Monday, October 28, 2013

"Hoot" Literary Review

HootHoot by Carl Hiaasen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a book that I had heard so much about and how the endeavors of the young protagonists was enlightening and adorable. However, I couldn't quite get my head around this tale.

Roy is a young boy who has just moved to Florida from Montana, only to be greeted with the challenge of Dana Matherson, the school bully. Right away, we can determine that this will be the problem that is most pronounced in Roy's mind, primarily because he being beaten up, harassed and made fun of on an almost daily basis. According to recent legislation regarding bullying (see http://www.stopbullying.gov/laws/indi... for guidelines), Roy would not have had to be a victim of these incidents due to the fulfilled obligations of the school's staff, i.e. principal, teachers, etc. But then again, we wouldn't have had a problem story then would we?

Roy finds solace in the mysterious boy, Mullet Fingers, who looks more like a fugitive than a young boy, simply because he is avoiding his neglectful and emotionally abusive mother. This in itself is also a problem because how is a young child supposed to survive without a safe home? Mullet Fingers doesn't concern himself with his unfortunate circumstances, but would rather vandalize a construction site that would demolish an endangered breed of owls. THis plot line would entice readers who are subjected to emotional abuse, as well as neglectful parents, as well as any young reader who would be interested in wildlife, Florida, protests, and conservation.

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