Soren has a happy home with his parents and siblings. He dreams of flying and of the various ceremonies that he will experience as he grows. Then, suddenly, all of these things that are so dear to him are snatched away, or rather he is snatched away from them. The little barn owlet finds himself in a nightmarish place, a place full of baby owls like himself who have numbers instead of names. Luckily Soren soon finds himself a friend, a small elf owl called Gylfie. Together these two youngsters develop the skills it takes to survive their captivity and yet keep their individuality and their will to be free.

Kathryn Lasky has created a remarkable owl world full of legends, owl words and owl dreams. It is as real and warm to the reader as any human world could be. With her usual skill, Lasky pulls us into a story in which the characters find out more about themselves and each other than they thought was possible.

Guided by fear, hope and loss, the little owls work towards finding answers and gaining their freedom. They endear themselves to us very quickly. We fear for their safety and feel the horror of the place that they find themselves in. When they make their first flight we are there with them, led by the skill of this consummate storyteller.

Be sure not to miss the second book in this series, THE JOURNEY, which is expected to be released in September and will continue the story of Soren, Gylfie and their quest.

   --- Reviewed by Marya Jansen-Gruber