, learns to love South Florida, Hiaasen lets his inner kid run rampant, both the subversive side that loves to see grown-ups make fools of themselves and the righteously indignant side, appalled at the mess being made of our planet. The story is full of offbeat humor, buffoonish yet charming supporting characters, and genuinely touching scenes of children enjoying the wildness of nature. He deserves a warm welcome into children’s publishing.”—Booklist

“A wonderful tour-de-force.”—The Boston Globe

“A rollicking, righteous story.”—The Miami Herald

“You don’t have to be a young adult to enjoy it.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Yes, it is a hoot.”—The Washington Post Book World

Give us more!

I hope Carl Hiaasen decides to write more books like this. It was wonderful. I listened to some of his others books but was a bit put off by the violence - and the "adult" language. This his none of that - it's just a great story for any age. Give us more, Carl!

Fun book for the whole family

This book is in the same genre as Louis Sachar's books - complex plots with twists and turns, and challenges that keep you rooting for the main character. It's not as imaginative as Sacher's books, unfortunately, but close enough that you won't feel too disappointed. It's got a good pace that is interesting right from the beginning and keeps up throughout the story. Definitely something that parents and kids can share on a long car trip.

As Always Amazing!

Thank you Carl Hiassen for all the awesome books!
And thank you for the kid books that myself can listen to!

Great for young and old

Darling book, good for the whole family.

G rated Hiaasen

Not a typical Hiaasen, I still liked this quite a bit. The language is much tamer than usual and aimed at a younger audience.