Hoot

Hiaasen, Carl (2002). Hoot. New York, New York: Yearling Book.
Roy Eberhardt moved to Florida from Montana. He is having trouble fitting in and avoiding being bullied. One day from out of the bus window Roy see a barefoot boy running towards a golf course. Meanwhile, at the construction site for Mother Paula's Pancakes there has been a string of vandalism and malicious mischief. Roy befriends Beatrice and her step brother, "Mullet Fingers" Mullet Fingers is in charge of the vandalism that is going on. He is doing it to protect some small burrowing owls that live on the Mother Paula property. Roy finds himself doing things that are outside the law, but he is following his heart. Roy does some research and discovers that the owls are endangered and protected under Florida law. He reports in class about the owls and how their homes will be destroyed once ground is broken for the pancake restaurant. The next day at the ground breaking Roy, Beatrice and many of the kids show up to stop the Mother Paula's from burying the owls. It is revealed that the restaurant chain knew about the owls but were covering it up. Roy and his friends save the owls, and Roy makes lots of friends and feels at home in the process. Mullet Finger (Napoleon) runs away again, but Roy knows that he will always be close by.
This book has a wonderful plot. The entire story the reader is with Roy trying to at first figure out the mystery of the running boy, and then rooting for him to save the owls. The information about the environment and the burrowing owls is accurate. This make the reader feel as though he or she is actually living this adventure.