Spotlight On... Guardians of Ga’Hoole
--by Hanje Richards
The Gua
rdians of Ga’Hoole is an epic (15-book) fantasy series written by Kathryn Lasky for young readers (ages 9-12). The series follows the adventures of Soren and Coryn, two young Barn Owls who team up to fight the forces of evil.
Kathryn Lasky is the Newbery Honor author of over one hundred fiction and nonfiction books for children and young adults. Her books range from critically acclaimed nonfiction titles such as Beyond the Burning Time and True North to the wildly popular Guardians of Ga'hoole fantasy series about owls. She loves owls and researching their behavior and natural history. Luckily, Lasky lives quite close to Harvard University’s Department of Ornithology, where she consulted with the scientists there frequently.
Guardians of Ga’Hoole Series
Book 1: The Ca
pture - After Soren, a young owlet, is pushed from his family's nest by his older brother, he's plucked from the forest floor by agents from a mysterious school, the St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls. When Soren arrives at St. Aggie's, he suspects there is more to the school than meets the eye. He and his new friend, the clever and scrappy Gylfie, find out that St. Aggie's is actually a training camp where the school's leader can groom young owls to help achieve her goal - to rule the entire owl kingdom.
In the first book in this series, the reader follows the adventures of Soren and Gylfie as they subvert the attempted brainwashing that takes place at St. Aggie's, learn to fly, and eventually escape from the evil school. Later they meet with two more orphaned owls, the indomitable Twilight and pensive Digger, and the four form a band as they journey to a refuge that may exist only in legend - the Great Ga'Hoole Tree.
Book 2: The J
ourney - In the second book, Soren, Gylfie, Twilight, and Digger travel to the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, a mythical place where an order of owls rises each night to perform noble deeds. Soren and his group are seeking help to fight the evil they discovered in the owl world (in Guardians #1). After a harrowing journey, they arrive at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree and learn they will need to stay to receive training from the Ga'Hoolian elders. During his time at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, Soren finds (and then loses) a great mentor and is reunited with his beloved sister.
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The Gua
rdians of Ga’Hoole is an epic (15-book) fantasy series written by Kathryn Lasky for young readers (ages 9-12). The series follows the adventures of Soren and Coryn, two young Barn Owls who team up to fight the forces of evil.Kathryn Lasky is the Newbery Honor author of over one hundred fiction and nonfiction books for children and young adults. Her books range from critically acclaimed nonfiction titles such as Beyond the Burning Time and True North to the wildly popular Guardians of Ga'hoole fantasy series about owls. She loves owls and researching their behavior and natural history. Luckily, Lasky lives quite close to Harvard University’s Department of Ornithology, where she consulted with the scientists there frequently.
Guardians of Ga’Hoole Series
Book 1: The Ca
pture - After Soren, a young owlet, is pushed from his family's nest by his older brother, he's plucked from the forest floor by agents from a mysterious school, the St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls. When Soren arrives at St. Aggie's, he suspects there is more to the school than meets the eye. He and his new friend, the clever and scrappy Gylfie, find out that St. Aggie's is actually a training camp where the school's leader can groom young owls to help achieve her goal - to rule the entire owl kingdom.In the first book in this series, the reader follows the adventures of Soren and Gylfie as they subvert the attempted brainwashing that takes place at St. Aggie's, learn to fly, and eventually escape from the evil school. Later they meet with two more orphaned owls, the indomitable Twilight and pensive Digger, and the four form a band as they journey to a refuge that may exist only in legend - the Great Ga'Hoole Tree.
Book 2: The J
ourney - In the second book, Soren, Gylfie, Twilight, and Digger travel to the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, a mythical place where an order of owls rises each night to perform noble deeds. Soren and his group are seeking help to fight the evil they discovered in the owl world (in Guardians #1). After a harrowing journey, they arrive at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree and learn they will need to stay to receive training from the Ga'Hoolian elders. During his time at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, Soren finds (and then loses) a great mentor and is reunited with his beloved sister..
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Book 3: The Rescue - 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....
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Book 4: The Siege - Soren's beloved mentor, Ezylryb, is finally back at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. But all is not well. There's a war between good and evil in the owl kingdom. On one side is a group led by Soren's fearsome brother, Kludd. On the other side are the owls of the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, who must fight to protect their legendary home from Kludd's attacks.
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Book 5: The Shatt
ering - In the midst of war, Eglantine unwittingly becomes a spy for Kludd, leader of the Pure Ones (a group of evil owls). She is brainwashed by an owl sent by the Pure Ones to infiltrate the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. Her odd behavior eventually attracts attention, and Soren and his friends vow to find out what's wrong with Eglantine. They ultimately learn what happened and help her reverse the effects of the brainwashing. Kludd continues to battle against the Guardians of Ga'Hoole for control of their tree. In the end, Kludd and his forces are defeated. But his conflict with Soren is not yet over.
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Book 5: The Shatt
ering - In the midst of war, Eglantine unwittingly becomes a spy for Kludd, leader of the Pure Ones (a group of evil owls). She is brainwashed by an owl sent by the Pure Ones to infiltrate the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. Her odd behavior eventually attracts attention, and Soren and his friends vow to find out what's wrong with Eglantine. They ultimately learn what happened and help her reverse the effects of the brainwashing. Kludd continues to battle against the Guardians of Ga'Hoole for control of their tree. In the end, Kludd and his forces are defeated. But his conflict with Soren is not yet over..
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Book 6: The Bur
ning - Soren and his band are sent to the mysterious Northern Kingdoms to gather allies and learn the art of war in preparation for the coming cataclysmic battle against the sinister Pure Ones. Meanwhile, in the Southern Kingdoms, St. Aggie's has fallen to the Pure Ones, and they are using its resources to plan a final invasion of The Great Ga'Hoole Tree. With the future of all Owldom in the balance, the parliament of Ga'Hoole must decide whether or not to join forces with the brutal Skench and Sporn and the scattered remnants of St. Aggie's who remain faithful to them.
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ning - Soren and his band are sent to the mysterious Northern Kingdoms to gather allies and learn the art of war in preparation for the coming cataclysmic battle against the sinister Pure Ones. Meanwhile, in the Southern Kingdoms, St. Aggie's has fallen to the Pure Ones, and they are using its resources to plan a final invasion of The Great Ga'Hoole Tree. With the future of all Owldom in the balance, the parliament of Ga'Hoole must decide whether or not to join forces with the brutal Skench and Sporn and the scattered remnants of St. Aggie's who remain faithful to them..
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Book 7: The Hatchling - Kludd is dead. Nyra, his mate, is determined that her hatchling, Nyroc, will fulfill his father's destiny: the vicious oppression of all the owl kingdoms. But Nyroc is a poor student of evil. A light grows in his heart, fed by scraps of forbidden legend and strange news of a place where goodness and nobility reign. He must summon all his courage to defy his destiny - and the embodiment of evil that is his mother.
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Book 8: Th
e Outcast - Nyroc has exiled himself from the Pure Ones. He flies alone, feared and despised by those who know him as Kludd's son, hunted by those whose despotism he has rejected, and haunted by ghostly creatures conjured by Nyra to lure him back to the Pure Ones. He yearns for a place he only half believes in - the Great Tree - and an uncle - the near-mythic Soren - who might be a true father to him. Yet, he cannot approach the Tree while the rumor of evil clings to him. To prove his worth, Nyroc will fly to Beyond the Beyond seeking the legendary Relic and bring it, a talisman of his own.
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e Outcast - Nyroc has exiled himself from the Pure Ones. He flies alone, feared and despised by those who know him as Kludd's son, hunted by those whose despotism he has rejected, and haunted by ghostly creatures conjured by Nyra to lure him back to the Pure Ones. He yearns for a place he only half believes in - the Great Tree - and an uncle - the near-mythic Soren - who might be a true father to him. Yet, he cannot approach the Tree while the rumor of evil clings to him. To prove his worth, Nyroc will fly to Beyond the Beyond seeking the legendary Relic and bring it, a talisman of his own..
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Book 9: 
The First Collier - It is a time of Legends and a time of Chaos. Warlords vie for power, and marauding outlaws roam the land. Good King Hrath and his queen, Siv - noble Spotted Owls - struggle to keep peace in their kingdom. Grank, noble Spotted Owl, friend and supporter of King Hrath, has exiled himself to Beyond the Beyond, where he has developed his firesight and learns how to work with embers and fire and how to forge metals. He is the First Collier. Deep in a volcano in the farthest reaches of Beyond the Beyond, he discovers a magical Ember but fears its awful powers will be misused and hides it again.
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The First Collier - It is a time of Legends and a time of Chaos. Warlords vie for power, and marauding outlaws roam the land. Good King Hrath and his queen, Siv - noble Spotted Owls - struggle to keep peace in their kingdom. Grank, noble Spotted Owl, friend and supporter of King Hrath, has exiled himself to Beyond the Beyond, where he has developed his firesight and learns how to work with embers and fire and how to forge metals. He is the First Collier. Deep in a volcano in the farthest reaches of Beyond the Beyond, he discovers a magical Ember but fears its awful powers will be misused and hides it again..
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Book 10: The C
oming of Hoole - Grank raises the hatchling deep in a forest far from owls that would kill the royal chick named Hoole to end the kingly line. His mother comes to visit, in disguise, and departs again. Not even the chick must know his mother's identity. It would give him away as Hrath's heir. Sent by an evil warlord, a hagsfiend attempts to lure young Hoole away when he first learns to fly. Grank realizes that the same evil forces that killed Hrath are after Hoole, and know where he is. To keep him safe, Grank brings him to Beyond the Beyond, a strange land of fiery volcanoes in a barren, icy landscape.
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Book 10: The C
oming of Hoole - Grank raises the hatchling deep in a forest far from owls that would kill the royal chick named Hoole to end the kingly line. His mother comes to visit, in disguise, and departs again. Not even the chick must know his mother's identity. It would give him away as Hrath's heir. Sent by an evil warlord, a hagsfiend attempts to lure young Hoole away when he first learns to fly. Grank realizes that the same evil forces that killed Hrath are after Hoole, and know where he is. To keep him safe, Grank brings him to Beyond the Beyond, a strange land of fiery volcanoes in a barren, icy landscape..
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Book 11: To Be a King - In this final book of the Legends trilogy, Hoole reclaims the throne of his father and goes on to wage a war against the forces of chaos, greed, and oppression led by the powerful warlord-tyrants. Grank, the First Collier, uses his skills with fire and metals to forge weapons for battle. With great trepidation, Hoole uses the power of the Ember in the final, decisive battle and wins. At the dawn of a new era of peace, Hoole searches for the ideal place to establish not a kingdom but an order of free owls and finds the Great Tree. .
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Book 12: The Golden Tree - Coryn, Soren, and the Band preside over a new Golden Age of the Great Tree under the subtle influence of the Ember. All seems well, but beneath the prosperity of peace, Coryn is tortured by the suspicion that his evil mother, Nyra, is a hagsfiend and that his own blood carries the haggish taint. He wanders afar searching for the truth from hagsfiends themselves, putting the Great Tree in danger. Soren and the Band follow their new king to strange parts to guard him from the consequences of his obsession.
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Book 12: The Golden Tree - Coryn, Soren, and the Band preside over a new Golden Age of the Great Tree under the subtle influence of the Ember. All seems well, but beneath the prosperity of peace, Coryn is tortured by the suspicion that his evil mother, Nyra, is a hagsfiend and that his own blood carries the haggish taint. He wanders afar searching for the truth from hagsfiends themselves, putting the Great Tree in danger. Soren and the Band follow their new king to strange parts to guard him from the consequences of his obsession. .
Book 1
3: The River of Wind - Coryn and the Band have returned to the Great Ga'Hoole Tree and have restored order. With the Ember safely hidden away, the Tree shakes off its gaudy golden glow and recovers its natural majesty.
3: The River of Wind - Coryn and the Band have returned to the Great Ga'Hoole Tree and have restored order. With the Ember safely hidden away, the Tree shakes off its gaudy golden glow and recovers its natural majesty.Meanwhile, deep in the Palace of Mists, Bess finds an ancient map fragment that reveals that there are not five owl kingdoms - as has been thought since time immemorial - but six. Coryn and the Chaw of Chaws set off to find this unknown land. In a landscape of perpetual winter, they discover a monastery of serene, learned owls, the likes of which no one has ever seen before.
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Book 14: Exile - The Striga, former dragon owl from the Middle Kingdom beyond the Unnamed Sea, has come to stay at the Great Tree. He has earned the trust of all by saving Bell, Soren's owlet, from Nyra, and he grows daily closer to the yo
ung king Coryn, with whom he seems to share a strange bond. The Striga senses the power of the Ember hidden in Bubo's forge and draws it closer. As his power waxes, he accuses the Band of treason and produces flimsy evidence to support his abominable claim. And so the Band is exiled, strengthening the Striga's hold over Coryn.
The Band seeks refuge in distant forests and enlists the help of old friends, but every action they take is construed as further treason, and agents of the Striga - former Guardians - hunt them mercilessly, until for safety's sake the band itself must separate. They devise as system of messages and alarms and so communicate despite their isolation. Old friends, loyal family, and allies help devise a plan to shake the hold the Striga has on Coryn and to free the young king and the Tree from this new, insidious tyranny. It will take courage, daring and wisdom, but the Band will meet the new challenge - for the sake of the king, and the Great Ga'Hoole Tree.
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Book 14: Exile - The Striga, former dragon owl from the Middle Kingdom beyond the Unnamed Sea, has come to stay at the Great Tree. He has earned the trust of all by saving Bell, Soren's owlet, from Nyra, and he grows daily closer to the yo
ung king Coryn, with whom he seems to share a strange bond. The Striga senses the power of the Ember hidden in Bubo's forge and draws it closer. As his power waxes, he accuses the Band of treason and produces flimsy evidence to support his abominable claim. And so the Band is exiled, strengthening the Striga's hold over Coryn.The Band seeks refuge in distant forests and enlists the help of old friends, but every action they take is construed as further treason, and agents of the Striga - former Guardians - hunt them mercilessly, until for safety's sake the band itself must separate. They devise as system of messages and alarms and so communicate despite their isolation. Old friends, loyal family, and allies help devise a plan to shake the hold the Striga has on Coryn and to free the young king and the Tree from this new, insidious tyranny. It will take courage, daring and wisdom, but the Band will meet the new challenge - for the sake of the king, and the Great Ga'Hoole Tree.
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Boo
k 15: The War of the Ember - The strange, maniacal blue owl known as the Striga has been rousted from the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. Nyra, leader of the vicious Pure Ones, is either dead or laying low in some distant land, leaving the Tree finally at peace. As if fed by an invisible spring, learning and the lively arts flourish at the Great Tree and spread throughout the owl kingdoms.
But, unbeknownst to the Guardians, in a long-empty cave deep in the Northern Kingdoms, two ruthless villains join forces to conjure an ancient evil - an evil that will do their bidding and wreak havoc on the world.
When word of this growing malevolence reaches Coryn, Soren, and the Band, the young king knows he must do two things: First, he must return the Ember to the Sacred Volcanoes, for the same subtle emanation from the Ember of Hoole that stimulates the quest for knowledge and invention at the Great Tree, also magnifies the powers of those who seek to destroy it and all for which it stands. Second, he must gather allies. Two armies grow. Gadfeathers, bears, dire wolves, and greenowls join with the Guardians, while on the other side ancient evil takes to the sky.
Guardians Guide to the Great Tree - "Studious by nature, fortunate to have been present at the most glorious moments in the Tree's recent history, and above all honored to count as friends its most ardent champions, I, Otulissa, have decid
ed to write a compendium, a catchall - a guide, in short - to the history, life, and spirit of the Tree. Pause a moment before the next adventure begins to read of its natural history, its origin, and yearly changes. Read of its lesser-known heroes: of Joss, brave messenger of legends; of the brothers Ifghar and Ezylryb and the treachery that bound them; of Theo, the peaceful warrior. Learn of Gylfie, Digger, and Twilight's lives before they came to the Tree. Read tales of Strix Struma, Uglamore, Trader Mags, and others. Many are the adventures still unsung! And many the brave deeds unheralded! Read of ages lost and dark; of strange ailments infecting the Tree itself. Learn the feasts and holidays celebrated under moon and sun. Scan the maps, study the drawings, sample the recipes! Dear reader, though you be distant from the Great Tree, lift this tome to your eyes and learn what it is to be a Guardian!"
Lost Tales of Ga'Hool
e - Guided by the Knower, Otulissa has studied long in the libraries of the Others; she has probed the ancient lore of the strange and powerful dire wolves of the Beyond. And at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree itself she has uncovered secret histories of Guardians she thought she knew well!
k 15: The War of the Ember - The strange, maniacal blue owl known as the Striga has been rousted from the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. Nyra, leader of the vicious Pure Ones, is either dead or laying low in some distant land, leaving the Tree finally at peace. As if fed by an invisible spring, learning and the lively arts flourish at the Great Tree and spread throughout the owl kingdoms.But, unbeknownst to the Guardians, in a long-empty cave deep in the Northern Kingdoms, two ruthless villains join forces to conjure an ancient evil - an evil that will do their bidding and wreak havoc on the world.
When word of this growing malevolence reaches Coryn, Soren, and the Band, the young king knows he must do two things: First, he must return the Ember to the Sacred Volcanoes, for the same subtle emanation from the Ember of Hoole that stimulates the quest for knowledge and invention at the Great Tree, also magnifies the powers of those who seek to destroy it and all for which it stands. Second, he must gather allies. Two armies grow. Gadfeathers, bears, dire wolves, and greenowls join with the Guardians, while on the other side ancient evil takes to the sky.
Guardians Guide to the Great Tree - "Studious by nature, fortunate to have been present at the most glorious moments in the Tree's recent history, and above all honored to count as friends its most ardent champions, I, Otulissa, have decid
ed to write a compendium, a catchall - a guide, in short - to the history, life, and spirit of the Tree. Pause a moment before the next adventure begins to read of its natural history, its origin, and yearly changes. Read of its lesser-known heroes: of Joss, brave messenger of legends; of the brothers Ifghar and Ezylryb and the treachery that bound them; of Theo, the peaceful warrior. Learn of Gylfie, Digger, and Twilight's lives before they came to the Tree. Read tales of Strix Struma, Uglamore, Trader Mags, and others. Many are the adventures still unsung! And many the brave deeds unheralded! Read of ages lost and dark; of strange ailments infecting the Tree itself. Learn the feasts and holidays celebrated under moon and sun. Scan the maps, study the drawings, sample the recipes! Dear reader, though you be distant from the Great Tree, lift this tome to your eyes and learn what it is to be a Guardian!"Lost Tales of Ga'Hool
e - Guided by the Knower, Otulissa has studied long in the libraries of the Others; she has probed the ancient lore of the strange and powerful dire wolves of the Beyond. And at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree itself she has uncovered secret histories of Guardians she thought she knew well! Attention Dear Reader! Great mysteries will be revealed to the attuned mind in these last Lost Tales of the Great Tree!
Otulissa embarks on a journey to revitalize academic vigor and historical interest at the Great Tree. Lost Tales of Ga'Hoole is the result of her labor. In finding and compiling these tales - previously lost to the annals of Ga'Hoolian history - she composes her magnum opus. Otulissa tells the never-before-known tales of minor and invented characters in the world of Ga'Hoole. They contain new information about the owls, dire wolves, and other creatures of Ga'Hoole but always refer back to the world and overarching storyline that readers of the series have come to love.
Lost Tales of Ga'Hoole will also serve as a last hurrah for the series - a loving and elegiac look back.
Otulissa embarks on a journey to revitalize academic vigor and historical interest at the Great Tree. Lost Tales of Ga'Hoole is the result of her labor. In finding and compiling these tales - previously lost to the annals of Ga'Hoolian history - she composes her magnum opus. Otulissa tells the never-before-known tales of minor and invented characters in the world of Ga'Hoole. They contain new information about the owls, dire wolves, and other creatures of Ga'Hoole but always refer back to the world and overarching storyline that readers of the series have come to love.
Lost Tales of Ga'Hoole will also serve as a last hurrah for the series - a loving and elegiac look back.
posted by msbw @ 4:35 PM
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