The Rescue (Guardians of Ga'hoole)

The Rescue (Guardians of Ga'hoole)
Book Jacket

Series:
Guardians of Ga'hoole [3]

Rating:

Tags:
Fantasy, Fiction, General, Action & Adventure - General, Children's Books, Children's & young adult fiction & true stories, Juvenile Fiction, Fantasy & Magic, Fantasy fiction, Ages 9-12 Fiction, Children: Grades 4-6, Animals - Birds, Juvenile Science Fiction, Science Fiction; Fantasy; & Magic, Owls

EDITORIAL REVIEW:

Now that Soren has been reunited with his sister, Eglantine, he must face his next challenge: making sense of the mysterious disappearance of his mentor, Ezylryb. When Soren discovers that Ezylryb is in danger, he and his friends Gylfie, Twilight, and Digger devise a plan to save their teacher. In this process, Soren fights a ferocious foe who wears a terrifying metal beak, sharpened for battle. It's not until the confrontation is over that Soren discovers the true identity of his opponent...

Guardians of Ga'Hoole is a classic in the making -- Kathryn Lasky brings a thrilling new owl world to life. A key theme in the series is friendship: Soren and Gylfie's bond is at the heart of the story. The struggle between good and evil is evergreen and infinitely interesting. This is great series for both boys and girls alike.

T
he tail of the comet slashed the dawn and in the red light of the rising sun, for a brief instant, it seemed as if the comet was bleeding across the sky. Every other owl had already tucked into their hollows in the Great Ga’Hoole Tree for the day’s sleep. Every owl, that is, except for Soren, who perched on the highest limb of this tallest Ga’Hoole tree on earth. He scoured the horizon for a sign, any sign of his beloved teacher, Ezylryb.

Ezylryb had disappeared almost two months before. The old Whiskered Screech, indeed the oldest teacher, or “ryb” as they were called, of the great tree had flown out on a mission that late summer night to help rescue owlets from what was now referred to as the Great Downing. Scores of young orphan owlets had mysteriously been found scattered on the ground, some mortally wounded, others stunned and incoherent. None of them had been found anywhere near their nests, but in an open field that for the most part could boast no trees with hollows. It was
a complete mystery as to how these young owlets, most of whom could barely fly, had gotten there. It was as if they had simply dropped out of the night sky. And one of those owlets had been Soren’s sister, Eglantine.

After Soren himself had been shoved from his nest by his brother, Kludd, nearly a year before, and subsequently captured by the violent and depraved owls of St. Aggie’s, he had lost all hope of ever seeing his sister or his parents again. Even after he had escaped St. Aggie’s with his best friend Gylfie, a little Elf Owl who had also been captured, he had still dared not to really hope. But then Eglantine had been found by two other dear friends: Twilight, the Great Gray, and Digger, the Burrowing Owl, both of whom had flown out with others on the night of the Great Downing on countless search-and-rescue missions. And Ezylryb, who rarely left the tree except for his responsibilities as leader of the weather interpretation and the colliering chaws, had flown out in an attempt to unravel the strange occurrences of that night. But he had never returned.

It seemed grossly unfair to Soren that once he had finally gotten his sister back, his favorite ryb had vanished. Maybe that was a selfish way to think but he couldn’t help it. Soren felt that most of what he knew he had learned from the gruff old Whiskered Screech Owl. Ezylryb was
not what anyone would call pretty to look at, with one eye held in a perpetual squint, his left foot mangled to the point of missing one talon, and a low voice that sounded like something between a growl and distant thunder—no, Ezylryb wasn’t exactly appealing.