Hoot
by Carl Hiaasen · Grade 5-8 · Ages Ages 10-14
Roy is the new kid in Florida, and he notices a mysterious barefoot boy running away from the school bus. Soon Roy gets pulled into a puzzle involving a pancake restaurant construction site and a colony of tiny burrowing owls that may be in danger.
Key vocabulary
Digging or living in a hole or tunnel underground. Burrowing owls make their homes in the dirt instead of in trees.
A group of animals of the same kind living close together. A colony of owls might share the same area for their homes.
The work of building something, like a road, house, or store. Construction sites often have machines, workers, and piles of materials.
Damaging or messing up property on purpose. It can mean breaking, painting on, or ruining something that belongs to someone else.
A worker who is in charge of a building crew. The foreman helps make sure the job gets done.
To measure and study land before building on it. Workers may survey a place to decide where things should go.
A tricky or difficult problem. If you are stuck between two hard choices, you are in a predicament.
A noisy fuss or busy confusion. A big commotion might make everyone turn to look.