Vendor
	Mohrbooks Literary Agency Sebastian Ritscher
Categories
Children’s, Teenage & Educational

AVENGING THE OWL

Melissa Hart

AVENGING THE OWL deals with the difficult issues of suicide and depression, but more than anything it captures the powerlessness of being a kid. It is an important book for for kids who want a good, compelling story about friendship and what it means to be a family.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Han Solo avenged the destruction of an innocent planet by helping Luke Skywalker blow up the Death Star. Han walked away with a gold medal and the love of his life. But when Solo Hahn—named in honor of the beloved action hero—tries to avenge the death of his gray-and-white kitten, he gets eight months of community service. Eight months of working at the local raptor center helping owls—his now sworn enemies. For the first time in his life, Solo is labeled a troubled kid, an at-risk youth. He’d always gotten good grades, had good friends, and gotten along with his parents. He used to volunteer to read Reader’s Digest to old people at the retirement home next door, and his favorite thing in the whole wide world was to surf. He wrote screenplays for fun. But when his parents uproot him and move the family from California to backwoods Oregon, Solo starts to lose track of the person he was. Everything is upside down, and he finds himself dealing with things way beyond his understanding. He’s the new kid in town, and he’s got a bad reputation. The question is: What will he do next? This is a story about staying true to yourself when things get tough. Solo has every reason to lash out, but he ultimately needs to find a way to cope. Avenging the Owl deals with the difficult issues of suicide and depression, but more than anything it captures the powerlessness of being a kid. It won’t be easy, but the wild beauty of Oregon, its cold, empty beaches and captivating wildlife, may be just what Solo and his family need to help them start over. Melissa Hart teaches at the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon. Her articles and essays have been published by the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, Writer’s Digest, and many others. Melissa currently resides in Eugene, Oregon, where she can hear western screech owls in her backyard.

Available products
Book Published 2016-04-05 by Sky Pony Press

Comments

Melissa Hart's captivating Avenging the Owl is a funny, touching story of how one boy's awful punishment enriches his life and changes him forever. Hart's one-of-a-kind hero's tale is instructive, original and completely unputdownable.

I couldn't help rooting for Solo, whose goodness and vulnerability shines through his tough façade. Avenging the Owl is a story with talons - it grips your heart and refuses to let go.

What could be worse than being forced to move from a surf-beach in California to a Spam-tin trailer Oregon? Try an eight-week sentence of hard labor cleaning poop off bird cages. Then add a missing parent and a dangerous encounter with a Great Horned Owl. In the midst of a super- rotten situation, Solo Hahn emerges triumphant just like the movie hero he’s named for. He’s reluctant, realistic, loyal, funny, and brave. I loved every minute I got to spend with him. I loved this book!

A good action-adventure story compelling enough for reluctant readers. Hand to fans of books about the great outdoors and the wilderness.

Solo Hahn wants to do the right thing, in author Melissa Hart's debut novel, Avenging the Owl. But knowing right from wrong isn't always easy. Are owls that kill kittens really the bad guys? Or are kids like Solo wrong for trying to even the score? Hart explores the turmoil of a boy's inner struggles with compassion and open-eyed honesty to create a powerful story of redemption and hard won understanding. Ideal for kids aching to find their place in an ever changing world

A beautiful and powerful story about learning to forgive and finding your true bliss.

“Like all the best books, Avenging the Owl seized me from the first sentence and did not let me go. And even now, days after I’ve finished Melissa Hart’s fearless, big-hearted novel, its characters and their world have stayed with me. A streak of wildness runs through the heart of that world and takes flight in Artemis, the fierce and majestic great horned owl that Solo and his friends will never forget nor will any reader lucky enough to pick up this book.

Avenging the Owl doesn’t squint at the sometimes painful pursuit of happiness and the awkwardness that can go hand-in-hand with loyalty. But it also, with poignancy and clarity, proves sometimes the bravest thing a person can do is simply stand still when everything in him screams to run away.

There's plenty to observe—birds aren't the only creatures with wounds to tend and heal. The strong setting and well-drawn cast of complicated, evolving characters (Eric and his mother are standouts) overcome a tangle of subplots and negligible high-concept premise. A memorable read.