Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Reviews of Hoot

Hoot
Hoot
Author: Carl Hiaasen
PBS Market Price: $7.59 or $3.69+1 credit
ISBN-13: 9780440419396
ISBN-10: 0440419395
Publication Date: 12/27/2005
Pages: 304
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Rating:
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 73

4 stars, based on 73 ratings
Publisher: Yearling
Book Type: Paperback
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

50 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

reviewed Hoot on + 21 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
The reason Hoot is so famous is because it takes you through the adventures of a boy who is just like us. This is no fantasy book about saving the world. The problems are actually real everyday problems, and I liked how the author weaved in the whole problem with the owls and the pancake house. It was a really original book.
reviewed Hoot on + 33 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
This one is a Hoot! Written for young adults, however, older readers with an intact sense of humor should also enjoy. Great story!
reviewed Hoot on + 113 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
A winner of many awards - a mystery/adventure set in South Florida, peopled with original and wacky characters. Yes, it IS a hoot!!
bookchick07 avatar reviewed Hoot on + 6 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
good book but it jumps around alot so i was a little anoyed becouse i would be at a good part but than it would go to a diffrent person but deffinately this book is a good read.
ophelia99 avatar reviewed Hoot on + 2527 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I have heard that Hiaasen is a great mystery/humor writer and was eager to read one of his books. I picked up "Hoot" because it looked good and, guess what, it was really really good.

Roy has just moved to Florida from Montana, he is the new kid at school...again. He's used to it though, he moves around a lot. Then on the bus he sees a boy running without shoes and senses a mystery to be solved. Thus starts a story about mysteries, practical jokes, outwitting bullies, and saving endangered species.

I really loved this book. All the characters were wonderful and believable. Hiaasen creates an excellent mystery, with great humor, while tackling a number of social issues that kids and adults can both relate too. A great description for this novel is eco-thriller. Between trying to find a place for himself in Florida, Roy gets caught up in a mystery surrounding burrowing owls and the huge corporation trying to take out their home. It was hard to put this book down, I basically read the whole thing in one sitting while at the airport.

I really have no complaints with this book. Hiassen's writing is very readable and the dialogue between characters is well done and very natural sounding. I was impressed that not only did he create a great mystery but he also dealt with issues like bullies, bad home life, the things companies will do to make money, endangered species, and how one person can make a huge difference if they put their mind to it. It was also nice to read a young adult book where the parents were actual realistic and decent people. Roy's parents are good people, who help out their son the best they can...too often in young adult books the adults are inept and it was nice to see adults portrayed more realistically.

This was a great book. I am going to get Hiaasen's other young adult books "Flush" and "Scat" to read as soon as I can. I would also like to check out his adult books. I recommend this book to people of all ages and people with all different sorts of interests. If you like mysteries and eco-thrillers than this book will definitely be right up your alley. If you don't...well you should read it anyway. It is one that I am keeping to read again.
reviewed Hoot on + 6 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I read this book to my boys ages 8 and 10 and they loved it!
reviewed Hoot on + 3 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Great book! Can be read by an older child or adult.Everyone will enjoy it!
reviewed Hoot on + 9 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Read this and it's easy to see why it is a Newberry Award Winner and made into a movie
reviewed Hoot on + 57 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Excellent story.
TakingTime avatar reviewed Hoot on + 1072 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
very simple plot...current movie....easy read...enjoyable book
SouthernChelz avatar reviewed Hoot on + 216 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I already don't like language that is not appropriate for adults to speak and so much more when a child speaks obsenities. I bought this book for my children after watching the movie. It was very disappointing as far as having to listen to foul language. We would have liked it without it!
ckataoka avatar reviewed Hoot on + 37 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Very cute and fast read. Loved it!!!
reviewed Hoot on + 213 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Very cute!
reviewed Hoot on + 21 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
The reason why this book is so famous is because it is simple yet complex at the same time. I loved this book because it showed how one new kid went from being the school laugh to, well, saving an entire species of owl. I really liked how the author incorporated the pancake company into the plot. If you've watched the movie and based your opinion of the book off of that, you are completely wrong. The movie is nothing compared to the book. The book is about 250% better than the movie. I thought this book was original and funny and I really loved it.
reviewed Hoot on + 53 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Hiaasen does it better for children than he does for adults. Fun for grown-ups to read too.
reviewed Hoot on + 14 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I loved Hoot. My son had to read it for school and I read some with him. I had to read it all for myself because it was really good. This book won a Newberry Honor and it is obvious why. The writing is excellent. The characters are truly endearing. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.
reviewed Hoot on
My son is 9 and he really enjoyed this book.
jaglvr avatar reviewed Hoot on + 127 more book reviews
i loved the movie, and the book was just as good. carl is a fun writter. would recommend. great for young adults
reviewed Hoot on
This book was amazing! A very different type of book that you will love!
reviewed Hoot on
I read this book to my children - we loved it!
popkrn avatar reviewed Hoot on + 21 more book reviews
My Grandson really enjoyed this book.
reviewed Hoot on + 18 more book reviews
If you've read any of Carl Hiaasen more adult fiction titles, you won't be diappointed with this one! Quirky characters & the situations that bring them together are a great read.
reviewed Hoot on + 59 more book reviews
A wonderful book! Aimed at kids, but adults will like it as well.
reviewed Hoot on + 61 more book reviews
Good book. I enjoyed reading about kids who had enough interest in the environment to take down the big company. I hope that there are enough kids out there that really do feel this way so that our world continues to be there for our children's children.
reviewed Hoot on + 7 more book reviews
Very enjoyable book for young and old alike.
reviewed Hoot on + 6 more book reviews
Wonderful book! It's technically a kids book but adults will love it too. I sure did.
reviewed Hoot on + 2 more book reviews
Great fun read for children and adults. My teenage son went through it in record time!
jdauntless avatar reviewed Hoot on + 112 more book reviews
Hilarous mystery/adventure in wacky South Florida and now a major motion picture. 8 pages of color photos from the movie.
reviewed Hoot on + 15 more book reviews
This book is 10 times better than the movie. It is inspiring, cute, well written, and simple. Easy read, but a wonderful plot.
devnem avatar reviewed Hoot on + 8 more book reviews
Reviewed by Emily for squeakycleanreads.com

I know very well what its like to be the new kid in school. I wish I would have had Roys courage and presence of mind as he stood up to all the bullies and stuck to his ideals and new friendships. The poor kid becomes the focus to two of the schools biggest bullies, but he takes it in stride. It was interesting watching him stand up to Dana with the maturity of an adult as Roy continually confronts Dana face to face, asking him to leave him alone. Then theres Beatrice Leep: Shes another kid you dont want to mess with! And Roy becomes involved with her due to some very interesting circumstances! Theres also a future pancake house, some bulldozers, and some miniature owls! But at the center of everything there is a boy without a name. Roy just wants to find out about the boybut in so doing becomes embroiled in something much bigger than himself. The question is, will Roy leave it alone and lie low, or will he stand up for something that he is beginning to believe in?

Hoot reminded me of watching a contemporary Andy Griffith show; complete with some bumbling small-town cops, uneducated townsfolk, a mystery with some big wigs from the big city, an environmental spin, and kids who tend to take matters into their own hands! The epilogue in this book is a riotI do love stories that give you the rest of the story! And the ending leaves you happy, yet slightly unsatisfiedbut you know that no one will ever be the same! This cute little story will remind us to remember to look around and be aware that there is more to life than buildings and pancakesand that one person can make a difference! Overall rating is 4 out of 5 stars.
reviewed Hoot on + 83 more book reviews
Funny writing.
reviewed Hoot on + 5 more book reviews
Nice book for middle graders.
reviewed Hoot on
Though written for middle-school aged kids, this is a great book for adults too!
reviewed Hoot on + 3 more book reviews
Funny; follows the predictable format for Carl Hiaasen; good for middle schoolers
reviewed Hoot on
Newberry Honor Book, contemporary story, pro-environment, likeable characters. Good reading for adolescents, young adults.
reviewed Hoot on + 2 more book reviews
Very good for young readers! Hiaasen delivers a romping good time, with a great message about conservation. :)
reviewed Hoot on + 17 more book reviews
Very good book, action packed, story about saving the owl.
magicfan45 avatar reviewed Hoot on + 33 more book reviews
Fun to read for kids or adults.
reviewed Hoot on + 4 more book reviews
I thought this book was great and suspenseful. I will read it over and over.
reviewed Hoot on + 20 more book reviews
This was a good book to help enlighten children about the world around them. It's also a good reminder that they are never to small or young to make a change
reviewed Hoot on + 26 more book reviews
Great environmental tale for kids.
reviewed Hoot on
This is a very good book. I would consider this for young adults. It is a very simple read. But don't let that confuse you because while simple, it still is a good book. I would definitely read it again. It was very descriptive. While reading it was like I could picture what I was reading as if it was a movie. Had just enough drama/terror to keep you drawn in wanting more.
landonsmama avatar reviewed Hoot on + 51 more book reviews
Geared toward young adults, but I still enjoyed it. It was a pretty quick light read. Good book!
reviewed Hoot on
I felt that this would be an excellent book for young men.
reviewed Hoot on + 46 more book reviews
Carl Hiaasen doesn't disappoint. His books have long provided entertainment for adults as well as young adults.
reviewed Hoot on
I don't like Hiassen's humor, so haven't read the book.
reviewed Hoot on + 42 more book reviews
Its about greedy developers, corrupt politicians, clueless cops and middle school screwballs of all persuasions.
tracey avatar reviewed Hoot on + 41 more book reviews
Hoot is a great read. This book is geared for young reader however I found my self laughing through the entire book.
reviewed Hoot on + 4 more book reviews
At first Roy thinks that the new costuction for the new Mother Paula pancake house is going to be good But when he figures out what there building on and distroying he takes a stand along with a girl at school and here runnaway step brother.

Officer Delinko is a cop he whats to move up in his career he takes a job at a new site building a mother paula pancake house.

Can they save the poor owls? Or will it be to late.

With black paint alligaters and cute little owls a cop and some kids can make a funny laugh
reviewed Hoot on + 31 more book reviews
Not yet read. Have two copies!