What do you think?
Rate this book
Billy Hooten, Owlboy #1
Billy Hooten, Owlboy
Billy Hooten is a weird kid. He gets beat up a lot, and spends the rest of his time doggedly trying to build a robot. One day, Billy Hooten hears a cry for help coming from the cemetery that borders his backyard. Against his better judgment, he runs toward it. And after that, everything changes for Billy Hooten. Because Billy Hooten, you see, is Owlboy. A quickthinking, goggle-and-feather-wearing superhero who protects the bizarre and monstrous citizens of Monstros City, a city that exists under Billy's hometown of Bradbury, Massachusetts. But is Billy truly worthy of the moniker Owlboy?
256 pages, Paperback
First published July 24, 2007
41 people are currently reading
112 people want to read
About the author
Thomas E. Sniegoski
281 books1,105 followersThomas E. Sniegoski, often credited as Tom Sniegoski is the author of more than two dozen novels for adults, teens, and children. His teen fantasy YA series Fallen was adapted into a trilogy of monstrously successful TV movies by ABC Family Channel. His other books for teens include Sleeper Code, Sleeper Agenda, and Force Majeure, as well as the upcoming series The Brimstone Network. The author's first adult novel, A Kiss Before the Apocalypse, hit the shelves in 2008, with its sequel, Dancing on the Head of a Pin to be released in 2009.
Sniegoski's work for younger readers includes Billy Hooten: Owlboy, and the fantasy quartet OutCast, which he co-authored with Christopher Golden. OutCast is in development as a film at Universal. Sniegoski and Golden have also collaborated on the adult dark fantasy series The Menagerie, and multiple creator-owned comic book series, including The Sisterhood, which is being prepped for a feature film by InterMedia, and Talent, currently in development at Universal after a major bidding war.
As a comic book writer, Sniegoski's work includes Stupid, Stupid Rat Tails, a prequel miniseries to international hit, Bone. Sniegoski collaborated with Bone creator Jeff Smith on the prequel, making him the only writer Smith has ever asked to work on those characters. Sniegoski and Golden also wrote the graphic novel BPRD: Hollow Earth, a spinoff from Hellboy.
Sniegoski was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his wife LeeAnne and their Labrador Retriever, Mulder. Tom recently completed the new young adult novel, Legacy, which is set to be released in October of 2009.
Sniegoski's work for younger readers includes Billy Hooten: Owlboy, and the fantasy quartet OutCast, which he co-authored with Christopher Golden. OutCast is in development as a film at Universal. Sniegoski and Golden have also collaborated on the adult dark fantasy series The Menagerie, and multiple creator-owned comic book series, including The Sisterhood, which is being prepped for a feature film by InterMedia, and Talent, currently in development at Universal after a major bidding war.
As a comic book writer, Sniegoski's work includes Stupid, Stupid Rat Tails, a prequel miniseries to international hit, Bone. Sniegoski collaborated with Bone creator Jeff Smith on the prequel, making him the only writer Smith has ever asked to work on those characters. Sniegoski and Golden also wrote the graphic novel BPRD: Hollow Earth, a spinoff from Hellboy.
Sniegoski was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his wife LeeAnne and their Labrador Retriever, Mulder. Tom recently completed the new young adult novel, Legacy, which is set to be released in October of 2009.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 11, 2008
Ever wished you could be a superhero or dreamed of what you would do if you just had the power and ability? Meet Billy Hooten, bully victim and comic book addict. Billy loves comic books of brave superheroes who crush evil beneath their feet but never imagines he could become one. But a whole new world of possibilities opens to him when he responds to a cry for help inside a mausoleum in the cemetery beside his home. Billy cleverly outwits the creature that is threatening Archebold, the goblin inside the mausoleum, and is shocked, confused, and frightened when Archebold tells him he knew Billy would come when he called because Billy is destined to be the new Owlboy. Owlboy, the superhero defender of Monstros City, an underground city of non-human creatures where evil has run rampant since the old Owlboy disappeared years ago. Will Billy respond and take the challenge to become what he has only read about? Read Billy Hooten, Owlboy to find out!
December 6, 2024
A fun book for middle schoolers. Billy Hooten is a sixth-grader and a big nerd who is into comic books. He comes across a portal to Monstro City (packed full of monsters of course.) where he becomes the next Owlboy. This is a story of him growing into the role, overcoming his fears to do the right thing. It's solid stuff.
June 7, 2011
I am a acidity for super hero stories, so naturally I loved this one. Billy Hooten is your stereotypical middle school, slightly nerdy guy until he stumbles into a secret entrance to an entire world that lives beneath us. The city of Monstros has been overwhelmed by a crime wive and one of it's fine upstanding mister citizens convinces Billy he has the stuff to become the next Owlboy, defender of good in Monstros.
After some convincing Billy decides he can do the job and while he is in Monsros he learns that he has some super human strength and speed. This and some great hi-tech gadgetry helps Billy to take down the most vile family of monkey demons in Monstros.
Owlboy is a quick read that pokes fun of being a super hero at the same time it honors the comic book superheroes of the past. Since it is not as intense as some other fantasy action books geared toward middle readers it is a pretty safe read for all readers who want a funny story that has a little edge to it. An added bonus are the dozen or so illustrations that let's you see how someone else imagined Owlboy and the monsters of Monstros.
After some convincing Billy decides he can do the job and while he is in Monsros he learns that he has some super human strength and speed. This and some great hi-tech gadgetry helps Billy to take down the most vile family of monkey demons in Monstros.
Owlboy is a quick read that pokes fun of being a super hero at the same time it honors the comic book superheroes of the past. Since it is not as intense as some other fantasy action books geared toward middle readers it is a pretty safe read for all readers who want a funny story that has a little edge to it. An added bonus are the dozen or so illustrations that let's you see how someone else imagined Owlboy and the monsters of Monstros.
November 13, 2015
Billy Hooten: Owlboy is a fun book that I highly enjoyed. Hey, maybe I am a little weird too, but I have always wanted to be a superhero and used to read a lot of superhero comic books, like The Fantastic Four and Superman. What young boy doesn't want to be a superhero? None, I can tell you.
Billy Hooten has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that many of us would love to have: to save the innocent and take down the bad guys. Wow! As for Thomas E. Sniegoski's writing, it is wonderfully-paced and the characters are brilliant. I loved Billy Hooten as both himself and Owlboy. He has worries and isn't sure if he could actually be a superhero. He is worried that he might not be good enough and fail. I think that we would all feel that way if we were in his shoes.
Eric Powell does a great job of throwing a few illustrations into the book. My only complaint is that there wasn't enough of them. Billy Hooten: Owlboy is a wonderful beginning to an extraordinary series.
Overall, I think that Billy Hooten: Owlboy is a fantastic book and I can't wait to find out what happens next in The Girl with the Destructo Touch.
I rated this book a 9 out of 10.
Billy Hooten has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that many of us would love to have: to save the innocent and take down the bad guys. Wow! As for Thomas E. Sniegoski's writing, it is wonderfully-paced and the characters are brilliant. I loved Billy Hooten as both himself and Owlboy. He has worries and isn't sure if he could actually be a superhero. He is worried that he might not be good enough and fail. I think that we would all feel that way if we were in his shoes.
Eric Powell does a great job of throwing a few illustrations into the book. My only complaint is that there wasn't enough of them. Billy Hooten: Owlboy is a wonderful beginning to an extraordinary series.
Overall, I think that Billy Hooten: Owlboy is a fantastic book and I can't wait to find out what happens next in The Girl with the Destructo Touch.
I rated this book a 9 out of 10.
May 7, 2008
Tom Sniegoski, who is a very good comic book writer, has turned in a very good novel about a very strange superhero.
Billy Hooten is a typical young nerd, picked on by the school bullies and hanging out with friends who are equally eccentric. Then, he hears a cry for help...
The ensuing "hero quest" is one of the oddest in the history of archetypes. The book suffers slightly from "first book in a series" syndrome, which is the only thing which kept me from giving it five stars.
I can recommend this book for kids about 4th grade and above, especially ones who like comic books or superhero cartoons or films.
Billy Hooten is a typical young nerd, picked on by the school bullies and hanging out with friends who are equally eccentric. Then, he hears a cry for help...
The ensuing "hero quest" is one of the oddest in the history of archetypes. The book suffers slightly from "first book in a series" syndrome, which is the only thing which kept me from giving it five stars.
I can recommend this book for kids about 4th grade and above, especially ones who like comic books or superhero cartoons or films.
May 8, 2009
More of a 3.5
Billy is a young boy who likes comics. One day, he stumbles into a goblin being chased by a pig monster. He manages to save the goblin. The goblin tells him he is really a superhero called Owlboy who fights evil in the city of Monstros which is located under his town of Bradford. He doesn't accept this but is sent home with a comic book on the legendary Owlboy and soon a superhero suit arrives. Against his better judgement, Billy is drawn into becoming Owlboy.
Written for children or the young adult, the book is nevertheless a hoot and is enjoyable for anyone with the ability to remeber the wonders of childhood.
Billy is a young boy who likes comics. One day, he stumbles into a goblin being chased by a pig monster. He manages to save the goblin. The goblin tells him he is really a superhero called Owlboy who fights evil in the city of Monstros which is located under his town of Bradford. He doesn't accept this but is sent home with a comic book on the legendary Owlboy and soon a superhero suit arrives. Against his better judgement, Billy is drawn into becoming Owlboy.
Written for children or the young adult, the book is nevertheless a hoot and is enjoyable for anyone with the ability to remeber the wonders of childhood.
Read
November 7, 2008Billy Hooten is a very odd kid he loves comics and spends his spare time building robots. Billy being such a fan of comic book heroes and a bully magnet, hears a cry for help in the cometary behind his house with instinct he goes to see what is going on inside the mausoleum. Billy scares the goblin that is threatening Archibold's life. Billy is distend to be the new Owlboy to protect Monstros City the city that is made up of evil non-human creatures.
January 31, 2009
This book was a challenge for me to finish. It's not because it's bad writing, it just simply seemed to drag on to make it's story line. The characters in the book are great and very well written, it just seems the author drags the storyline along at a snail's pace and for young readers, that can be dangerous territory. I'm glad I finished the book because it is a good book, but I don't think young readers will and therefore I can't really recommend this book.
July 30, 2009
This was not my type of book. Perhaps kids who are fans of comic books will like it. It's on the 2010 Children's Sequoyah List for Oklahoma, and I'm trying to read as many of them as I can. I think it might be better as a graphic novel. I'm glad it had some illustrations, but once Billy went down to Monstros City and started training as Owlboy, I lost interest.
Want to read
July 10, 2011I picked this up last year (2010), somewhere around november. All I remember about it is that i could really identify with the main character. I'm not saying that I too was an eccentric child who enjoys building robots and turned into a superhero, but I love the unique quirks that he has. I'll pick this book up again and see how I like it.
August 25, 2015
This marvelous book introduces a boy who seems to always be in trouble, and never knows how to do things right or make things right. He lives for his comic books and tries to keep under the radar of the school bullies, but meets his fate in a goblin that our little hero, Billy Hooten, rescues. A great and fun read for children of all ages.
January 13, 2010
Story about a boy who is slowly becoming a super hero. There was some humor which made the story go a little faster. The illustrations drove me crazy. They didn't really match the story if you paid attention.
May 2, 2011
Billy Hooten is the archetypal bullied kid. Then he discovers a gateway to a city filled with monsters. There he finds that he is not just a bullied kid, but a generational superhero known as Owlboy.
June 15, 2008
Good, clean fun. Billy Hooten was a lovable, reluctant hero. Many funny moments. I think young boys will really enjoy this book
Read
September 25, 2009Elementary. Comic book fantasies of an average boy. Very imaginative and fun.
May 23, 2011
it is....alright:( it tries really hard to be alot of things.....superhero book, fantasy, sci fi....what is it?
Read
July 3, 2012Jump into a fun and fast-paced story in Billy Hooten, Owlboy. It features a boy who loves comics and soon discovers his own superhero destiny.
October 9, 2012
Jump into a fun and fast-paced story in Billy Hooten, Owlboy. It features a boy who loves comics and soon discovers his own superhero destiny.
November 7, 2012
If you like comics just pick it up and read it
June 16, 2015
Pretty good
It was good. wasn't what I was looking for, but overall, good. You should read it if you like superheroes, especially bat man.
It was good. wasn't what I was looking for, but overall, good. You should read it if you like superheroes, especially bat man.
March 7, 2016
Fun, light, and sure to be popular with the comic loving kids at my school.
Read
May 28, 2018It was a very good and unexpected plot.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews