Hoot
Written by : Carl Hiaasen
Random House $13.95
Recommended for ages: 11-13

Small town Florida may not be so bad after all. Roy Eberhardt and his family have moved more times than he cares to count but this latest home has a lot going on and Roy finds himself in the middle of it all. As with most of the towns in which he has lived, Roy has been sought out by the school bully and spends most of his time trying to avoid confrontation. One day while staring out the school bus window avoiding Dana the Bully, Roy spots a young boy with no shoes on running like the wind through a wooded area. When the boy does not show up at school, Roy is consumed with finding this mystery child.

In a parallel story, the town is anxiously awaiting the new construction of a Mother Paula’s All-American Pancake House. Strangely, construction is continually halted for a variety of weird reasons: the surveying stakes have all been pulled from the ground: the seats of the excavators have all been removed and alligators are living at the bottom of the site’s port-a-potties. These mysteries are driving Curly, the foreman, around the bend especially since he figures his employment is in jeopardy if the job is not completed in a timely manner. Despite his best efforts, Officer Delinko is unable to catch the criminal and in fact is getting himself into a little trouble with the chief (which does not bode well for any future promotions).

Roy, usually such a mild-mannered young man, ends up making friends with the least likely people and takes a stand against a big corporate giant in what he feels is a righteous cause. With a cast of bizarre characters including Roy, Beatrice, Mullet Fingers, Delinko, Dana and Curly, this is one quirky story. For young adults who want a humorous, original story with an environmental twist to it, this Newbery Honor Book is a must-read.