Roy Eberhardt has arrived in Coconut Cove, Florida with a big chip on his twelve-year-old shoulder. He misses the wild beauty of Montana and he’s found himself the new kid at school at the mercy of the despicable school bully – again. Life quickly gets interesting when Roy sees a young, barefoot boy running away from the school bus one morning and when he decides to investigate, his snooping lands him right in the middle of a full blown ecological mystery. With some clever detective work and the help of his 8th grade civics class, Roy may help the mystery boy succeed in saving an endangered species and the plot to foil the interests of corporate America.

Hoot was read by Matthew Morgan
Matthew is a stage and film actor based in New York City. A company member of NIMPROVYC, the Irish Repertory Theater, he has performed with the Tulane Shakespeare Festival and Aslyum Productions in New Orleans; Monomoy Theater in Cape Cod; and The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. He holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from Ohio University, Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola University and considers himself a barbecue expert.

What do you think?

Do you think Hoot is realistic? Compare and contrast what you found realistic…and what you found improbable.

Hoot is full of quirky characters. Which did you find the most intriguing? Describe and compare your qualities with that character. How are you similar? How are you different?

Roy discovered the habitat of an endangered species was being destroyed on a nearby construction site. The site was vandalized several times, which is against the law. Do you think breaking the law was justified in this situation? What would you do in the same situation?

What do you think the running boy is doing now? Describe what you imagine him to be as an adult.

Fun & Adventure Beyond the Book

Want to see a burrowing owl? Check out the owl pages! You’ll learn all about these cute little guys, including the variety of names they go by: ground owl, prairie dog owl, rattlesnake owl, gopher owl…..

The Florida Burrowing Owl Project gives you tips on what to look and listen for so you can observe burrowing owls. The website is part of a graduate student’s research, and includes some surprising things the owls may do!

An “endangered” species is one that could become extinct throughout most of its range. A species is called “threatened” when it is likely to become endangered in the near future. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife website maintains lists of both threatened and endangered species. You can click on each species to learn more about it.

Carl Hiaasen’s website is a fun place to get to know more about the author of “Hoot”, including an FAQ about writing the book.

Hungry for pancakes after reading Hoot? This website has lots of recipes for pancakes, including French, German and even Chicken and Olive pancakes, but alas, no recipe for “Mother Paula’s All-American” pancakes.



If You Like This Book, Check Out...

Grace Greene, from the Vermont Department of Libraries, says if you liked Hoot, you’ll probably enjoy these books as well:

Danziger, Paula. Earth to Matthew. Delacorte, 1991.
Matthew Martin finds himself on the threshold of becoming a teenager in suburban America and experiences conflicting emotions regarding his future.

George, Jean Craighead. Who Really Killed Cock Robin? Dutton, 1971.
Two ecology-conscious children try to trace the imbalances in the environment that might have caused the death of the town’s best-known robin.

Konigsburg, E. L. T-Backs, T-Shirts, Coats and Suits. Atheneum, 1993.
Spending the summer in Florida with her stepfather’s sister who operates a “meals-on-wheels” van, twelve-year-old Chloe and her aunt become involved in a controversy surrounding the wearing of T-back bathing suits.

Sleator, William. The Beasties. Dutton, 1997.
When fifteen-year-old Doug and his younger sister Colette move with their parents to a forested wilderness area, they encounter some frightening creatures whose lives are endangered.

VanDraanen, Wendelin. Flipped. Knopf, 2001.
In alternating chapters, two teenagers describe how their feelings about themselves, each other, and their families have changed over the years.