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4th
annual Owl Prowl fund-raiser
Date: Friday, Oct. 25, and
Saturday, Oct. 26
Time and place: 6:30 p.m. at the
Illinois Raptor Center, 5695 W. Hill Road, Decatur
Cost: $15 per adult; children
half price (includes prowl and refreshments)
Prowl rain or shine. Bring a flashlight
and dress appropriately.
Call (217) 963-6909 to make a
reservation or send an e-mail to
barnowl@illinoisraptorcenter.org.
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This year the Illinois Raptor Center is
also offering private owl prowls for organizations and businesses
Oct. 21-24. To book a private prowl, call (217) 963-6909 by phone or
TTY or e-mail
the center.
[News
release]
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Hermux Tantamoq earns his living
repairing clocks and watches, and he enjoys the simple comforts of
home. He has a caged pet ladybug named Terfle. In the evening he
changes into woolen socks and a flannel shirt printed all over with
pictures of cheeses from around the world, makes supper, and settles
comfortably in his chair by the fireplace.
In this mystery, Hermux, a very likable
mouse, is catapulted from his simple lifestyle into a very complex
and dangerous one. It all starts when Linka Perflinger, an
adventuress, daredevil and aviatrix, brings a watch to his shop for
emergency rush repair. When a week goes by and Linka has not picked
up her watch, Hermux is both angry and worried.
After a tall gray rat with shifty
yellow eyes, thin lips and a sharp tongue enters the shop demanding
Linka’s repaired watch, Hermux begins to live the life of a spy and
detective.
As he follows the rat up and down
streets, into a dark building, and then to Linka’s house, Hermux
suspects something awful has occurred.
He decides to crawl inside a bush to
wait and see what happens. In a few minutes a black limousine pulls
up in front of the house, and a skinny white rat with blood-red eyes
and a torn black T-shirt that says "LAB RAT" crawls out. Very soon
Hermux sees the rats leaving with what appears to be a weak Linka
Perflinger.
[to top of second column in
this review] |
Hoeye’s book is very hard to put down
as the action speeds up and Hermux finds himself in more and more
danger. He discovers that many of his acquaintances have become
involved in the mystery also. There is Tucka Mertslin, an eccentric
cosmetics tycoon who owns the building where Hermux has his shop;
Dr. Dandiffer, who’s doing research for a youth formula; and Pup
Schoonagliffen at the Daily Sentinel
When Hermux begins to connect the clues
he has gathered, he realizes he is in over his head and that Tucka
is somehow involved in the whole scheme. He tries a dramatic rescue
of Linka, then faces snakes, thieves and a time trap. The unexpected
ending is especially dramatic.
This
suspenseful action adventure-fantasy will capture the attention of
readers age 10-14, especially those who enjoyed Robert C. O’Brien’s
"Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH."
[Patricia Schlough, Lincoln
Public Library District] |
