The Journey (Guardians of Ga'Hoole, Book 2) Kathryn Lasky 9780007215188

The brave owls of Ga'Hoole are back in their second mythic adventure as they strive to preserve owldom from the evil that lurks around them. Join the owls in their quest for the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, the legendary place where ordinary owls are transformed into the heroes that guard the owl kingdom.

Out of the darkness a hero will rise...

It began as a dream. A quest for the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, a mythic place where each night an order of owls rises to perform noble deeds. There Soren, Gylfie, Twilight and Digger hope to find inspiration to fight the evil that dwells in the owl kingdom.

The journey is long and arduous for Soren, Gylife, Twilight and Digger. When they finally arrive, they realize that the journey has barely started and that greater challenges lay ahead. If they succeed in following in the footsteps of their leaders, they will soon become true Ga'Hoolian owls- honest, brave, true and wise.

Kathryn Lasky has long had a fascination with owls. This led her to research their life and behaviour, thinking that she would write a non-fiction book about owls to be illustrated with her husband's photographs. She soon realised, though, that this would be rather difficult since owls are shy and nocturnal creatures - so she wrote a fantasy series about them instead.

"The rescue of Soren's deeply troubled younger sister caps a book hallmarked by adventure, mystery, and some pretty terrible poetry put forward as owl songs. The world building is excellent, with a few intriguing hints that it might take place on a post-Holocaust Earth, and the characterization is solid. The owls are unique and complex, with conflicting feelings and just the right mix of seriousness and fun." VOYA