Who is hoot by

He says that he has been writing about Florida since he was six when his father gave him a typewriter. Hoot , a Newbery Honor Book, is Mr. Fish and Wildlife Service is the agency that declares a species endangered.

It has classified the burrowing owl as a candidate species. Ask students to find out what this classification means. Engage the class in a discussion about why it is important for the government to have laws that protect animals. What finally makes him feel that he belongs in Florida? How is being labeled an outcast related to belonging? Discuss why Mullet Fingers and Beatrice might be considered outcasts. What other characters in the book display a need to belong?

What can schools do to help new kids like Roy feel welcome? Bullying —Ask the class to brainstorm behaviors that characterize a bully. What causes a person like Dana Matherson to become a bully? Discuss the difference between acting tough and bullying.

Author Information Carl Hiaasen was born and raised in Florida, where he started writing after being given a typewriter at the age of six. He writes a column for the Miami Herald and is the author of many bestselling novels, including Razor Girl and Bad Monkey. Do you think other characters feel like outcasts?

Which ones? Why would they feel like this? Dana Matherson bullies Roy, but other characters also act as bullies. Which characters? Who are their targets? Discuss ways of dealing with bullies in real life. Once Roy learned of Mullet Fingers' plan to save the burrowing owls, he wanted to help. Which boy's method do you think was more effective? Mullet Fingers vandalized the construction site and the patrol car. Was he justified in doing this? Why or why not?

And if he had never met Beatrice, he might never have discovered the burrowing owls living in the lot on the corner of East Oriole Avenue. And if he had never discovered the owls, he probably would have missed out on the adventure of a lifetime. Apparently, bullies do serve a greater purpose in the scope of the universe.