Hoot is my FAVORITE book along with Louis Sachar's Holes. It was funny and it had a very defined, good purpose that inspires kids to think beyond the book to real world issues. But most importantly, one of the characters, Mullet Fingers, was so interesting and realistic, he's pretty amazing. All the characters were great and the plot was fast and engaging. It's excellent. Definitely.

Indigo's Star is definitely the best book in Hilary McKay's series about the Casson family. It was at once touching and deep and light and humorous and the new character, Tom, is quite a welcome addition who brings out Indigo's enigmatic character. An excellent book that people of all ages can identify with.