Lookit, losers, it's January 16, TWO WHOLE DAYS after our discussion was supposed to start, and now your favorite JoBiv, the girl who does not even own a computer, has to start the discussion? C'mon! Sigh... I should start with one of my famous JoBiv vs. Bloomers statements. Here are a few likely ones.
"I noticed, while I was reading, that Joycian telescoping you talked about before." (Then someone interrupts me to prove or disprove.)
"I know we don't usually talk about authorial intent, but I think this book might warrant that kind of questioning..." (Then someone interrupts me to prove or disprove.)
"I wanted to plunge head-first into this book, but couldn't help but get distracted by the..."
(Then someone interrupts me to prove or disprove... YES, before I get to say what distracted me.)
Does anyone here want to interrupt? I knew you did! Go for it!
(P.S. - Joycian telescoping doesn't really apply here, so you non-Children's Lit types should not feel like you're outside of The Loop. Hopefully the rest of us will never have to explain it to you.)
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7 comments:
Hey hey, now; aren't we just one day past?
I will begin with a simple, visual comment; this story did not match the cover. How about a cover with bare feet on? The owls didn't seem like enough of a focal point to warrant a whole cover to themselves. With such a cover and title, I expected the little buggers to come into the picture a whole lot earlier than they actually did.
That's a very basic start - even those who have not finished the book can comment on the cover and book design.
My overall opinion - if I were to give Mr Hiaasen a letter grade, it would be a C+, as in SLIGHTLY better than average. My notes are in another state right now so more to follow.
Hmm... yes. My math skills are atrocious. Let's not talk about it.
Agreed with the cover (and title) - I always felt like the design team was ripping off whoever designed StarGirl.
I think the cover was appropriate. The owls didn't become central for a long while, but they were mentioned in the first chapter (p.6), and having read the synopsis, I anticipated their return.
Besides, it's not like they were a random choice for the cover (like if they had put Roy's flat bicycle tire there instead). The concept of saving the owls was the whole point of the book, and the motivation behind just about everything everyone did.
I'm just a little bored with the environment pitch to kids. It seems like kids always get that, probably because it's the only thing they're able to do something about (because they can't vote and they don't have any money), and because human rights aren't politically correct or cute and furry.
I have a question for the rest of you: What makes this book (or any other book) a work of juvenile fiction? Is it the subject matter? The language? The fact that the protagonist is a kid? I'm not doubting that it is, but I want to know what y'all learned in school.
Avoiding Erica's question entirely, I just want to say that, until I started reading the book, I thought it was about a cute little talking owl named Hoot - something along the lines of A Tale of Despereaux or some other Animal Fantasy.
Furthermore, they do not make hooting sounds. Witness Burrowing Owls. They cry, rasp and chatter.
I was just going to quote something but realized Kristin took my copy of Hoot home to California with her.
Love the owl page/images, Ms. I. I agree: more owl needed!
I liked the latter third of the book better. The bully plot didn't really resolve, I thought. I know Hiaasen is lauded for his "quirky Floridian" characters in his adult fiction; I liked Mullet Fingers with respect to his ability to elude the Man but found him a bit implausible. Whereas Roy could have been less plausible, maybe.
But I liked the agency the kids had at the protest, and I liked the scene with the cop and the owls meeting. I really did enjoy the passages about the natural Floridian world: in Disney territory, there are still real shipwrecks and mullets to catch. I think that's the author at his best in this book.
PS -
It took me a while but I just recently realized where the blog name came from :)
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