| The Journey | |
| |
| Credits | |
| Author: | Kathryn Lasky |
| Cover Art: | Richard Cowdrey |
| Cover Design: | Steve Scott |
| Details | |
| Publish Date: | First printing: 2003 |
| ISBN Number: | ISBN 978-0-439-40558-4 |
| Summary | |
| Soren, Twilight, Glyfie and Digger band together and journey to find the mythical Great Ga'Hoole Tree. | |
| Previous Book: | The Capture |
| Next Book: | The Rescue |
The Journey is the second book in the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series.
Description[]
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 harrowing. When Soren and his friends finally arrive at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, they will be tested in ways they never dreamed and face challenges they never imagined. If they can learn from their leaders and from one another, they will soon become true Ga'Hoolian owls- honest and brave, wise and true.
Eyecatcher[]
Chapters[]
- A Mobbing of Crows
- In the Company of Sooty Owls
- Twilight Shows Off
- Get Out! Get Out!
- The Mirror Lakes
- The Ice Narrows
- This Side of Yonder
- First Night to First Light
- A Parliament of Owls
- Twilight on the Brink
- The Golden Talons
- Hulka, Hulka and Hope
- Books of the Yonder
- Night Flight
- A Visit to Bubo
- The Voices in the Roots
- Weather Chaw
- Mrs. Plithiver's Dilemma
- A Visit to Madame Plonk
- Fire!
- "A Coal in My Beak!"
- Owlets Down!
- At Last!
- Trader Mags
- In the Folds of the Night
Plot[]
The book begins with Soren, Gylfie, Twilight, and Digger, accompanied by Mrs. Plithiver, flying toward the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. The band decides to keep flying even as daylight nears, resulting in them being mobbed by crows. They manage to fight them off, but Digger's wing is injured, forcing them to stop while it heals. A family of Masked Owls come to visit, hearing of the Band's feat, but when they find out their destination is Ga'Hoole, they scoff at it and tell them it doesn't exist. Mrs. Plithiver scolds them, much to their dismay, and they soon continue on and shelter in the hollow of two Sooty Owls, a mated pair who call each other Sweetums and Swatums. The Band finds the two owls' constant affection terribly boring, and though they believe in the great tree, they are not sure it is practical for the Band to continue to it. In spite of this, they fly on and locate the River Hoole, which will take them to the sea. Later on, the Band makes plans to let the owls of Ga'Hoole know about St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls, in light of Soren and Gylfie's recent escape.
In the Beaks, the Band get lost following the myriad of streams that branch off the River Hoole. They spot smoke in the distance and fly over to investigate. The source turns out to be a cave holding the remains of a coal fire, which they bury, and some battle claws nearby. A stranger inside the cave warns them to leave, but it's too late, as a bobcat blocks them in. Soren takes off holding a coal in his beak, which he drops right onto the cat's eye, and the Band are able to kill it. Inside the cave, they realize he was going after a dying Barred Owl who was attacked by some other owls. When asked if it was St. Aggie's, he only replies, "You only wish" before dying. The Band burn his body and continue to the Mirror Lakes, where the pleasant weather, easy hunting, and hypnotic beauty of the lakes nearly cause the Band to forget their quest and believe the beautiful reflections in the lakes might be real. Mrs. Plithiver finally talks some sense into them and drives them to leave.
Scene from the movie where the Band approaches the Great Ga'hoole Tree
When they leave, the Band are blown off course straight into the Ice Narrows near the Northern Kingdoms where they are taken in by a family of puffins- the oddest creatures the band has ever seen- named Dumpy and Tuppa. Despite all difficulties, the band are escorted towards the Island of Hoole by the Snowy Owl monarchs of the tree, Boron and Barran. Upon their arrival at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, a stuck-up Spotted Owl named Otulissa escorts the Band into their new hollow. They learn from her that they cannot just go into a battle, but that skills must be learned by becoming members of chaws: specialized groups of owls that dedicate themselves to a certain skill.
Upon finding Ga'Hoole, the Band request a meeting with the Parliament because they feel that their knowledge of St. Aggie's would be valuable to the Guardians. However, Boron informs the Band that they need to wait a bit longer and nobility wasn't garnered instantly, but through unwavering resolution and stalwartness. He also informed them that their journey hadn't ended when they arrived at the tree, but it had only just begun, and that they would begin their training the next day. During the day, Soren finds Twilight thinking about leaving the Guardians because the Band would be broken up as they would be separated into chaws. Soren reassured him by saying that no matter what happened, they would always be a Band. Upon hearing these words, Twilight agreed to stay.
One month later, the band has learned many skills and become more accustomed to life at the Great Tree. However, Soren is still haunted by the thought of his sister, Eglantine, and her well-being. Eventually, the Band members are placed into their respective chaws; Soren is placed into the colliering and weather interpretation chaws lead by a Whiskered Screech, Ezylryb. This is a disaster for Soren because of Ezylryb's intimidating appearance and missing talon, and because he's double-chawed with Otulissa, whose talkative attitude is hard to bear. However, the chief blacksmith of the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, Bubo (a Great Horned Owl), is confident that Soren will be all that he can be because Ezylryb had recognized his potential. Later, the Band discovers that the roots under the Parliament Chamber are prone to transmitting any sound created within said chamber. This allows them to discover that the Guardians are addressing a topic concerning the dead Barred Owl. They find out that he was a slipgizzle: An owl spy who worked for the Guardians. Eventually Soren's fears and problems begin to subside. Ezylryb proves to be much more than every owl in his weather chaw ever thought him to be. Soren is even able to help Mrs. Plithiver get a spot in the Harp Guild with Madame Plonk, the tree's beloved Snowy Owl singer. He also manages to catch a burning coal in his beak and earns Ezylryb's rare approval.
Despite the turn of events, the tranquility of life at the tree is shaken when owlets of the Tyto species are found dropped all over a battlefield babbling nonsense about Tyto purity. Digger and Twilight, who are part of the Search-and-Rescue chaw, find Eglantine, who is one of the owlets dropped in the event that comes to be known as the Great Downing. Soren is shocked when he is shown Eglantine, but disappointed that she isn't her true self. Eventually, Trader Mags comes to trade goods at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, and Eglantine goes into a panic when shown a piece of issenglass. This panic, however, proves to be effective because Eglantine breaks out of her strange condition and becomes normal once again. For now, Soren feels content but only to an extent since Ezylryb, the ryb he's come to truly cherish, hasn't yet returned from his investigations of the Great Downing.
Trivia[]
- In the movie, the owls, minus Allomere, who is a turnfeather, believe the owls right away and already set up a plan of action to deal with the kidnapping of young owls. In this book, however, they do not seem to care right away, even some of them yawn when Soren tells them about St. Aggie's.
Behind the Scenes[]
- This is the second of six Guardians of Ga'Hoole books to include illustrations of the main and minor characters that appear in the book.
Gallery[]
Artwork[]
Covers[]
