The Capture (The Guardians of Ga'Hoole) by Kathryn Lasky

The Capture by Kathryn Lasky is about Soren, a young barn owl who was stolen from his family at only 20 days old by St. Aegolius patrols. Soren, terrified and not sure how he ended up out of the safety of his family's nest, meets Gylfi, a young elf owl who found herself in a similar situation at St. Aegolius. Neither owl understand the bizarre rituals their captors force them to do - marching around during the full moon saying their "old names" over and over (all of the owlets at St. Aggies are given numbers instead of names). They also don't understand why the other owls there behave like zombies. Despite getting into a lot of trouble together, Soren and Gelfie are determined to find out exactly what is going on at St. Aggies, why owlets and eggs are being snatched from all of the Owl Kingdoms, and what the flecks in the owl pellets are being harvested for. What they find out scares them into action - first escape, then to find their long lost families. Their ultimate goal? To find the Ga'Hoole tree and the owls of legend from the tales of yore and stop the villains at St. Aggies for good.

This was a really good fantasy/adventure story! It was an excellent start to the series, giving the reader all of the background information about the different owl species and kingdoms. I am excited to read the other books in this sees to see if Gylfie and Soren accomplish their goals.

Skellig by David Almond

Skellig by David Almond is a story about a boy named Michael. Michael's infant sister is born incredibly ill and the entire family changes as a result. They move to an old house and Michael begins to explore the property. He finds an old dilapidated shed in the back yard and, hiding inside, Michael meets Skellig, a strange old man on the brink of death. Michael also meets a neighbor, Mina, who is home schooled, and introduces Michael to an entirely different way of thinking and learning. Michael lets Mina in on the secret of Skellig and the two begin nursing him back to health with positive thinking and Chinese food. All the while, Michael's parents are in and out of the hospital with his baby sister. Eventually, the baby needs an operation and Michael and Mina decide to move Skellig to an abandoned house close to where they live. Everything comes together at the end with the outcome of the operation and the disappearance of Skellig.

This book was a quick read. The story was very sweet! I really felt for Michael - torn between his school pals and his new, yet strange, friend Mina. I could understand Michael and his family's sorrow over the sick child. I got truly involved with the characters, and that, to me, is what makes a book great.