Student Question

How does Mullet Fingers escape with Dana in Hoot?

Quick answer:

Mullet Fingers escapes juvenile detention with Dana by hiding in a laundry basket as it leaves the facility. Despite being discovered, they manage to escape when the laundry truck is stopped by police. Mullet Fingers uses Dana, who is still injured and a poor runner, as a decoy. The police capture Dana quickly, allowing Mullet Fingers to successfully flee into the woods undetected.

Expert Answers

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In the Epilogue of Hoot, Mullet Fingers's mother, Lonna, first wants her son to live with the family again, mainly because she hopes to remain in the limelight because of his fame. Mullet Fingers only stays put for two days before attempting to run away. Angered by his attempt, Lonna falsely accuses him of stealing a toe ring from her, and he is sent to juvenile detention. He happens to meet Dana Matherson there. Knowing all about Dana through Roy, Mullet Fingers chooses him as an escape partner. The two boys hide in the laundry basket as it leaves the detention center, but the authorities soon discover they are missing, and police pull the laundry truck over. Dana and Mullet Fingers spring out the back door of the truck and make a run for it. Dana is no runner, as readers have seen earlier in the book, and he still hasn't fully recovered from the injuries from the rat traps clamping down on his toes. This makes him "the perfect decoy." The officers easily overtake, tackle, and bind Dana with handcuffs while Mullet Fingers whisks away into the woods. 

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