npm ERR! Error: EACCES, mkdir

I follow this tutorial https://scotch.io/tutorials/make-a-mobile-app-with-reactjs-in-30-minutes

and meet below error after “reapp new flickrapp"

$ reapp new flickrapp

Creating new reapp folder for: flickrapp...
Running git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/reapp/starter-default /home/owen/flickrapp...
Running git init...
Inserting your name...
Running npm install...

 Error
{ [Error: Command failed: npm WARN package.json flickrapp@1.0.0 No repository field.
npm ERR! Error: EACCES, mkdir '/home/owen/.npm/react/0.12.2'
npm ERR!  { [Error: EACCES, mkdir '/home/owen/.npm/react/0.12.2']
npm ERR!   errno: 3,
npm ERR!   code: 'EACCES',
npm ERR!   path: '/home/owen/.npm/react/0.12.2',
npm ERR!   parent: 'reapp-platform' }
npm ERR! 
npm ERR! Please try running this command again as root/Administrator.

npm ERR! System Linux 3.16.0-33-generic
npm ERR! command "/usr/bin/node" "/usr/bin/npm" "install"
npm ERR! cwd /home/owen/flickrapp
npm ERR! node -v v0.10.33
npm ERR! npm -v 1.4.28
npm ERR! path /home/owen/.npm/react/0.12.2
npm ERR! code EACCES
npm ERR! errno 3
npm ERR! stack Error: EACCES, mkdir '/home/owen/.npm/react/0.12.2'
npm ERR! not ok code 0
] killed: false, code: 3, signal: null }

after a quick google, I found a solution here https://github.com/npm/npm/issues/5869

sudo chown -R $USER:$GROUP ~/.npm

and it works for me