Kathryn Lasky Resident Scholar Profiles TOP SCHOLAR: Jenny SCHOLARS: SorenCloud City
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Review Summaries
"Soren, a Barn Owl (Tyto alba), is a young owlet who lives in a fir tree in the Tyto Forest with his mother, father, older brother (Kludd), and younger sister (Eglantine). One night when his parents are off hunting, his jealous brother, Kludd, shoves him off the nest. Soren falls to the ground reasonably unhurt but is completely helpless because he cannot fly. The blind snake, Mrs. Plithiver, the nestmaid who watches over the children and cleans the nest, attempts to rescue Soren but cannot.
Soren, helpless and confused, dreads the coming of dawn. Dawn means that the raccoons will be out and raccoons often go after helpless owlets. When Soren feels a draft of wind, he cries out, believing that his mother or father have come to rescue him. However, the wind was not caused by his parents. An owl patrol snatches Soren away and rudely speaks to him. Soren meets a female Elf Owl named Gylfie. The owls who have snatched them along with other owlets fly to the canyonlands, where St. Aggie's Academy is located.
Soren and Gylfie find out that St. Aggie's Academy was basically a prison. By exposing owlets to the dangerous shine of the moon, the owlets lose their personality and become mindless tools of evil and destruction. Soren and Gylfie realize that the only way to escape the deep canyon floors was to learn how to fly. An infiltrator named Hortense assists them but is caught in the act and brutally pushed off a cliff. Soren and Gylfie turn to the elderly Boreal Owl named Grimble, a somber owl with a sad past. Grimble teaches them to fly and helps them escape the canyons.
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Jenny, Resident Kathryn Lasky Scholar
"Soren is an innocent young owl, not even able to fly yet, when he is pushed out of his nest by his older brother. Owls from St. Aggies Academy for Orphaned Owls picked him up and took him to St. Aggies. There he met Gylfie and they found out together that the academy was really brain washing young owls with moonlight and then having them help fight to take over the world of owls. Soren and Gylfie decide that it is time to escape. They meet an owl who will help them and teach them to fly. They escape while their owl friend blocks the academy owls who are trying to kill them, but then the owl gets killed. They meet Digger and Twilight and together they set out to find out how they can stop the academy."
Cloud City, Resident Kathryn Lasky Scholar
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Overall Review
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Plot
Composition of Book Descript. of chases or violence - 30% planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30% Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20% Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 20%
Tone of book
- sensitive (sigh....)
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION?
- fantasy world/fantasy past
Repressive society story
Yes
Repressive because:
- controls your mind
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Kid's book (ages 7-14)
Who's a slave/repressed?
- kiddies are repressed
Animal Story
Yes
Kind of animal
- bird
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- student
- champion of justice
Age:
- a kid
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How sensitive is this character?
- soggy whimpering jelly muffin
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- an organization
- animal
Age:
- long-lived adults
Profession/status:
- teacher
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a substantial amount
- a lot
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Dumb
- Average intelligence
Physique
- bulging muscles
- very athletic
Setting
Terrain
- Forests
Earth setting:
- general past
- current (early 21st century)
Takes place on Earth?
Yes
Style
Person?
- mostly 1st
- rotating 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
- moderately detailed references to deaths
scientific jargon? (SF only)
- none/very little science jargon needed
How much dialogue?
- significantly more dialog than descript
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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