The Capture

Guardians of Ga'Hoole #1

by Kathryn Lasky

Pushed from his family's nest by his older brother, barn owl Soren is rescued from certain death on the forest floor by agents from a mysterious school for orphaned owls, St. Aggie's. With a new friend, clever and scrappy Gylfie, he uncovers a training camp for the leader's own nefarious goal.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Animals, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Childrens, Adventure

222 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2003

About the author

Kathryn Lasky, also known as Kathryn Lasky Knight and E. L. Swann, is an award-winning American author of over one hundred books for children and adults. Best known for the Guardians of Ga’Hoole series, her work has been translated into 19 languages and includes historical fiction, fantasy, and nonfiction.

Reviews

[Lego Robot Ninja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mum: How many stars would you give this?

LRN: I think a solid five. It was very good; better than the movie even.

Mum: So what happens in this book?

LRN: Soren is pushed out of his hollow by his brother, Kludd.

Mum: Ugh, that's an ugly name.

LRN: I know. It's a bad name. No, two ds.

Mum: So what else?

LRN: Then he's taken off to St Aegolios, academy for orphaned owls. And there are six rooms. One of them is Pelletireum, which is disgusting, actually.

Mum: Why is it disgusting?

LRN: They have to pick out bones and stuff from the pellets. Owls actually yarp up stuff after they eat it. For instance, a mouse. It's called a pellet.

Mum: Gross.

LRN: Also, another part: he meets Gylfie while being taken to St Aegolios. He meets Skench, Spoorn, and well, not for spoilers, but he meets another one called Digger.

Mum: Who would you recommend this book to?

LRN: Probably to my best friend Luke. He loves to read chapter books.

[L. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like these books, but I didn't. I trudged through three volumes before I told my daughter that we needed to find something else to read. A few points:

1. The world building is inconsistent and poorly thought out. If, in this post-human world, stone castles are little more than tumbled ruins, how would any barn have survived well enough for barn owls to associate themselves with them? And why would they anyway? The inexplicable knowledge of the owls regarding human buildings is strange compared to their complete lack of knowledge of humans themselves.

2. The narcissistic belief of owl superiority over other birds, (the "wet poopers") on the part of the owls, and the zealous reverence for owls on the part of their servile nest-maid snakes, became more and more creepy with each successive book.

3. These books could benefit from a glossary of terms and slang in the back of each. That would remove the (seeming) necessity to give up page space, better reserved for actual plot and character development, in favor of telling the reader what they already know. Just how many times does one need to be reminded what "plummels" are anyway?

4. And if I never have to read another story-derailing, non-scanning, doggerel "battle chant" again, it will be too soon.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I blush to admit that I had not head of the Lasky's series until the movie brought it to my attention. My husband and I had just finished one of Kenneth Oppel's "Silverwing" books when we saw the trailer for this adorable and very cool-looking owl movie. So, when I found out it was based on a book, it seemed only natural to transition from reading about bats to owls! ;-)

"The Capture" was a real surprise for me. I was expecting something cute and fun and adventuresome. Instead, I got something much more weighty and even philosophical at times. Parts of it reminded me of "The Golden Compass" and parts even brought to mind "1984" (yeah-scary!) Yeah, there are some adorable owls in this book, but there are also a lot of creepy and evil ones and they want to take over the world by brainwashing young owls. Ack! The book was also more violent than I was expecting with a few owl deaths, orphaned owls and even an owl eating another owl. Um, woah! Overall, though, it does have some humor and warmth mixed in and I thought the personalities of the owls were very well developed for such a short book. It's wonderful to watch Soren's transformation from a scared baby owl to an older owl ready to become a hero since the times call for one. I was a little annoyed that the ending was so clearly NOT resolving many of the plot threads, demanding that you read the sequels if you want to know what happens. But, even so, it did have a sense of conclusion in terms of Soren's developmental journey and intentions for the future.

A note about the cover: I usually am not a fan of movie tie-in covers, but I just think the owl in the movie is so darn adorable I couldn't resist. However, the older cover, brown with the close-up of the owl face/eye, has really cute illustrations of the main owl characters inside the front and back cover, something the movie tie-in is sorely lacking.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A traditional kids-against-the-world story done in a very original way. The characters in this story are all owls. They start off very young and innocent and are forced to grow up very quickly when some evil owls take advantage of them. It turns into the beginning of an epic adventure which takes another 14 books to complete.

The book is a nice stepping-stone between first readers and young-adult fiction in reading difficulty, as well as in plot complexity and concepts. I think older grade school students and tweens would enjoy reading it themselves and slightly younger kids would enjoy having it read to them. I showed it to my 7 year-old and he didn't quite feel like he was up to tackling it on his own. There are some pretty serious ideas in this story, but they are introduced with minimum of fuss so I don't think kids will be disturbed. Rather, it seems like a great way for kids to start thinking about ideas like good vs. evil, overcoming fear, loyalty and even death. There is also a small amount of religious symbolism or allusion, enough to lend some grandeur to the tale but not so much as to spark that conversation unless an adult points it out.

The friend who recommended these books to me said that they'd prompted her son into doing additional research about owls and that it's become a real area of interest for him. This book did the same for me, to some degree at least; I don't have quite the obsessive nature that an 8 year-old has about his favorite topic. But I did enjoy learning more about the various owl species in the book and was prompted to do some extra research to verify some of the information and see additional photos about these fascinating creatures. I love books that are as educational as they are fun.

[Nima Kohandani · Rating 4 out of 5]

به نظر می‌رسد ما با جزء نخست و مقدمه‌ی یک داستان بزرگ روبرو هستیم. داستانی که زوایای آن کاملاً روشن می‌شود. بوفچه‌های گوناگون از قلمروها و نژادهای گوناگون جغدها دزدیده می‌شوند و نیز تخم‌های جغدها. آکادمی سنت ایگی که تحت سلطه‌ی اسکنچ، جغد شاخ‌دار بزرگ است، مقصد این تخم‌ها و بوفچه‌های ربوده شده است. آن‌ها می‌خواهند بزرگ‌ترین سلطه‌ی جغدها را تشکیل دهند و این راه نامشروع را در پیش گرفته‌اند.
اما سورن، بچه‌جغدی که از سوی برادرِ شرور و حسوش، در نبود والدینش، از آشیانه به بیرون پرت می‌شود، نقش اول داستان ما است که در آغاز ماجرا با گیلفی، جغد جنی همراه می‌شود و در ادامه و در حوالی پایان داستان دو همراه دیگر نیز پیدا می‌کند تا با هم راهی درختِ افسانه‌ای شوند که می‌گویند جغدهای گاهول، شوالیه‌های افسانه‌ای جغدها، در آن زندگی می‌کردند.
در نگاهی جزئی تر، بحران اولیه، به هم ریختن جهان کاراکتر، همان پرت شدن سورن به بیرون از آشیانه و ربوده شدن اوست. در ادامه ساختار کلاسیک سه‌پرده‌ای نیز کاملاً مشخص است.
اما داستان راه درازی تا پایان دارد، چرا که این جلد، تنها آغازی بر کل ماجراست. شاید به جلد اول بتوان به طور کلی‌تر به عنوان بحران اولیه‌ی ماجرای کلی نگاه کرد: اسارت؛ بحرانِ اولیه‌ای که برای سورن رخ می‌دهد.
لحن نویسنده جذاب است، طنز ظریف خود را دارد. داستان در دو رده‌ی سنی در رفت و آمد است؛ چندین مرگ و قتل غافلگیرکننده دارد، جغدهای خوبی که کشته می‌شوند، در راه هدفی شریف. اما به همان اندازه عناصر ادبیات نوجوان را دارد: قهرمان‌سازی و اصولاً الگوی قهرمان. مطمئناً در ادامه با تکمیل سفر کمپبل برای سورن همراه خواهیم شد. اتفاقات خوب، هیجانات مقطعی و مداوم. شخصیت‌های دوست‌داشتنی و کاملاً ملموس. و ویژگی‌های فراوان دیگر.
اگرچه «اسارت» اولین جلد از یک مجموعه است، اما آن را می‌توان اولین بخش از یک کتاب خیلی بزرگ به حساب آورد چون داستانِ ما حتی پایان مشخصی نیز ندارد، ابهامات و سؤالات بیشتری در چند فصل پایانی مطرح می‌شود، کاراکترهای کاملاً جدید در همان فصول با معرفی بسیار خلاصه و کوتاه به داستان اضافه می‌شوند و به این ترتیب، به‌نوعی همه چیز به جلد/جلدهای بعد موکول شده است.
خواندن مجموعه‌ای با محوریت جغدها برای هر فانتزی‌دوستی بدون شک جذاب و هیجان‌انگیز است، آن هم این داستانِ خواندنی و پرکشش از جغدهای افسانه‌ایِ گاهول.

[Sera Nova · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was extremely captivating! I loved the pacing and the world building. A very creative and unique fantasy world that just begs the reader to expand their imagination, and helps them do so beautifully. The Warrior Cats series always disappointing me with this aspect.

The storytelling was just fantastic and I love that it also didn’t hold back on being graphic. Animals are gruesome. They hunt and kill. They fight and die. It doesn’t hold back, and it shouldn’t considering the themes in the book. War, brainwashing, control, authoritarianism, ect. Very human themes, told through animals. One of the best ways to help educate teens without being extremely traumatizing. It doesn’t treat the reader like a child, and I love when JUV books do so and are not afraid to do so.

[▀▄♫₪♦♥♣I lEaRnT FiRsT AiDs ♫₪♦ · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH MY GOSH!. This book is so cool. If you like owls you have to read this!!.

Its about a barn owl called SOREN who gets kidnapped and gets taken to an orphanage.Then he meets a friend called GYLFIE. In their memories they meet a fully mature owl who has pretended to be kidnapped to save baby egg owls. HORTENSE, the mature owl sits at the highest point of the orphanage and rolls owl eggs to eagles. The eagles take the eggs back to the owl kingdom where they will hatch and be safe. But when HORTENSE gets caught and SOREN and GYLFIE decide to escape but the only problem is, they don't know how to fly! On their journey to the library they meet an owl called GRIMBLE who teaches them how to fly. On the night of the bloody bats and the moon hypnotism they decide to leave so no one will know they are gone. They escape. Along the way they meet TWILIGHT and DIGGER. They return to their kingdom and try to stop this horrible orphanage.

Brilliant book, really cool. A bit confusing at the start but becaomes very clear and gripping.

Special thanks to CARDINAL MCKEEFRY LIBRARY for having these books.
and to Katherine Lasky for writing this series

[Gina · Rating 1 out of 5]

I do not understand how this book got such a following it was made into a movie. It reads like an owl anatomy textbook swapped pages with a teenager's Game of Thrones fanfic (trying desperately to be epic, meaningful, and gruesome in equal measure), and it's just as confusing as that sounds.

I may also just be extra sensitive about this sort of thing now, but fantasy writers, please stop creating slave/servant species who are blissfully happy with their station in life, and in fact, oppose any attempt to treat them as equals. Thank you, that is all.

[Jack Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

tbh these books changed me as a person

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the Mom of a seven year old girl, I struggle to find "appropriate" books for us to read together. She reads her own books, geared toward her reading level, but we always try to have a book that I read to her on the our plate. These books are typically for older kids, but I feel exposing her to ideas and words beyond her reading level can only do her good! My struggle is... I am tired of princesses and fairies! She would never admit to it, but I have a sneaking suspicion she is tired of them too.
The Capture is the perfect compromise. A book about kids (owlets) facing extreme danger and trying to solve a mystery with no help from adults (grown up owls). If fits in with my daughters need for identifiable characters and an exciting story line. I worried, at times, when I was reading this book to her, that she didn't really understand what was happening. I would finish the chapter and ask her if she still liked the book. Almost every night.
Her answer was always, YES! She asked questions about the characters, wondered what certain words were, and became righteously angry at a few plot points. Soren and Gylfie became friends to her. What more could I ask? Well, I could actually ask for a book that I, as an adult, would enjoy at the same time. Is that so hard? From the choices I have seen out there, apparently it is. But The Capture, pun intended, captured my interest and made me want to read each night. We are looking forward to the next book, which I hope will enthrall my daughter as much as this one has.

[Lartemis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book, even though it is a children's novel because I saw a preview for the movie, Guardians of Ga'Hoole. The movie has the most amazing animation, I know I'll want to see it. Often the book for these children's movies are so much better than the movie, so I decided I'd give it a whirl. After getting past the reader's various owl voices, some of which are quite overdone, I really enjoyed the book.

It truly is a social commentary on the world and the evil in it...and the good. Much it of it reminds me of the Afghan and Iraq wars, of the Holocaust, of the Civil Rights Movement, of those we hear about on the nightly news who do evil to others and those who do good. Because of this, it is a vastly disturbing book.

I know children in third, fourth, and fifth grade would love it and not be disturbed by it. They would see the courage, the bravery, the adventure, the scientific detail that makes the book exciting. The message of overcoming evil with courage is important and would be understood by students. It could easily lead to discussions of how to deal with bullying in schools. I love the times when, despite their obvious differences, the good owls band together, accepting the strengths of each of them and helping overcome the disabilities of each. The good owls seek to dissolve differences of class and background in order to work for the greater good.

I'll listen to more in this series.

[~Bellegirl91~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

So these series weren't like AMAZING but they were worth reading. They actually made me come to have a love for owls and have a big owl fetish haha. Some may think it's weird with a world of talking owls. *cough* um, you do know people there's other books I may not have read, have read or maybe not ever read that I know of that there's talking animals like Redwall? And there's Narnia? Same with Disney: Little mermaid, Cinderella, lion king, dumbo, Fox and the Hound I could go on.

My point is who cares if it's a world of talking owls don't give weird looks. Do you do that while watching Disney or Narnia or whatever? No. So don't judge it before you actually read it.

I did like these series and see the main little owl Soren come out of his comfort zone and become a great warrior when fighting for his new friends and loved ones. Even when he fell in love with another owl and had owlets he was still strong and his trusty friends he had met in the first book were ALWAYS there by his side. The only reason I did pick them up years back was 1- mom got them on book orders 2- it was before I REALLY came to have a love for reading in my sophomore year (I believe 9-10 years ago. Lost count haha) and 3- why not? I thought the first few out sounded good and ever since they had been released we'd get them and my love for owls became bigger.

Looking back they're a quick read and actually worth reading and fun for the middle grade level. But if you like owls anyway then read these. But overall, this is my review for the whole series and saying they're worth reading at least once. (PS movie was okay but I did prefer the book series :D)

[AziaMinor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall Rating : B+

"Once upon a very long time ago, in the time of Glaux, there was an order of knightly owls, from a kingdom called Ga'Hoole, who would rise each night into the blackness and perform noble deeds."

[Thibault Busschots · Rating 3 out of 5]

Young owls are snatched away from their parents and brainwashed. Soren is one of those young owls and does everything in his power to keep from getting brainwashed, with the hopes of escaping and getting back home.


It’s an engaging and fantastical tale about owls in an atmospheric and enjoyable battle between good and evil.

[Truly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Waspadalah...! Ada Penenculikan Anak-anak di Dunia Burung Hantu

Upacara Tulang Pertama
Upacara Bulu Pertama
Upacara Daging Pertama
Upacara Terbang Pertama
Upacara Ular Pertama
Sebagian jenis upacara yang harus dilalui oleh para burung hantu dalam kehidupannya

Ternyata tidak hanya manusia yang perlu mewaspadai penculikan. Burung hantu juga! Tengok saja nasib Soren. Soren diculik dan dibawa ke tempat yang bernama Sekolah untuk Burung Hantu Yatim Piatu. Padahal ia masih memiliki orang dua dan dua saudara Di tempat itu juga terdapat ribuan anak Burung Hantu yang menjadi korban penculikan.

Soren dilahirkan di Hutan Tyto, tempat tinggal Burung Hantu Barn yang selama ribuan tahun hidup dalam damai. Sebelum diculik ia sudah pernah mengikuti: Upacara Tulang Pertama kakaknya, Kudd. Upacara Daging Pertama adiknya, Eglatine serta Upacara Bulu Pertama bagi dirinya sendiri.

Soren yang memang serba ingin tahu, kali in justru mendapat celaka karena mengucapkan sebuah pertanyaan. Alih-alih mendapat jawaban atas pertanyannya, ia malah mendapati bulu-bulu halusnya dicabuti. Di Sekolah untuk Burung Hantu Yatim Piatu, semua burung hantu diharap bersikap patuh. Sebuah pertanyaan berarti hukuman.

Ternyata pertempuran merebutkan kekuasan serta upaya membuat dunia tempat tinggalnya damai tidak hanya urusan manusia namun juga urusan vampire,Manusia Serigala, pemyihir dan sekarang giliran Burung Hantu! Di tempat yang menakutkan itu Soren bertekad untuk tetap bertahan, walau tidak tidur berhari-hari, dan aneka peraturan serta hukuman yang dia terima. Bersama dengan Gylfie sahabat barunya, Saron berusaha meloloskan diri demi mencari keluarganya serta melindungi dunia burung hantu dari bahaya yang mengancam.

Mengikuti genre yang tertulis dibelakang buku ini, Fiksi Fantasi, memang banyak hal fantasi yang tercantum. Namun alasan yang ada bisa dibilang cukup masuk akal untuk sebuah fantasi. Misalnya semua burung hantu diharuskan tidur di malam hari dan bekerja pada siang hari, padahal umumnya burung hantu justru tidur malam siang hari. Mungkin buku ini bisa mengobati kegundahan hati Mbak Poppy atas banyaknya cerita fiksi fantasi yang sangat tidak masuk logika

Dalam http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/l/k... , terdapat judul lengkap Guardians of Ga'hoole yaitu:
1. The Capture (2003)
2. The Journey (2003)
3. The Rescue (2004)
4. The Siege (2004)
5. The Shattering (2004)
6. The Burning (2004)
7. The Hatchling (2005)
8. The Outcast (2005)
9. The First Collier (2006)
10. The Coming of Hoole (2006)
11. To Be a King (2006)
12. Golden Tree (2007)
13. River of Wind (2007)
14. Exile (2008)
15. The War of the Ember (2008)
Lost Tales Of Ga'Hoole (2010) (with Kathryn Huang)
Berarti masih panjang kisah petualangan Soren. Semoga penerbitnya mau menerbitkan hingga tuntas tidak latah seperti penerbit yang lain, hanya 1 atau 2 buku saja. dari 1 seri

Informasi yang dikutip dari situ resmi penerbit, http://www.penerbitkubika.com/ menyebutkan bahwa buku ini juga sudah dibuatkan video game 3D. “Video game ini memberikan pengalaman gameplay baru dengan menangkap burung hantu yang berkelahi dan penerbangan dengan kontrol intuitif dan halus," kata Samantha Ryan, Senior Vice President, Produksi dan Pengembangan, Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment. "Para pemainnya bukan hanya terbang, juga saat mereka berberlomba terbang, menyerang dan mengembangkan kemampuan mereka untuk pengalaman yang lebih mendalam di seluruh lingkungan yang indah yang digambarkan dalam permainan." Penasaran, apa dalam video game ini, kita akan menjadi seorang eh seekor burung hantu. Namun baru pada Bulan September kita bisa menikmati video gamesnya.

Buat yang penasaran dengan video game dan filmya, jangan ragu-ragu mengunjungi http://www.penerbitkubika.com/. Banyak informasi yang bisa diperoleh, termasuk mengenai penulisnya, Kathryn Lasky. Kathryn Lasky lahir 24 Juni 1944. Sejak lama ia memiliki ketertarikan pada burung hantu hingga melakukan penelitian mendalam.

Wajar jika Kathryn Lasky sangat menyukai Burung Hantu (dalam Bahasa iIggrisnya disebut owl). Burung ini benar-benar unik karena termasuk spesies burung nokturna, yaitu melakukan raktivitas di malam hari yang berkaki dua. Kemampuan penglihatannya sangat tajam, hingga mangsa dalam jarak jauhpun bisa dilihat. Ini merupakan keistimewaan burung hantu dibandingkan dengan burung lainnya. Burung hantu merupakan hewan pemakan daging yang tergolong buas.

Burung hantu bahkan bisa dapat memutar kepalanya hingga 360 derajat untuk mendengar suara-suara yang ada di sekelilingnya. Disamping itu kedua matanya menghadap ke depan. Sekilas Burung Hantu jantan dan Burung Hantu betina terlihat serupa, padahal ada perbedaannya. Saat lahir kepala Burung Hantu betina lebih besar daripada Burung Hantu jantan. Kelak bobot Burung Hantu betina umumnya 25 persen lebih besar dari si jantan.

Suaranya yang tidak merdu membuat orang sering kali takut mendengarnya. Apalagi adanya mitos yang menakutkan. Di India, suara burung hantu bisa jadi pertanda akan datangnya kematian. Di Roma, burung hantu yang hinggap di sekitar rumah melambangkan kematian. Sebut saja Julius Caesar, Augustus, Commodus Aurelius, dan Agrippa contoh kematian yang diawali hinggapnya burung hantu.

Namun di beberapa negara Burung Hantu juga dianggap bermanfaat, di Yunani jika ada burung hantu yang terbang mengitari pasukan yang tengah berperang, maka pasukan itu dianggap mampu meraih kemenangan.

Dahulu saat saya kecil,pernah ada seekor Burung Hantu di rumah. Setiap ia mengeluarkan suara khasnya saya langsung jadi "Anak Manis" Karena meurut para "Ajudan Rumah Tangga" itu tanda sedang ada malaikat yang mencatat kelakukan-anak-anak. Saya masih ingat betapa kagumnya saya melihat burung itu memutar-mutar kepalanya. Canggih...!

Bagi anak-anak yang tinggal diperkotaan, Burung hantu hanya dikenal sebagai lambang kebijaksanaan. Namun sejak munculnya buku dan film HP, Burung Hantu mulai mendapat perhatikan orang lagi. Bahkan ujian kecakapan pemyihir di HP disingkat menjadi OWL = Burung Hantu Juga khan...Wajarlah jika para penyihir muda diharap memiliki kebijaksanaan seperti Burung Hantu he he he

Memandang cover buku ini jadi terseyum sendiri.
Duh imutnya wajah para burung hantu itu.

[M.H Ansari · Rating 5 out of 5]

هر چی توی سن پایین تر این کتاب رو بخونی بیشتر جذبش میشی

[Nura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Di sini, burung hantu kerap diidentikkan dengan keberadaan makhluk halus. Di India bahkan suara burung hantu merupakan pertanda akan datangnya kematian. Tapi dalam mitologi Yunani, Athena digambarkan dengan simbol burung hantu yang melambangkan pengetahuan dan kebijaksanaan. Dikatakan bahwa jika ada burung hantu yang terbang berputar di atas pasukan yang sedang berperang, maka dipastikan pasukan tersebut akan menang. Makanya Troy berhasil dikalahkan kali ya. Atw si Athena emang sebel aja gara-gara kalah saingan ama Aphrodite yang ngasih Helen buat Paris.

Back to the story. Kisah ini tentang usaha sekelompok burung hantu yang mencoba menguasai burung hantu lain, bahkan dunia. Usaha itu direncanakan dengan sangat matang. Mulai dari pencurian telur, penculikan anak-anak burung hantu sebagai tenaga kerja, cuci otak aka pembingungan, sampai usaha mempersenjatai diri dengan cakar-cakar perang. As if their claws are not enough. Tapi tidak ada gading yang tak retak. Kalo ada ga jadi cerita niy buku :p

Soren, seekor burung hantu barn yang bersahabat dengan Gylfie, seekor burung hantu peri, berhasil menyelamatkan diri dari pembingungan. Berdua mereka berusaha melarikan diri dari cengkeraman St. Aegolius dan menyelamatkan kerajaan burung hantu. Satu-satunya harapan mereka adalah Ga'Hoole Agung.

***

Jadi tahu sedikit tentang beberapa jenis burung hantu. dan ternyata di Indonesia juga ada lho, burung hantu seperti si Soren ini. Namanya Serak Jawa (Tyto alba javanicus). dan mereka memang pemburu tikus nomor wahid.

Yang menyebalkan dari buku ini adalah banyaknya typo. Yang paling sering itu adalah penulisan 'kepakkan' yang seharusnya ditulis 'kepakan', trus penulisan ke- yg menunjukkan tempat seperti kemana --> ke mana, kesana--> ke sana. Belum lagi beberapa penggunaan kata tidak baku seperti coklat-->cokelat, ijin-->izin, hujam-->hunjam, jaman-->zaman. Tapi kalo emang gaya selingkungnya gitu siy gapapa, soalnya mereka emang konsisten dari awal sampe akhir begitu terus. tapi kalo nggak, jadi bertanya-tanya, proofreadernya ngapain aja sih? hehehe... maap, emang cuma kecil-kecil tapi tetap aja mengganggu. Kalo gw, pasti udah potong gaji kalo segitu banyaknya *curhat* Minjem aja segini cerewetnya... :D

PS: sambil baca buku ini malah ngebayangin gimana perasaannya stuart little ya? hehehe... abis burung hantu makan tikus sih. Tikus sepertinya ga dianggap sebagai makhluk berintelegensia di sini.

Makasi Ine pinjeman bukunya ^^

[jaavaad ap · Rating 4 out of 5]

خیلی وقت قبل انیمیشن این مجموعه رو دیده بودم اما وقتی کتاب رو خوندم فهمیدم باز هم کتاب خیلی بهتر و سرتر از انیمیشنه . داستان در اول کتاب یهویی پرشی داره که به نظرم بهتر بود یکم بیشتر مانور میداد روی این قسمت نویسنده اما داستان خیلی خوب و با ضرباهنگ دقیق پیش میرفت . جاهایی که نیاز بود ریتم تند و جاهایی که لازم بود ریتم کند و بخوبی پیش میرفت. واقعا از خوندن این کتاب لذت بردم. ترجمه آقای حاجی زاده هم که زیبا و دلنشین داستان رو برای آدم روایت میکنه.

[Abdollah zarei · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75
حس خوب یک داستان کودکِ جغدی

[Abbie Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting storyline. I’d say it was rather dark for the age range... I’ll keep listening to see what happens but 15 books seems maybe a bit much 😂 but I’ll find out!

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

In anticipation of the upcoming movie based on Kathryn Lasky’s GUARDIANS OF GA’HOOLE series, Scholastic has re-released the first book in the series, The Capture. Being an owl fan, I of course had to give it a try! Lasky is clearly following in Richard Adams’ footsteps here, what with her invented owl words and the mixture of animal behavior and very human social commentary. The Capture is less intense than Watership Down in terms of both reading level and violence level, however, and would be suited for readers who might be too young for Adams’ book.

Soren, our protagonist, is growing up in a loving, comfortable barn owl family. Lasky incorporates a great deal of information about owl behavior and translates it into the customs of a culture. The owls have rituals for their first bites of different types of food, for example, and for the stages of learning to fly. Lasky is skilled at depicting the intricacies of a social structure, as is evident both here and in last year’s Hannah. The rituals of Soren’s family create a sense of warmth and community, even if they do sometimes focus on owls’ digestive processes a little too much for me. (Kids will probably love it. Especially if they’ve done the “examine the owl pellet” thing in school.)

One day, though, Soren tumbles from the nest and is kidnapped by several other owls. He is taken to St. Aggie’s, which claims to be a school for orphaned owls. But Soren isn’t really an orphan, and this isn’t really a school. It’s more of a cross between a totalitarian state and a cult. Now, Soren and his new friend Gylfie need to resist brainwashing, find allies, and escape St. Aggie’s. The St. Aggie’s scenes are creepy enough to get under even an adult’s skin, while still keeping the violence level appropriate for the target audience. There are a few deaths, but the details are mostly glossed over.

Soren and Gylfie are inspired to heroism, in part, by the legends of Ga’Hoole, which are kind of like the owl equivalent of the Arthurian cycle. I really like the idea behind The Capture, which is that one should be brave in the face of tyranny and that stories can help build that courage. The book would have been stronger, though, if a few of the legends had actually been worked into the story. We often read that one character is telling the Ga’Hoole stories to another, but not what’s actually in those stories. I’ve been a mythology geek for at least twenty years, so it’s pretty easy for me to imagine what the stories are probably like, but I wouldn’t necessarily expect a child to have the same knowledge base. One of the things that worked well about Watership Down was that some of the El-ahrairah stories were included in the novel. It helped build the world the rabbits lived in, and including the stories could have done the same thing here, and it would have lent even more weight to a touching scene where Soren and Gylfie make up their own legend to honor a friend.

Other issues include an unlikely coincidence, songs that don’t scan, and an abrupt ending. It’s not a cliffhanger, but it leaves much unresolved (presumably to be addressed in the subsequent books). This was an issue in Hannah as well, and maybe this is just a quirk of Lasky’s style that I’ll have to get used to if I continue reading her books.

Nonetheless, The Capture is enjoyable for the most part, and suspenseful. The prose veers toward the “textbooky” a bit when describing owl biology and behavior, but it’s beautiful at other moments, and the story has a good message without beating you over the head with it. I’m looking forward to the movie. This review originally published at Fantasy Literature's Kathryn Lasky page.

[Leo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must admit I picked this up with no hesitation while browsing a library near me, and the second book in the series. The series being about owls was more than a selling point for me. While reading it though I remember some parts of it vividly but I doubt I've read this before. Think I've seen a movie about this first book many moons ago. Excited to have a whole series with owls to binge whenever I can get hold of the books

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the movie when I saw it, but the books had been on my to-be-read list for a long time. Now that I have read the first one, I know I will need to read them all in short order, as these books are so much better than the movie. The depth of character and the progress in the book is amazing. There is so much detail and specifics that it was wonderful to read. I am usually leery of reading books about films I liked, in part because the books are often different and you get comfortable with what you first experience. In this case it was a great surprise how wonderful the books were and they are so different from the movie that they are almost separate entities.

This is the story of the Owl kingdoms, and of the classic battle between good and evil. We begin the story with a family of Owls in the nest and soon one is stolen away to a terrible place full of dark secrets. Together with a small friend, Soren escapes and soon they find themselves in a band of owls seeking out the legendary Guardians of Ga'Hoole. We watch Soren and Gylfie endure the life at St. Aggies and escape with the help of an older owl. They meet up with Twilight and Digger, two owls that could not be more different and yet they form a band and journey towards Ga'Hoole together to warn them of the evil growing at St. Aggies.

The story was stunning, the characters amazing. You fall in love with this band of owls and cannot help but find yourself cheering them on. After you read this first one you will want the rest; it happened to me, and to the person who read book 1 after me. Looks like this book is the beginning of an exceptional series.

Read the review and with links to other reviews of books by the author on my blog Book Reviews and More. And also an author profile and interview with Kathryn Lasky.

[Sher A. Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was disappointed that the book didn't really complete the story, but that's the only real fault I found. I had trouble at first with the amount of anthropomorphism in the owl characters, but they were well developed and I was quickly caught up in the story of Soren, a young owl orphaned and then kidnapped. The author made Soren's struggle to keep his identity and escape into an engaging plot that any child who has ever felt helpless and unloved will relate to.

The message of facing fears with courage and not giving up are messages I wanted my youngest son to learn. In spite of being an advanced reader who read adult level books in 6th grade,at age 16-17, he loved these books as much as I did. Perhaps more, because he usually won the contest of who got to read the next one by shutting himself in the bathroom or staying up all night.

The author really did her research on owls. I never expected they could be so interesting or that there were so many varieties. I enjoyed the owl artwork inside the front and back covers almost as much as the story. So you know ahead,one story arc takes multiple books to complete, and each leads into the next, so don't buy just the first book or you'll go yeep. Neither my son nor I was happy when we came to the end of book 5 and didn't have 6 on hand, which ends the first story arc.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

The movie was so much better.

There are a lot of potentially exciting events in this story, but the writing style is so amateur and flat that I was practically bored to tears reading this. There are also a lot of weird things about St. Aggies and the songs were...interesting. It was like she was trying to make a complex novel like Game of Thrones or something but over simplified it or didn't know how to correctly go about it.

I understand that this is supposed to be a children's novel, but I've read many children's novels that just completely drew me into the story. You know that point that you just stop noticing the words and the story is just running through your head? I didn't get that here. The Borrowers did a great job of that for example.

Game of Thrones meets The Little Engine That Could

[Lars Guthrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a pleasant surprise. I've been telling a young reader I will get to this; now that I have I wish I had done so sooner. I guess I expected something more run-of-the-mill, where Lasky's easy-to-read page-turner, about an heroic owlet who stands up to systematic thought control, is really quite profound. It makes me want to recommend 'Animal Farm' and 'Watership Down' to that young reader. And to read the next in the series. A couple of Lasky's insights:

'…[T:]he sweetest taste in the world…was a question on the tongue. A word beginning with that wonderful rush of air that w’s made.

'How do you unlearn something?...You decide not to trust only in what you can see. You look for a new way and clear your mind of the old way. You try to feel new things….'

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is series is one instance when I have no problem being a gushing lolly-daydream. It might also just be the root of my love affair with the avian section in the bloom of my youth. Blood-letting beaks and flesh-lacerating talons.
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Yes, it's scandalous. But the honest thing to do.

[Nazanin · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest I didn’t think I would like this book but I did. I’ll read the other books in this series soon.

[htanzil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Burung hantu identik dengan hal-hal yang menyeramkan, mungkin karena jenis burung ini hanya beraktifitas di malam hari dengan suaranya yang menyeramkan bagaikan hantu tak heran burung ini muncul di kisah-kisah horror, penyihir, atau kisah-kisah seram lainnya. Beberapa film atau drama horror tak jarang menggunakan burung hantu dan memperdengarkan suaranya agar menimbulkan kesan mistis dan seram pada adegannya.

Kita tentu masih ingat bagaimana sebuah acara TV “The Master” menampilkan sosok magician fakir Master Limbad yang selalu tampil dengan tata panggung dan rias wajah yang seram bersama burung hantunya. Namun tak jarang sosok burung hantu juga muncul dalam bentuk yang lebih bersahabat seperti dalam Buku dan film Harry Potter yang menghadirkan burung hantu sebagai burung pengantar surat bagi para murid-murid penyihir Howgart

Demikian pula dalam novel fantasi Guardians of Ga’Hoole, sebuah kisah fabel burung hantu karya Kathryn Lasky yang sama sekali jauh dari kesan menyeramkan. Di novelnya ini alih-alih menampilkan sosok burung hantu yang seram Lansky mencoba menjadikan burung hantu sebagai burung yang cerdas, bijaksana, dan suka menolong. Apakah Lasky terlalu mengada-ngada? Tentu saja tidak karena ternyata menurut kepercayaan orang Yunani burung hantu itu melambangkan kebijaksanaan dan sifat penolong.

Buku ini merupakan seri pertama dari ke enambelas judul seri Guardians of Ga’Hoole. Di buku pertamanya ini dikisahkan seekor burung hantu Barn yang masih berusia tiga minggu bernama Soren. Saat kedua orang tuanya pergi berburu Soren terjatuh dari sarangnya. Soren tak bisa selain mengunggu pertolongan dari orang tuanya atau saudara-saudaranya. Malangnya ketika ia menunggu pertolongan tiba-tiba seekor burung hantu membawanya terbang ke sebuah tempat yang merupakan sebuah tebing yang tinggi, saat itu barulah ia sadar bahwa dirinya diculik.

Oleh burung hantu itu Soren dibawa ke sebuah tempat yang bernama St Aegolius, sekolah untuk burung hantu yatim piatu. Di tempat itu sudah terdapat ratusan anak-anak burung hantu yang diculik dan dididik dengan keras untuk sebuah tujuan tertentu. Mereka diharuskan patuh pada para gurunya, bekerja sesuai dengan yang diperintahkan dan harus mengikuti sesi pembingungan dimana anak-anak burung hantu harus berbaris dan tidur dibawah pancaran bulan purnama. Dengan demikian anak-anak burung hantu itu akan bertindak diluar kebiasaan burung hantu pada umumnya, lupa akan jati dirinya dan tidak memiliki keinginan untuk kabur dari St Aegolius.

Untungnya di tempat itu Soren bertemu dengan Gylfie, seekor burung hantu Peri yang cerdas, ia sadar bahwa semua anak-anak burung hantu yang tertidur di bawah pancaran sinar bulan purnama akan mengalami pembingungan. Selain itu mereka juga dibuat kehilangan jati diri mereka dengan menganti nama mereka dengan nomor.

Dan yang lebih keji ada suatu masa dimana para anak-anak burung hantu itu diperintahkan untuk tidur terlentang dan sekelompok kelelawar datang untuk menghisap darah mereka dengan demikian anak-anak burung hantu itu akan kekurangan darah sehingga membuat bulu terbang mereka layu dan mati dengan demikian keinginan untuk kabur pun lenyap.

Karena Gylfie sudah berada di tempat itu lebih awal daripada Soren maka iapun memberitahukan semua itu pada Soren sehingga mereka berdua berusaha untuk mengamati apa yang sebenarnya sedang terjadi dan berusaha untuk menghindari sesi pembingungan setiap malamnya. Akhirnya diketahui bahwa tujuan para penculik itu adalah untuk menguasai kerajaan burung hantu. Maka sambil menunggu bulu-bulu terbang Soren berkembang dengan sempurna mereka merencanakan untuk kabur dari St. Aegolius.

Akhirnya dengan bantuan seekor burung hantu bernama Grimble yang juga terhindar dari proses pembingungan Soren dan Gylfie diajari cara terbang olehnya. Soren dan Gylfie akhirnya bisa terbang dan lolos dari kejaran para burung hantu St. Aegolius walau hal itu harus ditebus oleh nyawa Grimble yang tewas demi lolosnya Soren dan Gylfie.

Kaburnya Soren dan Gylfie bukan akhir dari segalanya, setelah berhasil kabur mereka berdua berusaha mencari keluarganya terlebih dahulu. Dalam pencariannya mereka bertemu dengan Twilight dan Digger, dua ekor burung hantu yang juga pelarian dari St. Aegolius. Hal ini menjadi titik awal dari petualangan mereka untuk menyelamatkan kerajaan burung hantu dari niat jahat burung hantu. St. Aegoluis.

Sebelum mereka sampai pada tujuan itu, Soren dan kawan-kawannya berniat untuk terbang menuju tempat dimana Pohon Ga’Hoole Agung tumbuh, tempat dimana hidup sebuah Legenda tentang para kasatria burung hantu yang akan terbang setiap malam untuk melaksanakan tugas-tugas mulia untuk menjaga kerajaan burung hantu dari niat jahat musuh-musuh mereka.

Sebagai kisah fantasi remaja, dengan bijak Kathyrn Lasky menyisipkan beberapa pelajaran moral bagi pembacanya, misalnya dalam hal toleransi, Lasky menghidupkan tokoh Mrs. P , seekor ular buta yang menjadi pelayan sarang burung hantu di keluarga Soren. Ini adalah hal yang tidak umum bagi keluarga burung hantu karena ular adalah makanan burung hantu. Namun walau Mr. P adalah seekor ular dan menjadi pelayan sarang, Soren dan keluarga memperlakukan Mrs. P dengan hormat bahkan untuk menjaga perasaan Mrs. P Soren dan keluarganya pantang makan ular.

Lansky juga mengajak pembacanya untuk meneladani tokoh Gylfie yang sangat setia kawan, ketika masih terperangkap di St. Aegoluis Gylfie dengan sabar menunggu Soren tumbuh bulu-bulu terbangnya agar bisa melarikan diri bersama, padahal kalau mau Gylfie bisa lebih dulu terbang dan meninggalkan Soren. Lalu ada kisah pula bagaimana Grimble memberi motivasi dan keyakinan pada Soren dan Gylfie kalau mereka sesungguhnya sudah bisa terbang.

Selain beberapa pelajaran moral yang bisa diperoleh di novel ini, karena novel ini berasal dari riset serius Lasky yang tadinya hendak membuat buku non fiksi tentang burung hantu maka dalam novelnya ini ia menyajikan berbagai pengetahuan tentang burung hantu seperti jenis-jenis burung hantu seperti burung hantu Peri, burung hantu Barn, burung hantu hitam, dan yang unik adalah burung hantu Digger atau burung hantu penggali yang menggali lubang di tanah sebagai sarangnya. Selain itu pembaca juga akan diajak memahami karakter, perilaku dan perkembangan fisik burung hantu semenjak menetas, hingga ia cukup dewasa untuk bisa terbang dan berburu makanan.

Kisah yang seru, perilaku dan karakter burung hantu, dan nilai moral yang terdapat dalam kisah ini ini dipadu sedemikian rupa sehingga mampu memikat pembacanya untuk terus membaca petualangan para tokoh-tokohnya. Tak heran jika novel ini tampaknya diapresiasi dengan baik oleh pembacanya sehingga meraih predikat sebagai "International estselling Series", hal ini pula yang membuat Lasky dengan tekun meneruskan seri burung hantu Ga’hoole ini hingga 16 seri yang terbit dua judul setiap tahunnya. Mungkin ini pula yang menjadi alasan Warner Bross untuk mengadaptasi kisah legenda Ga’ahoole ini dalam bentuk film yg berjudul “Legend of The Guardians : The Owl of Ga’hoole”. Film tersebut merupakan gabungan dari tiga judul awal seri ini yaitu The Capture, The Journey, dan The Rescue

Dengan banyaknya hal-hal positif yang bisa didapat pembaca dalam novel ini semoga pembaca fiksi fantasi tanah air juga khususnya para pembaca remaja kita dapat mengapresiasi novel berseri ini dengan baik sehingga penerbit Kubika dapat terus termotivasi untuk konsisten menerbitkan ke 16 judul dari seri Guardians of Ga’hoole ini.

@htanzil
http://bukuygkubaca.blogspot.com

[Tristan · Rating 1 out of 5]

If it wasn’t for nostalgia I probably wouldn’t have finished this book. Way more detailed than I remembered, but also boring as fuck.