Owl in Love
by Patrice Kindl
Graphia
Boston
1993
ISBN: 0395661625
Plot Summary:
Owl Tycho is living her strange life the best that she can. By day she attends her classes, by night she transforms into her owl self, spying on her beloved science teacher for hours at a time. But when a strange owl and an equally strange boy begin haunting her time in the woods and outside of her teacher's house, Owl begins to wonder if someone else might understand her better than a middle-aged human high school teacher.
Critical Evaluation:
Kindl tells Owl's story in spare, beautiful prose, producing a unique, unlikely tale of transformation and love. Sometimes however, the spareness reveals a simplicity of tale, rendering the book of minimal interest to adult readers.
Reader's Annotation:
Owl believes she's found her mate. Sure, he's twice her age and boringly human, but you can't help who you love. That is, until a strange wild boy enters her life...
Genre:
Paranormal Romance/YA Fiction
Author Info:
Kindl is the author of four books, Owl in Love was her first book. She turned to writing in her late thirties, also volunteering her assistance with a group called Helping Hands, where she trained two monkeys to serve as aides to quadriplegics.
Reader Level/Interest Age:
Book is marketed as YA, Kindl's website proffers this to be 10-14. This disparity is evident in the book's prose and storyline.
Booktalking Ideas:
*Is Owl maintaining the right balance between her diurnal and noctural lives?
*Who is Houle, and why is Mr. Lindstrom so upset about the boy's presence?
*Does Owl's friend know her secret?
Challenge Issues:
None foreseeable.
Why Include?:
A prevailing interest in supernatural romances compelled me to check this book out; its metamorphic use of the owl seemed unique.
