Soren is back with his little sister, but the fate of his parents and brother are still a mystery. Shall we learn more in this book as he and his friends settle in at the Great Ga’Hoole Tree?

Read: Mar. 6 – Mar. 7, 2025

Genre: Fantasy, Fable
Audience: Children, Middle-grade
Book contains: fire, referenced kidnapping, brainwashing, invented swears, mild gore, death, attempted fratricide

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A New Mystery to Solve!

Soren and his friends have found the Great Ga’Hoole Tree and have been picked for their chaws—the areas of expertise taught by the rybs. However, Soren’s teacher, Ezylryb, is missing—ever since the Great Downing, when dozens of owlets were discovered in an open field, including Soren’s little sister Eglantine. Can Soren solve the mystery and find his teacher?

It’s only after reading this book that I realize that the Guardians of Ga’Hoole movie only spans these first three books, though it combines some plot points and leaves a lot out to conserve time. The movie, of course, gives us a lot more about Soren’s brother, Kludd, and what he was doing while Soren was escaping St. Aggie’s with Gylfie and traveling north to the guardians. There were a few leaps I found hard to believe in this book, but overall it was an excellent tale!

As with the other books, the focal character is Soren, though the narrator switches to other characters when additional context is needed. Eglantine, specifically, has a bigger role in this book as we discover a little of what happened after Kludd pushed Soren out of the nest.

Drank a nice hot chocolate while reading this book! I read it the old-fashioned way, taking a few breaks in between work sessions to relax and delve into this story.

The main plot revolves around Ezylryb’s disappearance, which shows a lot of Soren’s character. He went from fearing the intimidating old owl to admiring him. Life for Soren is not easy without his teacher, and it shows his determination and care that he breaks a few rules for the sake of others. The book also provides ample opportunity for him to demonstrate his phenomenal leadership skills. A character I’m still curious about is Kludd—why does he act the way he does? Both Soren and Eglantine are completely normal and loving, and their parents were excellent by all accounts. Was Kludd just a bad egg?

Though they don’t spend as much time together as in the first and second books (having spread out to their individual chaws) the band maintains a tight-knit relationship with each other. They share a hollow, and they all seem to trust each other implicitly. I love how this book dives further into how Soren relates to each of his friends and who he would go to for the different problems he faces—the logical Gylfie, the action-forward Twilight, and Digger, the anxious but reflective thinker.

This world is so vivid and easy to picture (helped along by the illustrations of certain characters and scene from the story). Lasky’s style is mostly serious and very reflective on part of Soren, who is a deep thinker with a big heart. There were a few minor punctuation errors that I found, but nothing else; very polished.

The pacing was once again great. Soren and the others are searching for clues as to why Ezylryb is missing, and they stumble upon something else far greater: the mysterious “you only wish!” that the dying Barred Owl warned them of on their journey north. My only confusion about this comes from the timeline—how could the threat become so great in such a short time?

Nonetheless, I think this is a great series for children who like action and wildlife (especially owls). The fight of good vs evil is attention-grabbing, and despite the blood and battle, it’s not overly gruesome.

Related Reviews:

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 Siege 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
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