Hoot (novel)

Owls ( Original Title: Hoot ) is a young adult novel by Carl Hiaasen, first published in 2002, it is an environmental crime. . The German translation is by Birgitt Kollmann and was first in 2003, published by Verlag Beltz & Gelberg, Weinheim, Basel and Berlin.

Action

The young Roy Eberhardt moves with his parents from Montana to the town of Coconut Cove, Florida. His father works for the Ministry of Justice, he already has a number of moves behind him. Roy misses the mountains and the snow Montana and difficult does this is to get used to the flat land and the heat of his new home.

In addition, he is bullied at school and on the school bus from the larger and stronger Dana Matherson. Furthermore, he collides with the sporty Beatrice Leep, which harassed him because of that.

The action begins when Roy sees a boy on the bus, the barefoot tagging along beside the school bus without entering it. From Garrett, with whom he became friends, he learns that the boy actually had to go to the same school, he remains missing. When Roy sees the boy the next time he jumps, curious, out of the bus and follows him. When he caught it, it turns out that the boy lives in the forest and has snakes. He chased Roy and sharpens him to leave him alone. When Roy later comes back to give him a pair of shoes, the stranger is gone. However, it turns out that it is with him is Beatrice's stepbrother, who from home, a dysfunctional family with a mother who puts it in homes, running away.

Parallel to the efforts of a restaurant chain called Mother Paula are described, which wants to build one of its branches on a property. The work will, however, been victims of vandalism, by the start of construction is always delayed. Survey stakes are torn out, down crocodiles in the toilet and painted a police car with paint. In the police officer Delinko who should guard the land, while asleep, and was therefore demoted, awakened a personal interest to solve the mystery. Although he and the imbecile monitoring engineer ( the security guard ) to lie in wait, it always manages to endanger the approaching ground-breaking ceremony of the restaurant, which is to be celebrated publicly. Among other things, suddenly diving water moccasins, a dangerous snake species on the property, and chase away the acquired Rottweiler as a guard.

Roy himself, who injured in a scuffle Dana, the vengeance of Rauf Boldes is exposed and is also implicated in the actions of Beatrice's brother " fish fingers " who wants to prevent the construction of Mother Paula. He is responsible for the damage to the property, but pursues honorable purposes: There live burrowing owls, raising their young and their habitat would be destroyed by the work of the bulldozers. Roy finds out that the birds covered by the environmental regulations of the State of Florida and a building permit by Mother Paula would be required. However, this is not available.

On the day of laying of the cornerstone on which a senior staff of Mama Paula, dignitaries and the press of the city as well as the namesake of the actress, Kimberly Lou Dixon appear, Roy and Beatrice mobilize classmate for a demonstration. It comes to a confrontation of the employee Chuck Muckle with the students. As the situation escalates and Kimberly Dixon joins the protesters, the company refrains from further construction work and puts Muckle.

Attempts to " fish fingers ", which is, in truth, Napoleon Bridger Leep, to reintegrate into his family fail and he will flee without ever reappear. Dana Matherson, however, ends up at the reformatory. Roy has gradually made ​​friends with his new home and new friends.

Awards

The novel was 2002 on the Agatha -Children - nominees, was among the nominees for the 2003 Newbery Medal and in 2005 was third in the Young Readers Choice Award.

Filming

2006 was directed by Will Shriner, who also wrote the screenplay, a film version. The main characters are Logan Lerman, Brie Larson and Cody to see Linley, in supporting roles Luke Wilson, Tim Blake Nelson, Neil Flynn, Robert Wagner, Jimmy Buffett and Robert Donner.

The film was in the U.S. on May 5, 2006 theatrical release and was released in Germany on 3 November of the year on DVD and in the theaters. The end described in the last paragraph was not recorded with the movie.