Customer Reviews

The Clue of the Screeching Owl (Hardy Boys, Book 41)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Among the higher volumes, after #37, this books ranks as Number #1. In fact, although not the best book in the set, it ranks among the best. I loved the setting in this one. The Hardys camped on the edge of a Hollow. The chance for mischief ever present throughout the story. Brilliant.

Frank and Joe Hardy and their best friend Chet Morton travel to the Pocono Mountains to visit Captain Thomas Maquire. Captain Maquire wrote to Fenton Hardy, the boys' father, to tell him about strange noises and missing pets in Black Hollow, an area adjacent to where Captain Maquire lives. The boys had to investigate in their father's place because he is working on a hijacking mystery with the New Jersey state police involving missile components.

When the boys arrive at Captain Maquire's cabin they discover he is missing. The boys are unable to gain the attention of the local police, and are stymied further when Walter Donner, who seems to live in Black Hollow, makes the boys appear to be incompetent tenderfeet in the wilderness. But the boys know something is going on in Black Hollow. There are strange noises at night, and what sounds like cries.

The boys observe early in the mystery that Walter Donner bears an incredible likeness to Colonel Thunder, an animal trainer in a carnival. Are Walter Donner and Colonel Thunder related in some way? Are they the same person? Why is Walter Donner living in Black Hollow? The Donner family was previously wealthy and there is an estate, so what explains Walter Donner living in poverty?

In addition to these mysteries, the boys soon learn of a wild boy living in the Black Hollow area. The boy seems at home in the wild, but he may also be dangerous!

As the mystery builds, the attacks on the Hardys and Chet increase, with the boys threatened by fire, wild animals, and criminals with guns. How will the Hardys and Chet escape this time?

This particular book in the Hardy Boys series is reasonably interesting. The pace of action is continuous, and the storyline holds together reasonably well. This book is one of the better books as compared to books that immediately preceded this one.

The publisher recommends the Hardy Boys series for ages 9 to 12 because the series is relatively tame for the previous target audience of ages 10 to 14. This particular book is a good fit for the new age range. Though the Hardy Boys series contains archaic information, as reading material for an increasingly younger audience they are good. Once a child has reached age 12 or so the stories may be of less interest, but given the combination of mystery and action, these books remain good safe choices for parents who want to know what their children are reading.

Frank, Joe and their pal, Chet, are in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountain country to visit a family friend who lives next to spooky "Black Hollow". When he turns up missing, it's up to the Boys to find him and solve the mysterious goings-on in Black Hollow.

The action in this book is almost non-stop and this story ranks among the best of the later tales.

A "must read" for all Hardy Boys fans.

Frank, Joe and Chet travel to Black Hollow in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains to help a friend of their father. However, when they arrive, he is nowhere to be found and they are told an almost unbelievable story of a two hundred year-old witch that emerges from the hollow at night to steal dogs and terrorize the people of the village with her screaming. Frank, Joe and Chet try to solve the mystery of the witch, the disappearance of their friend and what connection, if any, a deaf, mute boy has to the strange happenings in the hollow. This book is excellent, it is one of the best books of the entire series and is easily the best book of the hardcovers from 39-58. The action starts in the first chapter and it never lets up. This book is probably the best written and most descriptive of the later volumes. This is a great book and should not be missed by any Hardy Boys fan.

Tadek Kasman
SUMMARY:

Two brothers named Frank and Joe Hardy,go camping in the woods to visit thier
friend named Captain Maguire.Theyfind out that thier friend...isn't there...!They meet Odd people along the way:like a mute boy named Simon,a tall family whose last name was Donner(two brothers and one sister).They were always fighting for a mansion.
One of the brothers is in the ccircus and the other one is suspicious...

****
I gave this book****stars because there are some extremely well writen parts and
some parts that were not very involved.

The book has 177 pages. I recomend this book for people aged 6-12 years old because
of the mystery element.

I liked the story because of how they gathered up all of the clues and how the Hardys
mystery tied into their dad's mystery.

I read the book The Clue of the Screeching Owl. This book was written by Franklin Dixon. It was about three boys going to a cabin in the woods to meet their friend Mr.Mcguire. The boys' host never showed up at the cabin, so they went in search for him. At night in what was called "Black Hollow" you could hear the shriek sound of someone screaming. My opinion of this book is very good. I really liked all of the mystery in it. If I was looking for a good mystery book and hadn't read this one, I would definately pick it. It had a lot of suspicion going in my mind of what was going to happen next. There was one thing that I didn't like about this book.It had some very difficult words in it. If those words hadn't had been in there, it would have made it a lot easier to understand. But overall I really liked this book.

Camped in a cabin beside Black Hollow the brothers become involved in a mystery surrounding the strange happenings within the hollow. I give the setting for this book an A+. Imagine - inside your four walls - knowing that danger lurks outside. The setting is brilliant and the knowledge that "something evil is lurking" makes for a suspenseful read. Reminds me of a setting for a horror film. I would have named this "The Witch of Black Hollow" or "The Secret of Black Hollow". Either would be better than the Screeching Owl title, but in any event this seems to be a favorite on most people's lists and I am no different. The Hardy's travel about the local town located in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania and occasionaly dare to venture down in the spooky hollow. This was the best volume in the series among the higher volumes in my opinion. Great interior artwork (The early 1960's interior artwork reached it's zenith) and a well written suspenseful action packed mystery rank this volume among the series elite. RATED A-

The higher books, from volume #36-58, they tended to lack the quality which the lower volumes pocessed. However this one equals the lower volumes in a different kind of way. An excellent book that was a treat to read.

Sneaking around, discovering what other teens or adults were up to, solving crimes, ahh, I loved this series.
I read the entire series as a kid, and loved it. It chronicles two brothers and their friends adventures as they solve mysteries of all imaginable kinds. I only learned as an adult that Franklin W Dixon was a pen name used by several different authors, but the series had some great stories. I still enjoy a good mystery.

Paul Buckner,

author of "From Broke to Broker, and other stories of finding financial freedom."

This was the first Hardy Boys book I read and it was great. I own 125 Hardy boys books now. The plot in the Clue of the Schreeching Owl was exciting and there was adventure starting on the first page. I really recommend this book although it's not as good as some.