Overall, the story is just kind of meh for me. She's rapidly becoming my least favorite character. She acts like she's a bitter ex he who got cheated on. Yeah we get it, Tigerclaw betrayed you, get over it. I really hope she is not like this forever in the next book because the whole "to hell with starclan" attitude is really obnoxious and selfish. Bluestar was actually annoying me greatly in this book. I did get misty-eyed when one of my favorite characters died but beyond that, this one didn't grab me a lot. It didn't have me on the edge of my seat as much and the end was pretty predictable. But out of the four I have read, I found this one to be the most boring so far. Don't get me wrong, I love this series so far as a first time reader.
0 Comments
So, we can say that at least this book is not funny to everyone.Īlso-and this is as much my fault as anyone’s-the book was not quite age appropriate. In fact, it’s not even really that satirical. Hiaasen is known for his humor writing, but I would say that Hoot is only very moderately funny. We might have snickered here or there, but we just didn’t find it funny. Let me start with this: not one of us laughed out loud once during the reading of this book. Why was this book a disappointment, when so many people and teachers love it? It should be noted: many people claim it is well-written, deals with environmental issues, and is lough-out-loud funny. So much so, that we don’t feel the need to read the rest of the collection of Florida-based books, even though my son is so drawn to the covers and titles. (This was like last summer I’m still catching up with reviews).Īfter all that, Hoot was a disappointment. Anyhow, I was happy when my son picked the series out for his next read-out-loud book. Or it was when a shiny award-A Newberry Honor–appeared on the cover of Hoot. Perhaps it was those simple covers that I just mentioned. Perhaps it was the simple titles: Hoot, Chomp, Flush, Scat, and Skink. Something about them-including their presence everywhere–said “good book” to me. I’ve been pulling the sleek, simple, and colorful copies of the Hoot series by Carl Hiaasen off the shelves in the youth section of bookstores, for a long while. How does observing Wynn interact with his sister help Jack understand his friend’s worldview?ħ. Explore Wynn’s relationship with his sister, Jess. To what do you attribute their different response styles? Whose approach to these dangerous situations do you consider to be more appropriate? Why?Ħ. As you answer this question, consider the fire, Pierre, Maia’s injuries, and JD and Brent. Compare and contrast Jack and Wynn’s responses to danger. Whose initial idea is it, and why is the choice ultimately made in spite of what the two men know about the threat of the fire?ĥ. Consider Jack and Wynn’s decision to go back up the river to look for Maia. How many years had passed since his mother had died there? How did he spend his time on this visit? Why do you think he chose not to tell his father?Ĥ. Discuss Jack’s sole trip back to the Encampment. How old was he when she died, and how does he understand his own role in her death? To what extent has he processed his grief? How does our knowledge of this part of Jack’s history deepen our understanding of his character?ģ. What brought them together? What does each young man admire about the other?Ģ. Explore the early days of Jack and Wynn’s friendship. As Dwight Garner noted in the New York Times in January of 2005, Funke's Inkworld Trilogy books are always in the top five of the Children's Series bestseller list, despite the fact that books in translation by living writers rarely make it onto this list. Funke is hugely popular in Germany and acquired an English publisher when a bilingual child sent a letter to Barry Cunningham at The Chicken House, an imprint of Scholastic, asking why her favorite German author was not available to read in English. Her illustrations appear at every the chapter start and she has also written and illustrated several picture books for children. Funke was a social worker, educator and eventually children's book illustrator before she began writing her own books. Funke is a native German now living in Los Angeles and all three books in the trilogy are translated by Anthea Bell. Inkheart, Inkspell and Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke comprise the Inkworld Trilogy, which Funke (pronounced FOONK-eh and also the German word for "spark") completed in October of 2008. |