I liked it; it was good
Like how The Lightning Thief solidified my love of reading, this series is what really got me started at writing as a child. I was writing fanfics for this book years before learning what the term “fanfic” meant. Rereading now is a treat!
Read: Feb. 10, 2025
Genre: Fantasy, Fable
Audience: Children, Middle-grade
Book contains: kidnapping, brainwashing, invented swears, mild gore, implied death
Purchase a copy from Amazon.ca
Soren is a three-week-old Barn Owl, barely old enough to eat mammals, let alone fly, when he falls out of his nest and is snatched! He meets Gylfie, a tiny Elf Owl, as they’re taken to St. Aegolius’s Academy for Orphans. Some strange things are happening at St. Aggie’s. Can they escape?
Lasky spared no details of Soren’s mind as she writes. It actually seems to drag book 1 out a bit longer than necessary, but a lot of information and lore is given in this book so that the reader will be prepared for the rest.
This book, while mainly following Soren in third person limited, sometimes touches upon other characters’ thoughts for additional insights. It can be a bit confusing at times, but the POV switches are sparse enough not to completely boggle the mind; it’s easy enough for young readers to understand. The chapters aren’t long, which gives it natural breaks, and I enjoyed the images included in the book: the map of the world, portraits of the characters on the inside of the back and front cover, and the scene at the beginning of Soren being snatched.
I read about half of the book myself, then wanted to see if anyone had posted them reading it on YouTube. I found a lady reading it for her second-grade class, but she only went to chapter 22, so I finished the rest myself. As I remember a lot of what happened, and it’s a children’s book, I was able to read a lot faster than if I were reading it for the first time. I got through the whole thing in one sitting!
Soren, the main character, is an owlet in the beginning, though he is quite noble. He is kind-spirited, plays with his little sister lovingly, and gets along great with his family—all except his older brother Kludd, who is bitter and cruel. Gylfie has a bright yet stubborn personality, actually reminding me of Hermione from Harry Potter. Despite her small size, she has a big personality and likes to use big words. These two meet a collection of other owls—good and evil—throughout this first book. By the end, the main band of Soren, Gylfie, Twilight (a Great Gray Owl), and Digger (a Burrowing Owl) is formed.
The friendship between Soren and Gylfie is created fast and strong since they’re under such terrible circumstances. It’s a friendship forged by necessity, but even once they’re out of danger, they stick together, greatly admiring one another for their strengths and differences. It is Soren’s idealism that makes them the few allies they have, and I love his optimistic (if slightly naïve) view of the world.
I love how the syntax (word choice) reflects the theme and setting of the story. Soren is an owlet with very little knowledge of the world beyond his nest, which forces Lasky to put things in easy-to-understand terms. She also does so well in painting the world from the perspective of an owl—how they see the world!
As mentioned above, the pacing was a bit slow because of the heavy exposition in this book, but the action is sure to pick up. There were pockets of battle and action scenes throughout this book that made it fun to get through, even with the massive sharing of information.
I highly recommend this book and this whole series! It’s a very fun read and an excellent beginning to this series.
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 1: The Capture by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 2: The Journey by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 3: The Rescue by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 4: The Seige by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 5: The Shattering by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 6: The Burning by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 7: The Hatchling by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 8: The Outcast by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 9: The First Collier by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 10: The Coming of Hoole by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 11: To Be a King by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 12: The Golden Tree by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 13: The River of Wind by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 14: Exile by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 15: The War of the Ember by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole: Lost Tales of Ga’Hoole by Kathryn Lasky
The Tale of Despereaux, a Junior Novelization by Jamie Michalak
How to Train Your Dragon Book 1: How to train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
Dragon Rider Book 1: Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke
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