The Journey

by Kathryn Lasky
Book review by Thijmen, age 13

            The Journey is the adventure that takes place right after the band escapes from the desert of Kunear. While in the air so long the band gets hungry and Soren said he can eat anything but snakes because in his old hollow where he used to live barn owls used to use blind snakes as house servants. His house servant and friend Mrs. Plithiver was a nice and sweet servant, so while they’re flying, Soren spots a snake that turns out to be Mrs. Plithiver and so he takes her and all of them fly to the great Ga’Hoole tree.
            They keep flying even through day when the crows can mob them and they end up in the barrens by the mirror lakes. It’s very dangerous because owls get hypnotized by the lakes being so clear. It’s also like endless food where everything they need they had it there, but Mrs. P yells to them because they’re so hypnotized and they stay out of it and continue to the great Ga’Hoole tree.
They get assigned to be in classes or chaws where they learn to be colliers, trackers, navigators, etc.  But at the end they would only be chosen to be in one. If you’re really gifted, sometimes two, but as time went by it was time for the owlets to be assigned to a chaw.
            Digger got to be in the tracking chaw and Bylfie in the navigation chaw, Twilight in the weather interpretation chaw. Soren got to be in two chaws—weather interpretation and colliers.
            While they are at the tree they meet 3 new friends—Martin, Ruby, and Otulissa. They also meet Mags the trader, an owl who comes through the great Ga’Hoole tree and other places to trade objects that she finds in churches and ruins. They also meet Bubo the blacksmith, Mrs. Plonk the singer, and the monarchs of the tree, Boron and Barran and that’s book 2.