Billy Hooten, Owlboy #1

by Thomas E. Sniegoski

Overview

Billy Hooten is a weird kid. He gets beat up a lot, and spends the rest of his time doggedly trying to build a robot. One day, Billy Hooten hears a cry for help coming from the cemetery that borders his backyard. Against his better judgment, he runs toward it. And after that, everything changes for Billy Hooten. Because Billy Hooten, you see, is Owlboy. A quickthinking, goggle-and-feather-wearing superhero who protects the bizarre and monstrous citizens of Monstros City, a city that exists under Billy's hometown of Bradbury, Massachusetts. But is Billy truly worthy of the moniker Owlboy?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780307494122
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	12/24/2008
Series:	Billy Hooten, Owlboy Series , #1
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	4 MB
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Tom E. Sniegoski has worked in the comic book field for several years. He is the author of the Fallen series, recently made into a TV movie for the ABC Family channel. He lives in Stoughton, Massachusetts.

Eric Powell found true success when he launched his critically acclaimed dark comedy series The Goon. It is now hailed as one of the most original comics in the industry and boasts a diehard cult following. He lives in Tennesee.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 3-6
Billy Hooten is a comic-book nerd who has been dubbed "Owlboy" by the class bully because of his last name and his big glasses. When he hears a cry for help coming from a nearby cemetery, Billy follows the voice into a crypt, where he meets Archebold, a goblin, and discovers that he is the next Owlboy, crime-fighting superhero of Monstros City, an underground world populated by every type of monster imaginable. Billy is amazed that his comic-book story is real and is not sure about being a superhero, much less donning the Owlboy costume, which doesn't fit. But after he completes a series of tests and discovers that he has some unusual powers when in Monstros City, he realizes that taking on the mantle of Owlboy is his destiny. He begins his adventures by catching the evil Slovakian Rot-toothed Hopping Monkey Demons. Sniegoski clearly knows his superhero stories and fills this book with tropes that hark back to Batman, Superman, and Spider-Man. Owlboy has an Owlmobile, but there are other more imaginative touches, such as a secret hideout called the "Roost" complete with a gadget-creating troll. This lively tale should be a hit, especially with reluctant readers. A few black-and-white sketches appear throughout.
—Tim WadhamCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

A nerdy lad assumes the mantle of a vanished superhero and discovers that he really does have what it takes in this airy esteem-builder. Reluctantly responding to the cajoling of an elegantly attired goblin he meets in a crypt behind his house, Billy enters a long tunnel and discovers Monstros City-a huge subterranean burg whose variously tentacled, slimy, gross but law-abiding citizens are suffering from a rising tide of crime since the disappearance of their masked protector, Owlboy. Despite many doubts ("I'm just a goofy kid who wouldn't know how to be a hero if it bit him on the butt.") Billy puts on the special goggles and costume of his predecessor, and in no time finds himself battling a trio of animated skeletons and a murderous pack of candy-loving Slovakian Rot-toothed Hopping Monkey Demons. Naturally, besting such foes gives Billy the confidence to face the bullies who afflict him at school, too. Featuring full-page illustrations (most not seen), nonstop action, bursts of silliness and the inevitable "1" on the spine, this is tailor-made for fans of Bruce Coville's Magic Shop series. (Fantasy. 10-12)

Kirkus Reviews

"It's every boy's dream to have his fantasy world of heroes and villians come to life—until it actually happens! Believable characters youÕll want to cheer for."—Jeff Smith, creator of the Bone series

From the Publisher