“Roy would not have noticed the strange boy if it weren’t for Dana Matherson, because Roy ordinarily didn’t look out the window of the school bus.”

From Carl Hiaasen’s Hoot.

Recently, life hasn’t been going all that great for Roy Eberhardt… at all.  Not only did his family move from beautiful Montana to the extremely hot Coconut Cove, Florida, but as the new kid, he’s been selected as the new target for a bully on the bus.  The only thing that Roy is looking forward to in Coconut Cove is the announcement that a Mother Paula’s All-American Pancake House is going to build a restaurant there—if the construction site can stop the unknown person that’s vandalizing the site.  One day while trying to be invisible on the school bus ride, Roy looks out the window to see a boy running barefoot across the golf course, and Roy decides to see where the kid is running, but he’s attacked by his bully and only able to escape by accidentally breaking the bully’s nose.  Some time later, Roy learns that the running boy is called Mullet Fingers and that he is responsible for the Mother Paula’s vandalizing because the site would kill the endangered burrowing owls that live there.  After gaining the help of his classmate, Beatrice, Roy jumps in to help Mullet Fingers protect the owls before the construction foreman buries their existence forever.

The inspiration for the 2006 movie of the same name, this exciting adventure features something for every reader.  Hiaasen’s story is fast-paced and captivating, but most importantly, it manages to promote environmental conservationism without being overly pushy.  Hoot is a non-stop adventure from start to finish and it is a must-read for anyone searching for a fun, but genuine read.