The Owl Prowl Mystery

Renn, Diane. The Owl Prowl Mystery (Backyard Rangers #2)
August 13, 2024 by Fitzroy Books
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Miles and his friends in the Backyard Rangers are back after their adventures in Trouble at Turtle Pond. It's October, and Miles is excited for Halloween, but his friend Pia points out that his decorations could be dangerous for the owls. He's found several owl pellets near his house, and a local birder who shows up at a festival at Turtle Pond mentions that he has taken an owl who was hit by a car to a rehab center. Malik is impressed by the group's attempts to raise money for various wildlife causes. Miles is very interested in trying to see different birds because his teacher, Ms. Rivera, has given the students a scavenger hunt, and whichever group sees the most birds get a homework coupon. Since he is struggling in school in part because of his ADHD, he wants the coupon enough that he lies about seeing an owl, and even draws a picture at the pond. Celeste Frost has a picture of the owl on her phone. Locals are calling the owl "Bella" and notice that it doesn't seem to be scared of humans. Pia, Luke, and Delaney really want to go on a night hike, an "owl prowl", but it's being held on Halloween, and Celeste is having a party. The group conspires to get dropped off at Celeste's house, but then walk to the owl prowl. The organizer requires permission slips, but lets the children come on the tour since their teacher is there. Mile goes off the path and finds a strange net in the woods that he suspects is being used to catch owls, but he doesn't know what to do about it. When he goes back during the day, the net is gone, but Celeste's parents have closed off one of the walking trails on their property. Malik, who has taken a job working landscaping in the area, says the net is probably a "mist net", and combined with the fact that some of the owl pellets have white mouse fur in them, Miles thinks there is an owl baiter in the area. The Backyard Scouts start an investigation, and have a list of suspects which includes Miles' neighbor Mr. Panek, Malik, and others. Bella mania has gripped the town, and there are even people trying to sell Bella merchandise in town. When Miles' parents find out that he was in the woods near the Frost house, they take him to apologize to her family, especially since Malik is being suspected of being the trespasser. The group thinks that they have found the baiter, but have they? Will they be able to help keeps the owls near Turtle Pond safe?

Strengths: The best part of this book, for me, was the fact that it was very realistic and addressed issues that other books just ignore. Miles' ADHD comes into the story in interesting ways, and there is mention of him taking medication and having help at school. His parents limit his screen time! When the children run off and go on the owl prowl, they are eventually found out. These types of issues are a HUGE deal in elementary and middle school, but are usually never shown. There's a little bit of friend drama when Miles tells the others that Delaney is going to the doctor for treatment of her scoliosis when she wanted it to be kept secret, and Miles thinks that Celeste is stuck up before he gets to know her. There is an especially funny scene with Miles' father making cookies for his mother's book group, and he tries to bake owl pellets at the same time to disinfect them! The mystery is strong as well, and environmental issues speak to a lot of young readers. I enjoyed Renn's Young Adult 2012 Tokyo Heist and 2015 Blue Voyage, but has somehow missed the first book in this series. 
Weaknesses: This seems to be available only in paperback or e book, and the cover art is not strong. 
What I really think: I'm waiting for students to ask me for books with characters who are interested in birding, because there are a growing bumber of them, like McCullough's Across the Pond, King's The Drake Equation, Miller's Rare Birds! This will also appeal to readers who like environmentally themed books like  Hurwitz's  Hello from at Renn Lake, McDunn's When Sea Becomes Sky,  or Johnson's Rescue at Lake Wild.