Kathryn Lasky's series GUARDIANS OF GA'HOOLE

Just this morning, I finished THE CAPTURE, the first book in the series of GUARDIANS OF GA'HOOLE by Kathryn Lasky (click here to go to her REALLY cool website). Enchanting, thrilling, scary, and heart warming!

Star Wars came rushing to me with The Capture's themes of believing in the power of self and confidence, good versus evil, and ultimately, friendship. She does not shy away from the cruelty that is nature. She researched owls for a non-fiction book and then decided to write this series instead. Her depth of knowledge shines through the book without sounding "teachy". I now know how owls fly in total silence, not just why. She slyly uses several species of owls as the main characters. The littlest one has to depend on her smarts, the biggest of the owls is gruff but caring. But it's also full of surprising animals as friends of the owls, like the endearing nanny for the owlets being a blind snake, Mrs. Plithiver.

The first three books are being turned into the movie LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS coming out Sept. 24th. (Click on the website to see the trailer.) Which of course I always have mixed feelings about, because books, children's books in particular, haven't fared very well in movie form. At least in my opinion. For example, Rick Riordan's immensely popular Percy Jackson series based on mythology legends being thrown into the modern world. The movie's take of  THE LIGHTNING THIEF is the first book in the series. It was a disaster from beginning to end. BUT in my library it seems to be getting more kids, especially boys, interested in READING the series, so I can't complain too much.

An extra perk for me is that one of my favorite bands, 30 SECOND TO MARS, sings their song, KINGS AND QUEENS, in the LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS trailer. Jared Leto, from long ago tv show MY SO-CALLED LIFE fame, is the lead singer. Hubba, hubba! =)

If I've learned nothing else, the finishing of this book has reminded me to give a book a chance and to give it my full attention. This is partly my fault for reading several books at a time. I'll get caught up in a new book and put aside the other book. When I finally pick it up again, it could be days or even weeks, and I confess, sometimes months. At my advanced age, I sometimes can't remember what I had for breakfast, so remembering a book I started weeks ago...forgetaboutit...as they say.

So I abandoned THE CAPTURE for a while but I also had great incentive to get back to it. I picked it as the book to read as a whole school and then go to the movie when it comes out. Yep, two books to go until Sept. 24th...I best get on it.

But now that I finished THE CAPTURE, I can't WAIT to get to the next two: THE JOURNEY and THE RESCUE.

Here is a short synopsis from our public library of THE CAPTURE:  The reader is introduced to Soren, a barn owl and the centerpiece of the series. When Soren is pushed from his family's nest by his older brother, he is rescued from certain death on the forest floor by agents from a mysterious school for orphaned owls, St. Aggie's. When Soren arrives at St. Aggie's, he suspects there is more to the school than meets the eye. He and his new friend, the clever and scrappy Gylfie, find out that St. Aggie's is actually a training camp where the school's leader can groom young owls to help achieve her goal.

Catch ya later, I gotta go start THE JOURNEY.