The Capture

Title: The Capture
Author: Kathryn Lasky
CBA or ABA? ABA
Primary Audience/age group: 10 – 14
Genre: Adventure
Year of Release: 2003
Part of a Series? Yes 1 of 8 – Guardias of Ga’hoole
Rating: 4
Recommend: Yes!
Description: At the beginning of this new series, a young Barn Owl named Soren lives peacefully with his family, participating in rituals like the First Meat ceremony, and enjoying legends about the Guardians of Ga’Hoole, knightly owls “who would rise each night into the blackness and perform noble deeds.” After he falls from his nest, his idyllic world transforms into one of confusion and danger, as he is captured by evil chick-snatching owls and taken to the St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls. Soren and his new friend Gylfie work to develop strategies for withstanding “moon blinking” (brainwashing), while secretly striving to learn how to fly. The legends of Ga’Hoole help them to survive, and they are able to escape to find their families and warn the world about the dangers of St. Aegolius. While the owls have human characteristics, such as Soren’s determination and Gylfie’s creative ideas, their actions and culture reflect Lasky’s research into owl behaviors and species.

 

Review: The Capture was a fast paced read, well written, and addictive. I did not want to put the book down. I was rooting for Soren and Gylfie through their many tests and trials. These two very different owls form a special friendship and fight for what is right. They make tough, selfless choices and had me applauding them outloud!

Positive: Soren and Gylfie are owls who have been kidnapped from their nests and taken to a bad place. They both really miss their families. I loved their sense of family and how they spoke so fondly of them. They were both smart owls who thought hard and questioned what was going on around them. They did not give in to “peer pressure” and blindly follow the others. They were true, very loyal friends to each other and welcomed other owls into their new “family”.

Spiritual Elements: There were no real spiritual references made.

Violence: As common with adventure/fantasy books there are some battle scenes with mild violence. No gory details, just intense.

Language: The owls occasional curse, but not with our curse words, they are owl curse words – such as “racdrops” (raccoon droppings).

Sexual Content: None

Rating: 4 for mild violence/battle scenes

Recommendation: I enjoyed this adventure. I would recommend it to the younger adventure/fantasy reader – about age 9 – 13.

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