The Coming of Hoole (Guardians of Ga'Hoole Series #10) »

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.(more)

Children's Literature

The Guardians of Ga'Hoole have gathered to read the legends of the birth of Hoole, the great owl king. Through the books of legend they learn of the devastating wars that drove good Queen Siv to escape the evil Lord Arrin. Fleeing with her only egg, she places it in the care of the owl Grank and his apprentice Theo. She is soon forced to flee and go into hiding. Grank and Theo are left to watch over the special egg in secret and train the hatchling that would be king. All the while they are aware that they must keep Hoole's true identity hidden from Lord Arrin, his army of hagsfiends, and even from Hoole himself. With great care and special attention they teach young Hoole all he must know in order to be king, because no one can hide forever. This is a wonderful fantasy series with a well-wrought secondary world. Despite never having read the nine previous books in the series, I did not feel alienated from the characters in the text. I was emotionally involved and was not lost despite the complicated story structure and the numerous characters. I will definitely be reading more of Lasky's series.